Welcome to your Lancashire

Online Reference Library (OnRL)

Our Online Reference Library is a selection of 100s of websites chosen, organised and maintained by library professionals to answer your questions. Resources marked with * can only be accessed within a Lancashire Library.

Premier Choice

*Only available in libraries

The largest single collection of 17th and 18th century English news media available from the British Library and includes more than 1,000 pamphlets, proclamations, newsbooks and newspapers from the period. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
19th Century British Library Newspapers has been developed by Gale in partnership with the British Library and offers national, regional and local 19th century British newspapers, taken directly from the holdings of the British Library. The collection contains over two million pages from forty eight titles and unlocks extensive newspaper content which is invaluable for the researching and studying of 19th century history. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
This collection, created by RLUK with funding from the JISC Digitisation Programme, contains the most significant British pamphlets from the 19th century held in UK research libraries. Pamphlets were an important means of public debate, covering the key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of their day. Previously difficult to access, digitised copies are now available online for private study and non-commercial use only. Find out more about the collection. Please note: this is the only part of the JSTOR collection available via the OnRL.
FREE access is available for library members only in ANY Lancashire Library on the People's Network Computers.The Family History source that provides access to a wealth of information for England and Wales including the censuses (1841-1901) and records of Births Deaths and Marriages (1837-1984). Census records for Scotland are also available (1841-1901). Among the other records are parish and probate records; Pallot's Baptism and Marriage Index (1730-1837); Isle of Man censuses; census records for the USA and Canada; phone and trade directories for England, Scotland and the USA; British Phone Books, 1880-1984, WWI British Army Pension and Service Records (1914-20), emigration lists etc. Records are also being added for Australia and continental Europe. Need help getting started? Click Here
Ask About Business is a partnership between Lancashire Libraries and other authorities across the North West. Ask About Business provides information through libraries to support: Pre-start and new businesses, Existing businesses, Jobseekers, Consumers, Inventors and Business students. It includes free access for library members to Cobra Business Adviser
The full version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (Library Edition) is available in this online form. It also includes a world atlas, notable quotations, year in review, timelines, world data and the full-text versions of classic texts under "Gateway to the Classics". Also included is Britannica's multimedia database with thousands of photographs, illustrations, and sound files. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card. For a Guided Tour Click Here
The Encyclopaedia Britannica especially for Juniors. If you're 5 to 11, it should suit you. You can get straight in on a Library PC or use your Library card number to login from home. For a Guided Tour Click Here
The Encyclopaedia Britannica especially for Students in secondary or further education. You can get straight in on a Library PC or use your Library card number to login from home. For a Guided Tour Click Here
The authoritative site for all BSI publications. Updated daily, it includes over 38,500 current, draft and historic British Standards, more than 16,000 of which are BSI-adopted European and International standards. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC using your Library login. You may request up to a maximum of 10% of any standard to be printed by library staff for personal, non-commercial use.
The authoritative site for all BSI publications. Updated daily, it includes over 38,500 current, draft and historic British Standards, more than 16,000 of which are BSI-adopted European and International standards. You can view the standards from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card to login. Printed selections for personal, non-commercial use (up to 10%) are available in Libraries only, ask a member of staff.
Part of our Ask About Business support for businesses, jobseekers & consumers in Lancashire. If you're running a business or planning a start up, COBRA provides practical and continually updated information to help with start-up opportunities, employment, legal, finance, marketing, exporting, health & safety, as well as many useful links in the Local Area Profile. You'll just need your Library card number to log in.
Community Legal Advice is a free and confidential advice service paid for by legal aid. The web site provides basic legal advice, links to other approved legal web sites and help in finding a Solicitor or Legal Advisor.
This is the online version of this definitive biographical work from Oxford University Press. It is an illustrated collection of more than 50,000 specially written biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the fourth century BC to the present day. This is a service that Lancashire Library subscribe to. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
GoCitizen.co.uk is an online study resource for candidates preparing for the Life in the UK Test or British citizenship test. The service includes an online version of the latest official study materials licensed from the Home Office, the people who write the handbook, plus hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card. When you first use GoCitizen.co.uk you will need to register and provide a valid email address.
Grove Art Online comprises the full text of The Dictionary of Art, edited by Jane Turner (1996, 34 vols) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art, edited by Hugh Brigstocke (2001). It is now part of the Oxford Art Online portal. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
Grove Music Online comprises the full text of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. It is now part of the Oxford Music Online portal. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
