MARKHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY

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Online Databases

What are online databases?      
Why not just use the internet?
What kind of information will I find?
How do I search the online databases?
Go to online databases 

What are online databases?
A searchable collection of information.  They’re great resources for business research, answering your health questions, homework or research needs and finding magazine, newspaper or journal articles.

Why not just use the internet?
Information in online databases comes from high quality sources.  The information is reliable.  Anyone can publish information on the internet which means you need to evaluate each site individually and decide if the information is accurate. 
Most of the information available through online databases is not available on the internet without a charge.  We subscribe to the databases so you can access them free 24 hours a day. All you need is an MPL library card.
Online databases cover a large range of subjects, interests and levels.  

What kind of information will I find?
Subjects covered by MPL’s online databases include health, business, company reports, career information, Consumer Reports, literature, biographies, genealogy, car repair manuals, encyclopedias, literature, science & technology, academic journals and current affairs.  The information is available in a variety of formats (print, multimedia, photographs, maps, graphs) Several of MPL’s databases include information in languages other than English.

How do I search the online databases?
A simple google-like search finds information from multiple databases at the same time. 

  • enter your search term
  • Select one or more subject areas (Health, Consumer Information, etc.)
  • Search

You can focus your research by searching specific databases.   Each individual database has unique features which may not be reflected in your simple search.  Try searching an individual database for additional features.  Click on “Search by database” and then select a database from the list. 

    • Online, interactive language learning with Mango
    • Reference USA Canada to find company information for business across Canada and U.S.
    • Consumer Health Complete to find the latest medical information in English, French, Chinese, Farsi, Korean and Russian. 

    Readers and Software Utilities

    Please Note:
    Many of the files on this web site have been saved in Adobe Acrobat format to preserve their original format. To open these documents, you must obtain the free Adobe Acrobat Reader that can be downloaded from Adobe's web site at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html. With Adobe Acrobat Reader loaded on your computer, simply return to the web page and click on the name of the file you wish to open or print.

    Adobe Acrobat Reader Adobe Acrobat Reader
    Download the free Acrobat Reader to display PDF documents on PCs without Acrobat installed.

    Microsoft Word Help Microsoft Word Viewer
    Download the free Microsoft Word Viewer to display Word documents on PCs without Word installed.

    Microsoft PowerPoint Help Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer
    Download the free Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer to display PowerPoint presentations on PCs without PowerPoint installed.

    Using My Account

    Your default PIN is 1234. We recommend you change you PIN for added protection. You can change your PIN online by going to My Account.

     

TOP This page was last updated on 11-Mar-2010