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Learning pages: using the internet * databases * booklists

Kids & Youth pages: kids * youth

 
Melbourne Library Service subscribes to many databases covering a variety of subjects. Databases contain reliable information that has been verified by subject matter experts. Some contain refereed full text journal articles from a wide range of sources. Others contain the full text of many widely used reference and technical publications.

To access most of these databases you will need your library barcode number or a password from our staff.
database database

New Database Trial
Melbourne Library Service is trialling a new online resource, Facts on File.  This database contains information on History, Science, Health, News and Social Issues.  You will need the login and password supplied to access Facts on File.  Have a look and let us know what you think.

Facts on File
Login: september
Password: song

Accessing Databases

There are two ways to access Melbourne Library Service databases.  If you know the name of a specific database you want to use then simply click here for an alphabetical list of databases by name which you can access yourself with your library barcode number.

There are also databases that are only able to be accessed within our libraries using a login and password provided by staff, 
click here for an alphabetical list of databases that can only be accessed in the library.   

If you are unsure of which database to use then simply click on one of the subject categories below and you will be taken to the database that contains the most relevent information on that subject.

 


Databases by Name - accessible in the library, from home or work

These databases are available for any Melbourne Library Service member to use from any computer that has an Internet connection and a web browser, such as MS Internet Explorer.  Some will need your library barcode to access them only if you are using them from home, while some will require a library barcode whether accessing them from within the library or from home.


A-Z Journal List
(no library barcode number required)
more info on A-Z Journal List

ANZ Reference Centre
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on ANZ Reference Centre
For a Flash based tutorial on basic searching click here
For a Flash based tutorial on search alerts click here

Austlit
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Austlit

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
(no library barcode number required)
more info on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition
(no library barcode number required)
more info on ADB

Biography Resource Centre
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Biography Resource Centre

Britannica Online
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Britannica Online

Consumer Health Complete
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Consumer Health Complete
For a Flash based tutorial on this database click here

Directory of Australian Associations
(Username - 428748 ; no password required)

Fiction Connection
(no library barcode number required)
Only available from within the library
more info on Fiction Connection

Gale Science Resource Centre
(library barcode number required from home)
 more info on Science Resource Centre

Gale Virtual Reference Library
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Gale Virtual Reference Library

General OneFile
(library barcode number required from home)
More info on General OneFile

Global Books In Print
(no library barcode number required)
Only available from within the library
more info on Global Books in Print

Good Reading Magazine Online
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Good Reading Guide

Grove Art 
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Grove Art

Grove Music
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Grove Music

Health and Wellness Resource Centre
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Health and Wellness Resource Centre


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Infoxchange Service Seeker
(no library barcode number required)
more info on Infoxchange

Libraries Australia

(no library barcode number required)
more info on Libraries Australia

Margaret Gee's Media Guide
(Username - 428748 ; password - mgcom)
More info on Media Guide

Masterfile Premium
(library barcode number required from home)
More info on Masterfile Premium
For a Flash based tutorial on basic searching click here
For a Flash based tutorial on search alerts click here

National Library Australia, Newspaper BETA Search Service    
(no library barcode required)

Novelist
(library barcode number required from home)

more info on Novelist

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Centre
(library barcode number required from home)
More info on Opposing Viewpoints Resource Centre

Oxford Reference Online
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Oxford Online

Picture Australia
(no library barcode number required)
more info on Picture Australia

Picture Victoria
(no library barcode number required)
more info on Picture Victoria

Price-It Collectibles
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Price-It Collectibles

Reactions! Reading Skills
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Reactions! Reading Skills

Safari E - Books online
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Safari E - Books

Study Skills Success
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Study Skills Success

Tense Buster Online
(library barcode number required from home)
more info on Tense Buster

VOCED
(no library barcode number required)
more info on VOCED

Who's who in Business in Australia
(Username - 428748 ; no password required)
more info on Who's who in Business


Access only from within the Library


To access these databases you will require the library staff to log you in and they can only be used within the library.  Staff will not provide the passwords for home use.

