Research Databases

The Library offers a wide range of useful and informational online databases that can be accessed with your library card for free! Click on the categories below for a list of our databases, video tutorials, and links to the database pages.

There are video tutorials available for most of our databases! Simply click the icon next to the database name to watch a short tutorial.

If you need further assistance in using the databases, please contact the library.


Books, Art, and Literature

American and English Full Text Literature Collections
Electronic books of American and English literature: poetry, drama, fiction, and the Bible.

Literary Reference Center  
Research an author, novel, or poem for school or personal interest. Learn more about a literary movement for book discussions.

Business and Government

Business Source Premier  
Boost your business knowledge by researching company and industry profiles, country and market research reports, and magazine articles.

Small Business Reference Center  
Offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics. Includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.

Employment Resources

LinkedIn Learning with Lynda.com Content  
Self-directed online learning for technology, business, and creative skills. Access more than 12,000 video courses taught by industry experts to help you stay ahead in your current job or change careers.

NorthStar Digital Literacy
Self-directed assessment and learning tool that covers a variety of technology scenarios. Find short lessons and practice exercises to improve skills on common computer topics such as email basics, Microsoft Word, and social media.

Resume Builder
Need to refresh your resume? Use this easy to navigate resume builder!

Small Business Reference Center  
Offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics. Includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.

Genealogy

Our In-House Genealogy Resources
The Library has a vast collection of sources on the history of the city of Columbiana and it’s surrounding neighbor cities, as well as Columbiana County itself.

African American Heritage  
Search records, books, serials, and other historical records specific to African Americans to trace your genealogy or to do research.

Ancestry Library Edition  
In-Library Use Only! Trace your genealogy using historical records. U.S. Census records; military records; court, land, and probate records; vital and church records; directories; petitions for naturalization; passenger lists and more. You must be in the library to access this database.

Columbiana History Archives
View the Library’s microfilm files online! In partnership with the Historical Society of Columbiana and Fairfield Township, we have digitized all of the Library’s microfilm and created an easy to navigate digital archive. Search through the Columbiana Ledger and other resources dating back to the early 1800s.

Digital Public Library of America  
Historic digital collections from libraries, museums, and archives across Ohio and more. The DPLA portal to photographs, maps, documents, and AV materials from across the country is a great starting place for your local history and genealogy reference.

Fold3  
A premier collection of historical U.S. military records that brings life to the details of America’s military veterans with stories, photos, and personal documents.

HeritageQuest  
Search census records, books, serials, and other historical records to trace your genealogy.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps  
Find large scale street plans produced by the Sanborn Fire Insurance company from 1867 to 1970. Locate and identify buildings and neighborhoods. Study the growth of towns and cities, and the impact of new development.

Health

Consumer Health Complete  
Browse medical, health-related and drug reference books. Read articles on health and fitness. Find sources for alternative health information

History and Biography

Biography Reference Bank  
Access biographical information on more than 335,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines.

Columbiana History Archives
View the Library’s microfilm files online! In partnership with the Historical Society of Columbiana and Fairfield Township, we have digitized all of the Library’s microfilm and created an easy to navigate digital archive. Search through the Columbiana Ledger and other resources dating back to the early 1800s.

CultureGrams  
Concise, reliable, and up-to-date cultural information on countries of the world. Beyond the facts and figures, find an insider’s perspective on the history, daily life, and customs. Also covers US states and Canadian provinces.

Digital Public Library of America  
Historic digital collections from libraries, museums, and archives across Ohio and more. The DPLA portal to photographs, maps, documents, and AV materials from across the country is a great starting place for your local history and genealogy reference.

EBSCOhost  
Search thousands of magazines, academic journals, newspapers, reference books, photos and maps on millions of topics.

Ohio History Connection
The Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society, is a statewide history organization with the mission to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories.

Ohio Memory Scrapbook
Established in 2000, Ohio Memory is the collaborative statewide digital library program of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio. On this free website, you can explore digital content from over 390 cultural heritage institutions representing all 88 of Ohio’s counties covering a wide range of topics from prehistory to present day.

Oxford Research Encyclopedias  
Reference content in humanities, social sciences, and science.

Local History and Resources

City of Columbiana Website
Learn about how our city runs, find contact numbers, and stay up to date on happenings in the city!

Columbiana History Archives
View the Library’s microfilm files online! In partnership with the Historical Society of Columbiana and Fairfield Township, we have digitized all of the Library’s microfilm and created an easy to navigate digital archive. Search through the Columbiana Ledger and other resources dating back to the early 1800s.

Columbiana Local History
Read a brief history about the start of Columbiana County and the city of Columbiana.

Historical Society of Columbiana and Fairfield Township: Museum and Research Center
Get information on the location, hours of operation, and contact information for the city’s Historical Society.