This site almost does your homework for you! If you need info or facts, figures and arguments about contemporary issues facing our society and the world, this is the place to look. You can get immediate access on any library PC or logon from any PC using your membership number. Topics include: Crime and Justice, Drugs and Alcohol, Economics and Welfare, Environmental and Global Issues, Family and Relationships, Health and Wellbeing, Citizenship and Participation, The Media, Rights and Discrimination, Science and Health. There is also a guide to using Issues Online.
The web site of Kompass, the company that provides commercial information. Search a global database of 2.2 million industrial and commercial companies in 70 countries. Search by product, trade name, executive names, location and turnover. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC.
The web site of Kompass, the company that provides commercial information. Search a global database of 2.2 million industrial and commercial companies in 70 countries. Search by product, trade name, executive names, location and turnover. This is a service that Lancashire Library subscribe to and access is possible outside libraries by using this link and the inputting the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
Lancashire County Library and Information Service’s own website that includes a newspaper index, indexes to armed forces, obituaries, some census data for Burnley area, an Image Archive of local photographs and a dialect poetry index. Community Information contains details of local community, voluntary and self-help groups, clubs and societies.
Lancashire County Library and Information Service's Community Information contains details of local community, voluntary and self-help groups, clubs and societies across the region.
For nearly ten years, Lancashire has worked with Credo Reference to offer library members free access to some of the best quality information sources on the internet. We are now introducing a whole new way of accessing all this information. Literati is a custom website where digital content from Lancashire’s library service and Credo Reference can be easily searched and cross referenced. Literati provides users with a multitude of resources, from non-fiction eBooks, images, and easily accessible Topic Pages on a large range of subjects. Literati offers the best path for Lancashire library’s members to access information that is both reliable and high in quality. It also gives tips on how to get the best out of your web searching. With Literati’s multi-channel design you can personalize access through free registration and save or share all your discoveries. From its homepage there is also access to many other Library services. Literati can be used to get the best facts for everything from serious research to quizzes and crosswords. It will also prove invaluable in homework help for students of all ages. See our quick introductory video You can access Literati for free from any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any computer using your Lancashire Library card number.
This site gives full text content for newspapers in the UK. All the major national daily papers are included as well as many regional ones. This is a service that Lancashire Library subscribe to and access to this is possible at any Lancashire Library or from any internet PC using the barcode from a Lancashire Library membership card. Newspapers included are:Daily Mail; Daily Mirror; Daily Telegraph; Daily Express and Sunday Express; The Economist; The Financial Times; the Guardian; The Independent and Independent on Sunday; News of the World; The Observer; The Sun; Sunday People; The Times and Sunday Times; Liverpool Echo; Manchester Evening News;Lancaster Guardian; Blackpool Gazette.
The "OED", Oxford English Dictionary is the ultimate dictionary of English. In 'paper form', it has over 25,000 pages covering every word in the language and how it's been used over the centuries. This constantly updated online subscription version can be accessed from any Lancashire Library People's Network PC.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. Access is possible from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
Oxford Reference Online is the online version of all the Oxford University Press "Dictionaries of" and "Companions to" and is fully cross-searchable. The complete Oxford English Dictionary and Dictionary of National Biography are found separately within the OnRL Premier Choices. This is a service that Lancashire Library subscribe to. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
This collection provides access to thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera, offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Categories include Nineteenth-Century Entertainment, the Booktrade, Popular Prints, Crimes, Murders and Executions, and Advertising.
Theory Test Pro is a highly realistic online simulation of the UK's driving theory test. It contains the entire official test question bank, hazard perception video clips and an online version of the Highway Code. All this material is licensed from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the people who set the tests. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card. When you first use Theory Test Pro you will need to register and provide a valid email address.
The complete digital edition of The Times (London) from 1785 to 1985. Every page of every issue includes headlines, articles, images, editorial, birth and death notices and classifieds. Search or browse through each issue. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.
First published as a book in 1993, Who else writes like? has been popular guide ever since and now it's available online is easy to use and constantly update. It is designed to help fiction readers who have read all the books by their favourite authors and are seeking new names to try. It includes genre lists, A-Z of authors and literary prizes. You can get immediate access on any library PC or logon from any PC using your membership number.
This is the essential directory of the noteworthy and influential in all walks of life, in the UK and worldwide. This online version includes entries from the Who's Who Archives dating back to 1898. Access is possible at any Lancashire Library People's Network PC or from any PC using the barcode from your Lancashire Library card.

*Only available in libraries

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