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Online Databases

The LRC subscribes to several online databases. RDHS students can access these databases from any computer with an internet connection.

 

In order to access the Gale databases, you must see Mrs. Houston or click here to ask the librarian for the password.

General

Information

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Gale: Student Resources in Context

This database can be used for research in any topic. Resources include full-text content from encyclopedia, magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, audio files, and links to websites.

 

Please see or email Mrs. Houston at khouston@rdpanthers.org for the Library ID.

Tutorial for using this database can be found here.

 

Gale: Opposing Viewpoints in Context

This database can be used for research of social issues (e.g. capital punishment, immigration, etc.). Resources include full-text content from encyclopedia, magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, audio files, and links to websites.

 

Please see or email Mrs. Houston at khouston@rdpanthers.org for the Library ID.

Tutorial for using this database can be found here.

 

Infoplease

This database is a combination of every reference resource you can think of--encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, dictionary, thesauras.

 

The Free Library

This digital library offers full-text versions of literary classics as well as articles from leading publications in Business and Industry, Communications, Entertainment, Health, Humanities, Law, Government, Politics, Recreation and Leisure, Science and Technology, and Social Sciences.

 

English &

Fine Arts

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The Art Institute of Chicago

The AIC is located in Grant Park in downtown Chicago. Its online collection allows users to browse over 77,000 works of art including its extensive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

 

 

Art Project / Google

Created by Google, this database offers links to over 1,000 works of art at 17 art museums. Works may be searched for or browsed by museum, artist, or title. Basic information on each piece is given, but the each image is high resolution allowing users to zoom in and see a high level of detail.

 

Common Lit

A free collection of literature for 5th-12th grade classrooms. This database can be searched by genre, themes, grade level, and Common Core Standards. This is a great way to find literary readings in any genre for classes.

 

 

Encyclopedia Mythica

An easy-to-use, well stocked internet encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and religion. Articles can be accessed through a simple keyword search, or they can be browsed by continent, period, character, or theme. There is also an image library.

 

 

Lit Genius

This branch of the website RapGenius allows its user community of literary scholars to annotate texts belonging to classic literary works. Works found on this website include Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Canterbury Tales, etc. This is a wiki site which means it should not be cited in a research paper, but it can be used for discussion.

 

 

Metropolitian Museum of Art

The "Met" in New York City is the largest art muesum in the United States, and their website offers an online database of over 400,000 works of art from its various collections. The database allows users to view the highlights of the collection or to search and browse the entire collection.

 

 

 

OneLook Dictionary

An online dictionary search which will link to definitions from every dictionary you can think of. On the front page, there are instructions on how to search not just for definitions, but related words, related concepts, phrases than contain a specific word, words that start or end with certain letters, etc..

 

 

History & Government

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BBC Country Profiles

Users can view full profiles of countries, territories, or international organizations which include history, government, economics, and more. Also included are video and audio clips from the BBC archives. 

 

Biography

Created by A&E, this database of biographical information covers a wide range of historical figures, alive and dead.

 

Congress.gov

The official website of the U.S. Congress, this is the most qualified source of information on federal legislative information.

 

ePodunk

Users can access demographic information (e.g. population, median income, crime rate, foreclosure statistics, divorce rate, etc.) of tiny "podunk" towns and counties across the country.

 

FactCheck.org

FactCheck is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit consumer advocate organization dedicated to reducing deception and confusion for the American voter. Users can browse articles related to issues, recent news events, and statements made by leaders and representatives.

FindLaw

An online resource for conducting initial research on a legal issue. Users can browse articles arranged by area of law (e.g. state laws, criminal law, immigration law, family law, etc.), or users can search for topics in a simple keyword search.

Library of Congress

The LOC is the official research library of the U.S. Congress. Here you can find access to online photographic databases where you can download photographs from the LOC archives. 

 

OurDocuments.gov

Created by the National Archives, Our Documents allows users to read about 100 milestone documents of American history such as the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, Inaugural speeches, landmark SCOTUS decisions, and more. Users can allow view high resolution images of the original documents and transcripts of the documents' text.

Politifact

A Pulitzer Prize-winning project by the Tampa Bay Times which publishes and evaluates the veracity of statements made by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists, and interest groups.

Pew Research Center

Pew is a nonpartisan organization that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, and other data-driven social science research. This is a great resource for data collection.

 

USA.gov

This is the official website of the U.S. federal government where you can find a helpful search engine for finding information provided by federal agencies and departments such as NASA, U.S. Census Bureau, NOAA, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. State Department, U.S. Treasury, etc..

 

CIA World Factbook

Anything you want to know about nearly any country or region in the world, you'll be able to find in the CIA World Factbook. This database offers resources on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 different countries, along with maps, flags, and country comparisons.

 

News &

Current Events

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The Atlantic

The American news and literary magazine offers news and opinion pieces on the political and cultural stories of the day.

 

The New York Times

The NYT has the largest print circulation in the United States and has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other news organization. On its website, you have free access to its archives articles dating back to 1987.

 

The Washington Post

The Washington Post is the most widely circulated newspaper in Washignton D.C.; reporting on a range of topics, especially those concerning national politics.

 

Chicago Tribune: Archive (1849-present)

The "Trib" is the most-read daily newspaper in the Chicagoland area and is the 8th largest newspaper in the United States. Here, you have free access to the images and texts of Tribune articles dating back to 1849.

 

Chronicling America (1836-1922)

The Library of Congress' digital newspaper collection offers text-searchable American newspapers dating from 1836 to 1922.

 

Science &

Technology

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Alexa: Website Information

This Amazon.com service provides data on websites. Enter a website into Alexa's search bar and you will be given information on that website's web traffic, origins, etc.

 

 

 

Encyclopedia of Earth

Offering full-text access to over 7,000 articles, this online encyclopedia is a great alternative to Wikipedia for environmental and earth science topics.

 

 

 

Medline Plus

Maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, this database provides information on symptoms, causes, treatments, and prevention for over 975 health conditions.

 

 

 

National Weather Service

This government website provides the most authoritative information on current and past weather, climate, and meteorology.

 

 

 

PubChem

A comprehensive database where users can access information on chemicals, compounds, substances, and bioassays.

 

 

 

Simply Psychology

This website offers general articles about psychology and sociology.

 

 

 

Theology &

Philosophy

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Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Faculty at Stanford University edit and review this full-text, online encycolpedia. The SEP features thousands of articles on philosophers, theories in philosophy, and terms related to the study of philosophy.

 

 

New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia

New Advent Database features lengthy reference articles on Catholic history, theology, saints, and more; a library of Church documents related to Catholic Social Teaching, and full-text writings of the Church Fathers.

 

 

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