Databases

The library offers databases and much more to help you stay connected no matter where you are. We have online resources available to access for free from anywhere with your valid Fairfield Public Library card.

Watch a short video introducing our Digital Resources and Databases.

Librarians are available to assist you in accessing the wealth of content available to you through an internet connection and your FPL card.
email: eref@fplct.org
or use our email form.
phone: 203-256-3160
text askfplct to 203-347-2507

Fairfield residents may access most of these database resources from home by using their Fairfield Public Library card number. For additional internet resources, visit our Staff Recommended Sites.

Switch to an Alphabetical Listing

BIOGRAPHIES

Biography Reference Bank  – Offers full-text biographies of and information about notable people. Includes over 36,000 images. A researchIT CT Database.

Biography Reference Center Access full-text biographies of notable people. A researchIT CT Database.

BUSINESS

ABI/InformAccess key business and economics periodicals and major news sources to get company and business trends around the world. A researchIT CT Database.

Business Source Eliteis a business database that contains full-text articles from academic journals, magazines (including Harvard Business Review), and newspapers on topics such as accounting, business ethics, management, and much more.

JobNow Get expert assistance for every step of the job search process with this online chat resource. Help includes review of resumes and practice interviewing. Your Fairfield Public Library barcode number is required for access.

Morningstar Investment Research Center – This includes Morningstar analysts’ independent opinion on 1,700 stocks, 2,200 mutual funds, and 300 exchange rated funds. Morningstar Investment Research Center also offers accurate, up-to-date data on 35,000 stocks and funds, along with industry and market data. The database lets users build and test portfolio ideas online, and provides financial education through its Investing Classroom.

Reference Solutions (formerly Reference USA) – Is the premier source of business and residential information for reference and research, offering the most up-to-date data available in the market. Their business and consumer databases are continuously updated from more than 5,000 public sources. With Reference Solutions, you can help your users find jobs and business opportunities, conduct market research, and track down addresses and phone numbers, either on a home or library computer or through their mobile app.

Small Business Reference Center  – Offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics. It includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans. A researchIT CT Database.

Value Line Research Center – Provides investment research on stocks, mutual funds, options and convertibles. View a short video on Value Line Services. Learn more about investing and how to navigate the site by clicking on the Investment Education tab and then Tool Guides.

CONSUMER INFORMATION

Consumer Reports – Get product ratings from world-famous test labs and sort them based on your priorities. Find out which products are best buys and worst performers. Get started using Consumer Reports with a short video made exclusively for FPL users.

Weiss Financial Ratings – Get accurate, independent ratings and financial planning tools you need to make informed decisions about your insurance, banking and investment options. Click to watch a recorded program from Weiss made exclusively for FPL.

Weiss Medicare Supplement Insurance Pricing Tool – Download your own customized Medicare Supplement Insurance Buyers Guide. This easy-to-use Buyers Guide is written in clear, understandable language to give patrons sound advice when navigating some difficult decisions about Medicare and their many options for Supplement Insurance. Make an informed decision when selecting a Medigap policy.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

BrainHQ, the interactive brain training program built by Posit Science, is your online headquarters for working out your brain.

Freegal Music Service – Downloadable and streaming collection of popular music in MP3, DRM-free format. Download and keep up to 5 songs a week, and three hours of streaming per day. Get started using Freegal with a short video made exclusively for FPL users. 

Hoopla – Visit Hoopla to download and stream audiobooks, eBooks, movies, TV shows, music, and comics. View them on your computer or your portable device or computer. Get started using Hoopla with a short video made exclusively for FPL users. 

Kanopy – Stream thousands of film on your TV, portable device, or computer.

Medici.tv – The world’s leading classical music streaming service is now available.  For nearly 10 years, Medici.tv has captured the performances of leading classical artists, ensembles, and orchestras in great concert halls, festivals, and competitions the world over. Medici.tv offers over 150 live performances throughout the year and the world’s largest VOD catalog of more than 1,800 videos.