Magpies, The Source (only within library, password required) more info on Magpies

Ozjac  (only within library, password required) more info on Ozjac

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Art and Music

Grove Art Online (library barcode number required): Grove Art Online provides web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art (1996, 34 vols.) in addition to links to many international museums and galleries.

Grove Music (library barcode number required): Provides the complete text to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Also provides links to images, digital sound and related sites.

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Biography

Biography Resource Centre (library barcode number required): A comprehensive database of biographical information on almost 275,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition (no library barcode number required): Australia's pre-eminent dictionary of national biography which contains over 10,000 scholarly biographies of significant Australians who died before 1980.

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Business

Safari E - Books online (library barcode number required): Management, e-business and professional development titles covering all aspects of information technology, e-business, multimedia, desktop publishing and applied sciences, over 200 books online.

Who's who in Business in Australia - (Username - 428748 ; no password required):  A comprehensive directory of individuals and organizations in Australian business.

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Careers

Ozjac (only within library, password required): Australian Courses and Careers Database. This can only be used from within the library. Please ask library staff to log you in.

VOCED (no library barcode number required): VOCED is a research database for technical and vocational education and training. It is an international database of research abstracts with a special focus on Australia and the Asia Pacific region. VOCED is a free database that contains over 30,000 English language records, many with links to full text documents.

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Community Information

Infoxchange Service Seeker (no library barcode number required): The Infoxchange Service Seeker contains details on over 110 000 government and non-government services and agencies in Victoria. The update cycle is weekly with the goal of all information being updated twice each year.

Australian Bureau of Statistics - ABS (no library barcode number required): The Statistics section of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) web site gives you access to the full range of ABS statistical and reference information. It is updated weekdays at 11:30am, Canberra time. Everything on the ABS web site is accessible free of charge.


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Computers and E-Literacy

Safari E - Books online
(library barcode number required): Management, e-business and professional development titles covering all aspects of information technology, e-business, multimedia, desktop publishing and applied sciences, over 200 books online.

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Consumer Information

Price-It Collectibles (library barcode number required): An antiques and collectibles pricing database that allows the experienced antiques dealer and the novice collector to identify, research and price art, antiques and collectibles.

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English Language Learning Online

There are 3 easy-to-use programs that can be accessed from home or the library. To use these programs from home you will need to type in your library card number at the prompt.

The library also has books, kits and audio visual materials for loan to help you learn English.

Tense Buster Online – break through the grammar barrier!
This program will help improve your grammar. It covers all grammar areas and includes practice exercises for beginner, intermediate and advanced students of English.

Reactions! Reading Skills
This program will help you with reading and vocabulary skills. It is based around a variety of texts including articles, broadcasts, quizzes, letters, recipes, stories, newsletters and advertisements. It is suitable for beginner, intermediate and advanced students.

Study Skills Success – academic study skills
This program is for students in upper secondary and higher education who wish to improve their academic study skills. It can also help you to prepare for IELTS and TOEFL. Each unit includes presentation and practice activities.

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General Reference

Britannica Online (library barcode number required): This has over 123 000 articles from Encyclopedia Britannica and various journals, 27 000 photo's and illustrations, 3,300 video and audio clips.

Gale Virtual Reference Library (library barcode number required from home): provides access to more than 1,000 electronic reference titles — eBooks — in virtually any subject area including health, medicine, science, art, history, business, biography and more.

Oxford Reference Online (library barcode number required): Contains over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press, with an expanding range of key titles in the acclaimed Oxford Companions series plus the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. This means 140,000 entries, including 50,000 longer, in-depth, signed entries with bibliographies.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (library barcode number required): Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center draws on the social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference sources to provide a complete one-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Masterfile Premier (library barcode number from home): This database provides full text for many general reference publications with full text information dating as far back as 1975. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, MasterFILE Premier also includes over 300 full text reference books, nearly 100,000 biographies, 76,000 primary source documents, and an image collection of 116,000 photos, maps and flags.

