Research and Reference Services

Online Resources for Research

The Durham County Library has selected numerous online resources to assist you in your research. These resources have been organized by subject and include both subscription databases (see below for a description) and web sites selected for your research purposes.

• Biography
• Business
• Car Repair
• Colleges & Financial Aid
• Community Guide
• Downloadables
• Encyclopedias
• Genealogy
• Government
• Health Guide
• History
• Homework Help
• Job Help
• Languages
• Legal
• Literature
• Magazines & Newspapers
• Nonprofits/Foundations
• Science
• Statistics

How-to-Guides

These how-to-guides show step-by-step directions for using online resources.

• Ancestry.com
• Auto Repair Reference Center
• Biography Resource Center
• Career Guidance Center
• CQ Researcher
• Credo Reference
• Learning Express
• Literature Resource Center
• Morningstar
• Online Catalog
• Small Business Resource Center

Key to Link Icons

    Available from any computer with Internet access.
     Available from any computer with a library card.
 Available from any computer with password (Call 560-0110).
   Available from any computer within a library building.
 

What is the difference between a database and a website?

Databases are an online, advertisement-free version of reference books, magazine articles, journal articles, audiobooks and videos which you can't find with a search engine. Durham County Library and the State Library of North Carolina pay for these databases so that you can have easy, free, online access to reliable information you can't find on the internet. Websites can be written by anyone and require you to look carefully and evaluate whether the information is true or not. Databases provided by the Durham County Library are only available through this website and require a library card number to access them; databases provided by the State Library of North Carolina will require the NC Live password. Call 560-0110 if you have any questions or need the NC Live password.

Last Update: November 19, 2008