Overdrive – Best selling and classic eBooks, eAudiobooks, magazines, and video available 24/7. Their free app is called Libby. Get started using the Libby app for Overdrive with a short video made exclusively for FPL users.

The Palace Project
New for 2022: Palace App – Connecticut State Library’s statewide library eBook platform. Search your app store for “The Palace Project” and gain access to over 12,000 free digital books from the Connecticut State Library as well as all of the library’s Overdrive (Libby) content. Search your app store for “Palace Project.”

RBDigital – As of March 31, 2021, RBdigital access no longer exists. The bulk of the company has been purchased by Overdrive. Find the following former RBdigital collections now on new platforms:
e-books: Overdrive/Libby
digital audiobooks: Overdrive/Libby
digital magazines: Overdrive/Libby
hoonuit video classes: Infobase Learning Cloud

GENEALOGY

1950 Census – Scans of the handwritten 1950 Census are now online and searchable through the National Archives, providing full access to the 1950 census images, including population schedules, enumeration district maps, and enumeration district descriptions.

Ancestry® Library Edition (in-library use only) – Discover your unique family history! This resource includes billions of records from around the world, including from U.S., U.K., and Canadian census and vital records, immigration and passport records, periodicals and books, photos, and more.
Click here if you are inside the library.

Civil War- Connecticut Colored Troop Enlistments, 1863-1865 The following Index of Colored Troop Enlistments from Connecticut during the Civil War was created by Connecticut State Library staff to highlight and better utilize these unique archival records. A researchIT CT Database.

Connecticut Death Records Index, 1897-2001 – This index allows researchers to find the name, place and date of death for individuals who died in Connecticut between 1897 through 2001. The information from this index can be used to request a copy of a death certificate from the Town/City Clerk of the municipality listed in the search results. A researchIT CT Database.

Connecticut Marriage Records Index, 1897-2001 – This index allows researchers to find the name, place and date of marriage for couples who were married in Connecticut between 1897 through 2001. The information from this index can be used to request a copy of a marriage certificate from the Town/City Clerk of the municipality listed in the search results. A researchIT CT Database.

HeritageQuest Online – A comprehensive treasure —rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, convenient research guides, interactive census maps, and more.

Noble Pension Database – Records relating to Civil War and Spanish American War Veterans.A researchIT CT Database.

Wethersfield Prison Records, 1800-1903 Offers genealogy data including names, residence, crime, date, and length of term. A researchIT CT Database.

World War I Veterans Database This database contains a collection of questionnaires filled out by Connecticut soldiers (or their families) who served in World War I. A researchIT CT Database.

HEALTH

211 of Connecticut  – The confidential, free, 24-hour a day, and multilingual way to locate hundreds of human services in your area.

Connecticut Physicians Profiles  The Connecticut eLicense web portal provides real-time access to over 800 credential types issued and regulated by the following State agencies.

Health Source – Consumer Edition Consumer health information providing access to full-text consumer health magazines and reference books, including searchable full text for current health pamphlets. Covers a wide variety of subjects, including information on specific diseases as well as overall health topics. Subjects include fitness, nutrition, diabetes, aging, women’s health, children’s health and more. A researchIT CT Database.

MedlinePlus – From the U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus is an online portal for consumer health information, aimed at patients and their loved ones. Its centerpiece is the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, an illustrated and continually updated reference source with 4,000-plus articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries.

Pub Med Comprises more than 32 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.

Teen Health and Wellness – Find trusted, credible health information 24/7, geared specifically for Teens.

HISTORY

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) – Offers a one-stop discovery experience for more than 40 million digital cultural heritage objects—images, text, videos, and audio clips—aggregated from 40-plus libraries, archives, and museums across the United States.

Hartford Courant – Historical 1764 to 1922 – The historical Hartford Courant covers the time period from 1764 to 1922. The digitized archive is fully searchable.

