Databases
Have a question about database access? Reference support is available by phone or chat Monday through Friday, 9 am - 1 pm, or email us any time.
A to Z Databases
Access to eight unique databases within a single search
- 30 Million Businesses
- 33 Million Executives
- 8 Million Executive Email Addresses
- 2 Million New Businesses
- 200 Million Residents
- 90 Million Homeowners
- 50,000 New Homeowners Added Weekly
- 200,000 New Movers Added Weekly
Academic Search Elite
Multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 4,600 journals, including full text for nearly 3,900 peer-reviewed titles. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles.
American Ancestors
American Ancestors offer family history researchers the most-used genealogical society website in the world provides access to more than 1.4 billion records spanning twenty-two countries covering the United States, the British Isles, continental Europe, and beyond, including one of the most extensive online collections of early American genealogical records, the largest searchable collection of published genealogical research journals and magazines, and the largest collection of U.S Catholic records online.
American Physical Society Journals
Contains full-text access to the APS Journal Archive back to 1893.
Ancestry Library
Census records and images, birth, marriage, and death records, military and immigration records are available in this library resource from Ancestry.com. Thousands of databases, posted or updated regularly.
Auto Repair Reference Center
Contains the most comprehensive collection of automobile repair reference information in the market, including information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles. The database covers more than 35,000 vehicles from 1945 to present.
BizMiner
Bizminer provides industry and area specific financial benchmarks for over 5,000 industries and market statistics for more than 9,000 industries. Start your industry search and market analysis here. This resource is available ONSITE only.
Chronicling America
Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690 to present. Rhode Island newspapers date from 1777 to the early 20th century.
Consumer Health Complete
Single most comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health content, this full-text database is designed to support the information needs of patients, and to foster an overall understanding of health-related topics. It provides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine and covers topics such as aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs & alcohol, fitness, nutrition & dietetics, children’s health, men & women’s health, etc.
Explora Educator’s Edition (For Teachers and Educators)
Highlights content relevant to teachers, including lesson plans, curriculum standards, and other professional development resources.
Explora for Public Libraries
Explora for Everyone is a new site for the general public that simultaneously searches 20 EBSCO databases for an easy one-stop search.
Explora Primary
EBSCO’s research database for students K-5 is the replacement for Searchasaurus and Kids Search and features colorful pictures and school subject categories for easy browsing.
Explora Secondary
Explora for Secondary Schools is the replacement for Kids Search and Student Research Center and features an easy to use site and updated features like the cite button.
Flipster
Flipster offers an easy, browsable magazine reading experience. Users can browse magazines by category as well as perform searches for specific periodicals. An online newsstand provides a carousel of the most recent issues, as well as a carousel of all issues allowing for quick access to magazines.
Foundation Directory Online Essential
Foundation Directory Online Essential (FDO) includes 103,000+ expanded grantmaker profiles,
300,000+ key decision makers and leaders, and searchable 990s and 990-PDFs. FDO Essential is the quickest, way to identify the ones that will fund you – and get in-depth profiles that help you write your winning proposals.
Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
The leading search engine for students, artists, researchers, and individuals searching for grants, scholarships, fellowships and awards. This resource is only available ONSITE. During this unplanned closure, please contact a librarian for assistance.
Gale Presents Udemy
Gale Presents: Udemy can help improve your career skills or further develop a personal interest
with access to more than 4,000 continuously updated, on-demand video courses. Explore the
many options across 75 categories in business, technology, design, and more taught by world-
class instructors.
INSTRUCTIONS: Use any Rhode Island Public Library Card Barcode to create an account and access.
Need a library card?
Heritage Hub (Providence Journal Obituaries)
Find the obituary of a loved one published in the Providence Journal or explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. Newsbank’s HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7. HeritageHub replaces the Providence Journal Obituaries and Death Notices resource.
HeritageHub (Obituaries and Family Histories)
Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. Newsbank’s HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7. HeritageHub replaces the Providence Journal Obituaries and Death Notices resource.
Job & Career Accelerator
Job & Career Accelerator puts everything you need to land a job in one place. You can explore over 1,000 different occupations, discover the career that’s best for you, search local and national job and internship postings, create professional resumes and cover letters, practice and master interviewing skills and more!
Kanopy
Kanopy is a streaming video service making quality documentaries, feature films, foreign films and training videos available to public library users. Kanopy offers access to a large, curated catalog of over 30,000 educational, entertaining, and enriching films for adults and children.
