Online Resources
The Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners (MBLC), Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource
Sharing, Inc. (CWMARS--a library consortium dedicated to efficient
resource sharing and rapid access to information), and the Boston
Public Library provide Massachusetts library cardholders access to
many electronic databases that can help you find authoritative
information. Topics include arts and humanities; business,
economics, company directories, and personal finance; electronic
books; general resources; magazines for K-12 students; medicine &
health; newspapers; scholarly
journals; science & technology; and social sciences.
The South Hadley Public Library funds access
to two genealogy databases exclusively for patrons with South Hadley
library cards.
Unlike the sometimes-unreliable information
you find with Internet searches, this information is from published
sources—newspapers, periodicals, and reference books. Some articles
look exactly like they did in the published version, including
photographs. Perfect for late-night research when the Library’s
closed.
Anyone can access these databases when they
are in the Library. Most also are accessible from outside the
Library, if you have an Internet connection.
Ask the Library staff for help in choosing and
using these exciting resources today.
Look for journal,
magazine, and newspaper articles; encyclopedia and directory information;
and ebooks courtesy of the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners. Areas covered include: current events
and general information; health; business; and people, books, and
authors. Some other powerful databases funded by CWMARS can be
reached at
http://public.cwmars.org/databases. They include American
Women's History Online, American History Online, African-American
History Online, Science Online, Grove Art Online, and Massachusetts
Newsstand--searchable text of a dozen Massachusetts newspapers,
including the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. The
Springfield Republican newspaper can be searched from
http://mblc.state.ma.us/cgi-bin/remote.pl. A new feature
organizes periodicals by subject area, so searching a "collection"
like "Pop Culture" helps focus your results. Try it at
http://www.shadleylib.org/Collections.html.
Community Information Online
Central/Western Massachusetts Automated
Resource Sharing, Inc., is a library consortium dedicated to
efficient resource sharing and rapid access to information. The
Community Information Online database includes searchable listings
for agencies, services, and organizations that serve a significant
public need within our communities. This provides users with
comprehensive and confidential referrals that meet their specific
needs or interests.
Digital Treasures
Digital Treasures is a searchable collection
of images contributed by libraries in Central and Western
Massachusetts. A search for the word "canals," for example,
gets you a drawing of the inclined plane canal at South Hadley
Falls, from the early 1800s. No login is required.
Genealogy Resources
Ancestry Library Edition provides
access to thousands of databases of interest to genealogists. Search
1930 and earlier Census, military service records, ship passenger
lists for New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, and Massachusetts
marriage lists, 1633-1850, plus many more. It even contains the 1890
city directory for South Hadley Falls. [Funded by the South Hadley
Public Library and accessible only in the Library]
HeritageQuest Online is a genealogy research tool created for
library users. It gives instant access to a wide range of unique
resources for genealogical and historical research. With more than 4
billion names in over 4,000 databases, it includes records from the
United States census; military records; court, land, and probate
records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists, and
more. [Funded by the South Hadley Public Library and accessible in
the Library or remotely with a South Hadley Library card]
The
Ellis Island Foundation
offers a free search of Ellis Island and Port of New York passenger
arrivals at http://www.ellisisland.org/. Viewing passenger records
or photos of the ships requires free registration. The website also
has tips and links to other genealogy resources.
NoveList
NoveList is
a fiction database that provides subject heading access, reviews,
annotations, and much more for over 125,000 fiction titles. It also
includes Author Read-alikes, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, and
Feature Articles. It allows
readers to retrieve a list of recommended titles based on a favorite
book, author or genre. Searches can be restricted to a specific
reading level.
Anyone can publish a website, which is one of the great things
about the Internet. However, this also means that there are no guarantees
that information you find online is accurate. There is a wealth
of valuable information online, as well as some that is false or
misleading. To learn more about locating and evaluating online information
resources, check out our Search Engines
and Evaluating Websites links.
Check out these freely available websites that have been evaluated
and recommended by librarians! Collections include South
Hadley Public Library's
own Suggested Websites as well as the Directory
of the Web (courtesy of Springfield Public Library).
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