History Reference Center Offers full text from more than 1,620 reference books, encyclopedias, and non-fiction books. Includes cover to cover full text for more than 150 leading history periodicals, nearly 57,000 historical documents, more than 78,000 biographies of historical figures, more than 113,000 historical photos and maps. Also contains more than 80 hours of historical video. A researchIT CT Database.

Salem Press/Grey House Online Collection – Access content digitally including Magill’s Literary Annuals 1977-2016, Ukraine/Russia, Pandemics, Opinions Throughout History, Value of a Dollar, Health & Wellness, and Financial Literacy.

INVESTING

Morningstar Investment Research Center  – This includes Morningstar analysts’ independent opinion on 1,700 stocks, 2,200 mutual funds, and 300 exchange rated funds. Morningstar Investment Research Center also offers accurate, up-to-date data on 35,000 stocks and funds, along with industry and market data. The database lets users build and test portfolio ideas online, and provides financial education through its Investing Classroom.

Value Line Research Center  – Provides investment research on stocks, mutual funds, options and convertibles. View a short video on Value Line Services. Learn more about investing and how to navigate the site by clicking on the Investment Education tab and then Tool Guides.

JOB SEARCH

JobNowGet expert assistance for every step of the job search process with this online chat resource. Help includes review of resumes and practice interviewing. Your Fairfield Public Library barcode number is required for access.

LearningExpress Library Whether you’re looking to find a new job in your current field or pursue a career in a different industry, Job & Career Accelerator™ has the powerful tools and expert guidance to help you through every step of the process. LearningExpress Library also includes Occupational Test Preparation, Workplace Success Skills, Computer Skills, High School Equivalency, and Spanish-Language Resources.

Tutor.com – The K-12 Student Center, College Center and Adult Career Center from Tutor.com includes live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in just about any subject. A live, online tutoring and resume writing service is also available.

LANGUAGE LEARNING

Mango Languages – Mango is an online language learning system that teaches real conversation skills for practical communication. Through fun and engaging interactive lessons, Mango makes learning a new language fast, easy and incredibly effective. Get started using Mango Languages with a short video made exclusively for FPL users. 

LEARNING RESOURCES AGES 0-18

Biography Reference Bank – Offers full text biographies of and information about notable people. Includes over 36,000 images. A researchIT CT Database.

Biography Reference Center – Access full text biographies of notable people. A researchIT CT Database.

BookFlix – Thematically paired fiction and nonfiction titles are designed to bridge learning-to-read and reading-to-learn. Animated classic storybooks introduce early learners to the delights of reading while sparking curiosity, creating a natural springboard into the paired nonfiction text for deeper discovery.

Explora, for Elementary School – Explora is a simple access point for all the researchIT databases that quickly delivers relevant results from articles, essays and reference books. Topic overviews provide a starting point for research on topical issues. A researchIT CT Database.

Explora, for Middle School Explora is a simple access point for all the researchIT databases that quickly delivers relevant results from articles, essays and reference books. Topic overviews provide a starting point for research on topical issues. A researchIT CT Database.

Hive Class – Hiveclass is the Digital Encyclopedia for youth sports training, a platform that makes it easy for families to access high quality, educational videos in various sports and activities. Whether a patron is exploring a new hobby, searching for additional instruction or looking to increase levels of physical activity, Hiveclass provides various options for all.

Kanopy Kids – Highlights films and TV series that inspire and inform, helping children develop empathy, mindfulness, and self-esteem through entertaining and educational videos. Kanopy Kids categories include TV Series, Learning Languages, Animated Storybooks, Anime Favorites, Classic Films, and Movies for the Whole Family.

Masterfile Premier – Designed specifically for public libraries, this multidisciplinary database provides full text for nearly 1,700 periodicals with full-text information dating as far back as 1975. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, MasterFILE Premier also contains full text for nearly 500 reference books and over 164,400 primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of over 592,000 photos, maps & flags. This database is updated daily via EBSCOhost.

Middle Search Plus A researchIT CT Database.

