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Encyclopedias and reference

Free access to encyclopedias and other reference resources.

Britannica for adults

Biographies, articles, primary sources and much more on a range of topics.

Visit Britannica for adults.

British Library catalogue

Explore archives, manuscripts, collections and a range of historical records.

Search the full British Library catalogue.

The British Newspaper Archive

Discover the worlds in which your ancestors lived with millions of British and Irish newspapers from 1703 - 2003 on the British newspaper archive.

Visit the archive.

(Note: you have to use a library PC to access British newspaper archive for free. Users will need to ‘Register’ for a free account after which they will be able to sign-in to view, download and save newspapers.)

Collins Dictionary, Thesaurus and Translater

The home of living English, with more than 722,000 words, meanings and phrases.

Visit Collins Dictionary.

Oxford English and Spanish Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Spanish to English Translator

Explore grammar content and learn more about words with access to the Oxford English and Spanish dictionaries, thesaurus and Spanish to English translator.

Visit Lexico

The John Johnson Collection

Printed primary sources from the 19th and 20th centuries. John Johnson collected printed ephemera from playbills to records of crime and punishment, advertisement posters to maps.

Visit the John Johnson collection.

World Digital Library

Historical and international primary resources including books, maps, manuscripts, newspapers, journals, prints and photographs. Available in 7 languages.

Visit the World Digital Library.