ANZ Reference Centre (library barcode number from home): A comprehensive database of Australian and international reference titles, ANZ Reference Centre also includes over 20 titles from Australian Consolidated Press. An excellent database for research on any topic, including sports, current affairs, politics, technology, nature and much more.

InfoTrac OneFile (library barcode number required): Is a comprehensive periodical resource that puts more than 60 million articles at your fingertips with a single search query. More than 11,000 titles and backfile coverage from 1980. InfoTrac OneFile covers a diverse set of topics, including humanities, education, business, science, current events, art, politics, economics, social science, law, health care, computers,technology, environmental issues, and general interest topics.

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Health

Health and Wellness Resource Centre (library barcode number required): Covers areas of health, medicine and alternative medicine.

Consumer Health Complete (library barcode from home): Provides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic, and integrated medicine. This full text database covers topics such as aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs & alcohol, fitness, nutrition & dietetics, men’s & women's health, and children's health.

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Literature and Books

Austlit (library barcode number from home): Provides authoritative information on hundreds of thousands of creative and critical Australian literature works relating to more than 75,000 Australian authors and literary organisations. Its coverage spans 1780 to the present day.

Global Books In Print (no library barcode number required) Only available from within the library: A database of over 4 million titles that are available and over 165,000 publishers, distributors, wholesalers and book agents. Access over 450,000 full text Reviews.

Libraries Australia (no library barcode number required): Search across Australian public and academic Library catalogues.

Magpies, The Source (only within library, password required): Searchable database about books for children.

Novelist (library barcode number from home) Only available from within the library: A fiction database that provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations, and much more for over 125,000 fiction titles. It also includes other content of interest to fiction readers, such as Author Read-alikes, What We're Reading, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, and Annotated Book Lists.

Fiction Connection (no library barcode number required) Only available from within the library: Allows patrons to search similar titles by entering the title of a book they already know they enjoy, or browsing by location, topic, character, genre, timeframe, or setting.

Good Reading Magazine Online (library barcode number required from home): An Australian resource with information on “Everything About Books” including thousands of easy to read independent book reviews and lots of interesting Australian and International articles, author profiles, stories on writers’ houses, bookshops, short stories, book trivia and more.

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Picture Victoria (no library barcode number required): The primary focus of Picture Victoria is to provide a single portal for access to pictorial and photographic collections held in Victoria's public libraries.
 
Picture Australia (no library barcode number required): Is a service hosted by the National Library of Australia to provide a single access point to the digitised pictorial collections held in the collections of libraries, museums, galleries, archives, universities and other cultural agencies, in Australia and abroad.

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition (no library barcode number required): Australia's pre-eminent dictionary of national biography which contains over 10,000 scholarly biographies of significant Australians who died before 1980.

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Media and Newspapers

ANZ Reference Centre (library barcode number from home): A comprehensive database of Australian and international reference titles, ANZ Reference Centre also includes over 20 titles from Australian Consolidated Press. An excellent database for research on any topic, including sports, current affairs, politics, technology, nature and much more.

Australian Newspapers BETA search service: The BETA service is freely available to the public and currently contains 73,000 out of copyright newspaper pages (approx 730,000 individual articles) from 1803 onwards.


InfoTrac OneFile (library barcode number required): Is a comprehensive periodical resource that puts more than 60 million articles at your fingertips with a single search query. More than 11,000 titles and backfile coverage from 1980. InfoTrac OneFile covers a diverse set of topics, including humanities, education, business, science, current events, art, politics, economics, social science, law, health care, computers,technology, environmental issues, and general interest topics.

Margaret Gee's Media Guide (username - 428748 ;  password - mgcom) Contains detailed information on every major Australian media outlet - from television stations and newspapers through to press agencies.

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Online Journals

A-Z Journal List  (no library barcode number required): Electronic magazines we subscribe to. Check here to see if we have a title you are looking for.
 

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Science

Science Resource Centre (library barcode number required): Reference material from 58 titles including the Gale Encyclopedia of Science and the UXL Encyclopedia of Science, over 200 full text magazines and academic journals, links to 500 websites and 8000 multimedia records.

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