Primary Search, A researchIT CT Database.

Scholastic Teachables – Worksheets, lesson plans, learning games, and more! There are printable activities available for any subject: math, science, reading comprehension, STEM, writing, and beyond. Download printable lesson plans, reading passages, games and puzzles, clip art, bulletin board ideas, and skills sheets for kids in any grade.

Tutor.com – The K-12 Student Center, College Center and Adult Career Center from Tutor.com includes live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in just about any subject. A live, online tutoring and resume writing service is also available.

LEGAL RESOURCES

Legal Information Reference Center – Offers everyday users the necessary tools and detailed how-to instructions covering a wide-range of legal issues. A majority of the full-text legal reference books are provided through Nolo, the nation’s oldest and most respected provider of legal information for consumers and small businesses.A researchIT CT Database.

LIFELONG LEARNING (INCLUDING TEST PREPARATION)

CreativebugGet inspired and get making with our new Creativebug database, where you’ll have unlimited access to more than 1,000 arts and crafts video classes. Get started using Creativebug with a short video made exclusively for FPL users.  

Driving-Tests.org – Free permit practice tests for learner drivers.

Infobase Learning Cloud (fomerly Hoonuit) – On-demand video training for more than 500 software applications, including: Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver, Final Cut Pro and GarageBand, Aperture 3 and iPhoto, iTunes and iPad®, HTML5 and CSS3, Social Media and WordPress, Google Docs and Picasa.

JobNow – Get expert assistance for every step of the job search process with this online chat resource. Help includes review of resumes and practice interviewing. Test prep includes high school, college entrance/placement, career prep, nursing, Praxis, ASVAB, grad school, and basic computer and adult learning skills. Your Fairfield Public Library barcode number is required for access.

Learning Express Library – Whether you’re looking to find a new job in your current field or pursue a career in a different industry, Job & Career Accelerator™ has the powerful tools and expert guidance to help you through every step of the process. LearningExpress Library also includes Occupational Test Preparation, Workplace Success Skills, Computer Skills, High School Equivalency, and Spanish-Language Resources.

Tutor.com – The K-12 Student Center, College Center and Adult Career Center from Tutor.com includes live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in just about any subject. A live, online tutoring and resume writing service is also available.

PERIODICALS/MAGAZINES/NEWSPAPERS

Academic Search Premier – Multi-disciplinary database providing full text for more than 3,100 journals, including 2,750 peer-reviewed journals. A researchIT CT Database.

America’s News (Newsbank) – Search current and archived coverage of issues, events, people, government, sports and more with the largest collection of full-text U.S. newspapers. Includes staff-written articles, obituaries, editorials, announcements, real estate and other sections.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers – Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

Connecticut Post – Selecting the “image format” option for the Connecticut Post allows you to actually read the digital version of the newspaper online as it looks in print. You can also do a traditional academic text search for articles using the “text format.”

Consumer Reports – Get product ratings from Consumer Reports world-famous test labs and sort them based on your priorities. Find out which products are best buys and worst performers.

Fairfield Citizen News – The Fairfield Citizen News provides local news from south-western Connecticut. This database provides full-text articles from 2001 to present including obituaries.

Fairfield County Newspapers – Search 37 Fairfield County newspapers at once for articles and information. Also the following papers have “image format” options which allows you to actually read the digital version of the newspaper online as it looks in print: Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, and The Hour (Norwalk), The New Times (Danbury), and The Stamford Advocate.

GreenFILE – Offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. A researchIT CT Database.

Hartford Courant – covers the time period from 1992 to the present. The archive is fully searchable.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Hartford Courant – Historical 1764 to 1922 – The historical Hartford Courant covers the time period from 1764 to 1922. The archive is fully searchable.

Hartford, CT Courant Index 1764-1799 – The Connecticut Courant Index, 1764-1799 contains thousands of entries searchable by Name, Town, or Subject taken from a slip index found in the History & Genealogy Reading Room of the Connecticut State Library.

