Pacific Grove Public Library librarians are here to answer your questions!
Contact us by filling out our online
Contact Form, emailing
referencedesk@cityofpacificgrove.org, visiting the Library or calling 831-648-5762.
The resources listed here have been purchased or recommended by Library staff to answer common questions and help with research on a wide variety of topics. Recommended resources for homework help are available on the
Kids and
Teens pages. Resources about Pacific Grove and the local area are available on the
Community page.
The links on these pages are to sites selected as particularly useful by the staff of the Pacific Grove Public Library. The City of Pacific Grove and the Library are not responsible for the content of sites maintained by other organizations. The content of those sites does not reflect the opinions, standards, policy or endorsement by the City of Pacific Grove, its officials or its staff.
Niche Academy How-To Videos
PGPL has partnered with Niche Academy to provide patrons useful tutorial videos covering a broad range of tools and technology, such as Microsoft Word/Excel, Gmail, E-Books & Audio Books, Job Seeking, Research, Social Media, Health, and more. Online learning made easy!
How-To Videos
Containing many of the top-ranked biographical reference collections and magazines, this database offers a comprehensive collection of full-text biographies, as well as thousands of unique narrative biographies. This resource provides superior coverage for several of the most popular and heavily-researched biographies and genres, including those contained within Biography Today and Biography.
Britannica School is the go-to site for learning more about any subject—for all grades and all reading abilities—offering thousands of up-to-date, curated, and curriculum-relevant articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, recommended Web sites, and three separate databases—Elementary, Middle, or High.
El contenido editorial, medios enriquecidos y características interactivas de World Book Enciclopedia en español para jóvenes estudiantes.
World Book Enciclopedia
Designed for secondary schools, public libraries, junior/community colleges and undergraduate research, this database features full text for more than 1,990 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books from leading history publishers, such as Branden Publishing, Compass Point Books, Houghton Mifflin, Lerner Publishing Group, Mason Crest Publishers, Morgan Reynolds Inc., Oliver Press, Oxford University Press, Rourke Publishing LLC., Salem Press, Stackpole Books, Toucan Valley Publications and more.
Using the same expert information found in The World Book Encyclopedia, these easy-to-navigate websites include World Book Kids, World Book Info Finder for elementary and middle shcool homework and research needs, World Book Reference Center for advanced researchers and information seekers, Timelines, and Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos.
Escolar is the leading knowledge-building resource that is universally trusted for accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish.
MasterFILE Complete offers the largest collection of the most popular full-text magazines, journals, and other highly-regarded sources from the world's leading publishers, covering virtually every subject area of general interest.
Full-text magazines, journals, and other highly-regarded sources from the world's leading publishers with a simple search that quickly delivers relevant results and easy-to-browse categories organized by popular topics.
Containing resources that present multiple sides of an issue, this database provides the basis from which students can realize and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills.
Niche Academy is an online learning platform made for libraries. Niche Academy features tutorial videos to guide you through your Library's eResources and general technology.
Book Connections Use to search titles, authors and illustrators, and find resources to engage in the world of books. The resource collection includes short movies, audio book readings, author interviews, book discussion guides, and so much more.
Book Index with Reviews™ is a comprehensive database that provides information on over 5 million books with almost 800,000 full-text searchable book reviews from the sources that you trust: Library Journal, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and others.
NoveList is the premiere database of reading recommendations, providing a comprehensive source of information about books that includes expert recommendations, reviews, articles, lists and more.
This comprehensive, full-text database provides a broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes—to give students, professors, and researchers a foundation of literary reference works to meet their research needs.
- AtoZdatabases - more than just a business tool. Find employment opportunities, friends and relatives, and much more.
This simple, user-friendly, web-based solution provides details on every business and every household within the U.S.
Business Source Premier is the industry’s most used business research database, providing full text for more than 2,300 journals, including full text for more than 1,100 peer-reviewed titles. This database provides full text back to 1886, and searchable cited references back to 1998. Business Source Premier includes full text coverage in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics updated daily.
Brainfuse JobNow & VetNow features free live online assistance, resume lab help, and wide range of academic tools to help job seekers, veterans and their families reach their goals. The program is offered through the California State Library. View the user guide at:
https://www.brainfuse.com/curriculumupload/1600807328086.pdf
This database offers a wide variety of information on small business and entrepreneurial subject areas, common business types, a help and advice section, and provides information on how to create business plans that lead to successful funding.
Consumer Reports magazine articles and ratings through EbscoHost.
The index includes obituaries from January 1, 1995 to June 30, 2014 and local news articles and features from January 1, 1995 to June 30, 2003. The Monterey County Herald index was created by staff and volunteers of Monterey Public Library and Pacific Grove Public Library.
The single-most comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health content. It is designed to support the information needs of patients, and to foster an overall understanding of health-related topics. CHC provides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine.
Read It - ELL Reference Center, Open Culture Free Language Lessons & Defense Language Resources
Providing exclusive online full text for many of the top consumer legal reference books, Legal Information Reference Center contains hundreds of full-text publications and thousands of legal forms, with more content being added on a regular basis.
Voter's Edge is an online ballot lookup tool that provides in-depth information about what's on your ballot in English and Spanish. Voters can enter their address to get a personalized list of candidates, including biographies, top priorities, who supports each candidate, and more. Voter’s Edge also includes an FAQ section that includes election dates and a wide range of common voter questions. With Voter’s Edge, you have all the election information you need at your fingertips.
This year, every registered California voter will receive a ballot in the mail Voters can choose to return the ballot by mail, drop it off, or instead vote in person. Voters can learn more about how to vote in the Primary Election by checking out the
Easy Voter Guide.
California’s Library Services for People with Print Disabilities, in association with the Library of Congress, provides free Braille and audio books, magazines and playback equipment to all eligible Californians unable to read standard print. Follow the link to find your local braille and talking book library and sign up for free library service.
Provides more than 1,400 full-text newspapers, with more than 55 million full-text article andcomprehensive full text for major newspapers. Newspaper Source Plus also brings critical news content with ongoing updates though out the day with its News View component.
A comprehensive research database that provides easy access to a multitude of full-text, science-oriented content. Designed to meet every student researcher's needs, Science Reference Center contains full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and other sources.
Ages K-12 now have free access to National Geographic Kids, Gale Interactive: Science and Gale In Context: Environmental Studies through Gale Resources free from California's K-12 Online Content Project and the California State Library.
- AtoZdatabases - more than just a business tool. Find employment opportunities, friends and relatives, and much more.
This simple, user-friendly, web-based solution provides details on every business and every household within the U.S.