Using Kanopy: Click on “Login” or if this is your first time using Kanopy, click on “Sign Up” to create a free Kanopy account. Available to PPL cardholders ONLY.
Films can be streamed via ppl.kanopy.com or by downloading the Kanopy mobile app for iOS, Amazon Fire, Android, AppleTV, Roku or Chromecast.
Learning Express Library
Whatever your goal, LearningExpress Library’s resources will help you succeed. Each of the Learning Centers offers the practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, and information you need to achieve the results you want—at school, at work, or in life. Looking to land a job? You’ll find an entire Learning Center dedicated to helping you get the one that’s right for you.
Literary Reference Center
Comprehensive database provides users with a broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes. Specifically designed for public libraries, secondary schools, junior/community colleges, and undergraduate research, it is a full-text database that combines information from major respected reference works, books, literary journals and much more, as well as original content from EBSCO Publishing.
Mango Languages
Mango is an online language learning system that can help you learn languages like Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian, Russian and more.
New York Times
As a Providence Public Library patron, you have free ONSITE access The New York Times News Online!
To get free access to NYTimes.com, ONSITE at PPL:
1. Visit nytimes.com using any device. Ensure you are connected to the library’s WiFi connection (connect to Providence Public Library).
2. Go to the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Click on “Log in” to create a free account or log-in to your existing account.
3. You now have full access to all journalism on nytimes.com while logged in at Providence Public Library.
NoveList
A complete readers’ resource with information on over 250,000 fiction and readable nonfiction titles included, plus feature content including lists of award-winning books, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, Recommended Reads and more.
NoveList K-8
Created especially for kids (and the adults who work with them), NoveList K-8 Plus has a colorful, graphic-rich homepage and is very easy to use. It provides access to information on over 30,500 nonfiction titles designed to support the curriculum and kids’ pleasure reading and is a great online resource for helping teachers, school media specialists and kids find that next great fiction read.
Points of View
A full-text database designed to provide students with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. It provides more than 280 topics, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (argument), counterpoint (opposing argument), and Critical Thinking Guide. Topics include: affirmative action, cloning, DNA profiling, HIV/AIDS status disclosure, immigration, Iraq, Israel & the Palestinians, Katrina and FEMA response, nuclear proliferation, separation of church and state, standardized testing, stem cell research, tax cuts, voting machines, and many more.
Providence Journal Archives
Search more than 30 years of Rhode Island history with the Providence Journal Collection. Coverage from 1981 through today. Explore current and archived issues of the Providence Journal with full-color newspaper pages and individual articles, as well as content only published online.
ProvLibDigital
The online home for digitized items from the Providence Public Library Collections. Over 14,000 items and growing all the time.
Salud en Español
Esta fuente proporciona informes de temas específicos que cubren todos los aspectos de la salud y el bienestar, incluidas descripciones generales de enfermedades, afecciones, procedimientos y diversos tratamientos. Salud en Español es el recurso único para los informes basados en la evidencia y las hojas informativas en el idioma español.
La cobertura incluye:
- Envejecimiento y bienestar
- Medicina alternativa
- Primeros auxilios
- Infantil / Cuidado infantil y enfermedad
Salud en Espanol (Consumer Health Complete Spanish Version)
Esta fuente proporciona informes de temas específicos que cubren todos los aspectos de la salud y el bienestar, incluidas descripciones generales de enfermedades, afecciones, procedimientos y diversos tratamientos. Salud en Español es el recurso único para los informes basados en la evidencia y las hojas informativas en el idioma español.
La cobertura incluye:
- Envejecimiento y bienestar
- Medicina alternativa
- Primeros auxilios
- Infantil / Cuidado infantil y enfermedad
Sanborn Maps (Inside Library)
ProQuest Sanborn Maps (1867-1970) provides digital access to thousands of large-scale maps of Rhode Island towns and cities, searchable by address and GPS coordinates.
Please use this link for access while inside the library only.
Sanborn Maps (Remote Access Link)
ProQuest Sanborn Maps (1867-1970) provides digital access to thousands of large-scale maps of Rhode Island towns and cities, searchable by address and GPS coordinates.
Please use this link for remote access only. Available to PPL cardholders only.
Statista
Statista consolidates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources.
Tutor.com
Tutor.com provides online, on-demand academic tutoring, homework help, and test preparation to kindergarten through 12th grade students, plus early college students and adult learners. Tutor is available 7 days a week from 2pm – 10pm.
World Book Online Reference Center
Multi-media World Book Encyclopedia, a Reference Library with primary resources from US History and Political Science and Law, plus a Spanish language encyclopedia.