MasterFile Premier – Over 3,000 general interest current periodicals, half of which are full text. It also includes 5,000 Magill’s Book Reviews, over 1,000 primary source documents in U.S. history, an image collection and a dictionary. A researchIT CT Database.

New York Times IN-LIBRARY USE ONLY – Enjoy complimentary unlimited access to the world’s finest journalism on NYTimes.com while in the library. In order to use this service, you must create an account with the NYTImes or log in to your existing account.

Newsbank (America’s News) – Search current and archived coverage of issues, events, people, government, sports and more with the largest collection of full-text U.S. newspapers. Includes staff-written articles, obituaries, editorials, announcements, real estate and other sections.

Newspaper Source Plus – Includes more than 860 full text newspapers. Provides more than 35 million full text articles. Contains more than 857,000 television and radio news transcripts. A researchIT CT Database.

Overdrive – Full digital copies of your favorite magazines, audiobooks, and e-books. Visit the digital library to access Overdrive content via a browser. For help getting started, see our help section.

Press Reader – The best place to read thousands of newspapers and magazines from around the globe. Read online or download more than 7,000 of the world’s top newspapers and magazines from 150 countries (popular titles include The Guardian, Der Tagesspiegel, El Razon, and China Daily) and in more than 60 languages. Plus they’re yours to keep forever. Right click on any article in a foreign language and translate to English or 20 other world languages.

Referencia Latina – Comprehensive Spanish-language resource. Offers 49,000 encyclopedia entries, 50,000 images, 2,500 health reports, a Spanish-English dictionary, and the full text of over 100 reference books. Includes dozens of general interest magazines in a broad array of subject areas. Intuitive, theme-based Spanish-language interface is designed to make content readily accessible to Spanish speakers with limited online research experience. Daily updates ensure availability of the most current articles from a dozen prominent newspapers in 10 Latin American countries. A researchIT CT Database.

ResearchIT CT Connecticut Digital Library – A statewide network of essential library and information resources. There are two ways to search researchIT CT . Click here to search all researchIT CT databases at once or you may search each database individually (see below). A researchIT CT Database.

ResearchIT CT Newspaper Collection – Full-text coverage of the Hartford Courant (1992 to present) and Hartford Courant (Historical 1764-1922). Find articles from the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and many more.A researchIT CT Database.

U.S. Major Dailies – provides access to the five most respected U.S. national and regional newspapers, including The New York Times and Washington Post, co-exclusive access to The Wall Street Journal, and exclusive access to Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.

Wall Street Journal – Access The Wall Street Journal from anywhere! Simply click here to create your account, and you can start using wsj.com immediately. Your access will be available for the next 3 days. After 3 days, simply come back and click the above link again and login as an existing user with the same username and password you originally created.

READING RESOURCES

NoveList Plus – A database of 135,000 fiction titles that allows readers to find authors similar to their favorites, to explore genres such as thriller, romance, detective-mystery, and to create lists of prize-winning books. New! Now find audio and non-fiction as well.

SCIENCE

Birds of the World – A powerful ornithological research platform that brings together deep, scholarly content from several celebrated works of ornithology with millions of bird observations from eBird and multimedia from the Macaulay Library into a single platform where biologists and birders can explore comprehensive life history information on birds. From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

GreenFILE – GreenFILE offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more.

Science Reference Center – Comprehensive research database providing easy access to a multitude of full text science-oriented content, Contains full text for nearly 640 science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and more. Includes content on biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife. A researchIT CT Database.

TEACHING RESOURCES

ERIC The Education Resource Information Center, or ERIC, provides access to education, literature, and research. Provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. Content includes journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books dating back to 1966. A researchIT CT Database.

Professional Development Collection – Designed for professional educators. Provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. Also contains more than 200 educational reports. Most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world. A researchIT CT Database.

Teacher Reference Center – Provides indexing and abstracts for 280 of the most popular teacher and adminstrator journals and magazines to assist professional educators. A researchIT CT Database.