1912 Columbiana County Phone Directory
View the 1912 Columbiana County Phone Directory produced by The Columbiana County Independent Telephone Company.

Reference and Research

Auto Repair Source  
Powered by the automotive experts at MOTOR, Auto Repair Source provides library users with the most accurate, authoritative and up-to-date “do-it-yourself” service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks.

Chilton Library  
Fix your car, truck, van, or SUV with these diagnostics, maintenance schedules, wiring diagrams, and step-by-step repair procedures.

Columbiana History Archives
View the Library’s microfilm files online! In partnership with the Historical Society of Columbiana and Fairfield Township, we have digitized all of the Library’s microfilm and created an easy to navigate digital archive. Search through the Columbiana Ledger and other resources dating back to the early 1800s.

EBSCOhost  
Search thousands of magazines, academic journals, newspapers, reference books, photos and maps on millions of topics.

Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center  
Find “how-to” instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby enthusiast.

Home Improvement Reference Center  
Home Improvement Reference Center features full-text content from leading home improvement magazines, images not found anywhere else online and videos of popular home repair projects.

LinkedIn Learning with Lynda.com Content  
Self-directed online learning for technology, business, and creative skills. Access more than 12,000 video courses taught by industry experts to help you stay ahead in your current job or change careers.

Literary Reference Center  
Research an author, novel, or poem for school or personal interest. Learn more about a literary movement for book discussions.

NorthStar Digital Literacy
Self-directed assessment and learning tool that covers a variety of technology scenarios. Find short lessons and practice exercises to improve skills on common computer topics such as email basics, Microsoft Word, and social media.

Oxford Research Encyclopedias  
Reference content in humanities, social sciences, and science.

Small Business Reference Center  
Offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics. Includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.

Very Short Introductions
An excellent way to get a quick authoritative and accessible overview of a subject.

Science

Oxford Research Encyclopedias  
Reference content in humanities, social sciences, and science.

Science Reference Center  
Contains full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals and other sources.

What Tree Is It?
Whether wandering through the woods or the neighborhood, users can use What Tree Is It? to identify their surrounding trees by leaf or fruit. Learn more by exploring trees by name.

What’s That Snake?
For both budding naturalists and inadvertent encounters, What’s That Snake? will help anyone identify an Ohio snake in a few simple steps. Learn more by exploring Snakes by Name, a Snake FAQ, the Glossary, or Further Reading suggestions.

What’s The Point?
By answering just a few questions, flint artifacts of Ohio can be identified as a blade, drill, point, or scraper and attributed to a likely era and people. Learn more by exploring the Glossary, Artifacts Index, or articles about Ohio’s Prehistoric People.

Students and Homework

Explora for Middle Schools  
Specifically designed with the needs of middle school students in mind. Includes full text articles from popular, vocational, and trade magazines

Explora Primary Schools  
A trustworthy environment for students and educators in grades K through 5 to look up facts for class projects or homework.

Explora Secondary Schools  
Grades 9-12: A far better alternative to websites and search engines for students to look up articles and facts for research papers or homework.

Points of View Reference Center  
Containing resources that present multiple sides of an issue, this resource provides the basis from which students can realize and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills.

World Book Advanced  
Ages 14 and up. A wealth of vetted articles supplemented by thousands of original source documents fosters advanced research and critical thinking skills and prepares students for continued growth!

World Book Early Learning  
Ages 3-7. Developed with experts in early childhood education, this re-designed database offers rich resources to help young learners build their vocabulary, comprehension, phonics, and reading fluency.

World Book Kids  
Ages 6-10. This go-to resource is chock-full of fun activities, hands-on science projects, and age-appropriate articles, and offers image-based navigation to help young learners find information quickly and develop necessary digital literacy skills.

World Book Student  
Ages 10-14. Tailored specifically for students, articles include multimedia and related resources to engage students, biographies, and supplemental tools to support cross-curricular studies.

World Book Timelines  
Explore more than 650 pre-made timelines with over 14,000 individual events, or create your own timelines!

World Book – L’Encyclopédie Découverte  
Bienvenue à L’Encyclopédie Découverte, World Book’s French language encyclopedia. It features two interfaces: one aimed at grades K through 4 and for older students and adults. – Bienvenue à L’Encyclopédie Découverte, encyclopédie de la langue française du World Book. Il comporte deux interfaces: une destinée à la maternelle à la quatrième année et une pour les élèves plus âgés et les adultes.

World Book – Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos  
The optimal beginner’s Spanish-language reference tool offering all the best elements of World Book Kids; designed to build key language and research skills. – La herramienta de referencia en español óptima para principiantes que ofrece todos los mejores elementos de World Book Kids; diseñado para desarrollar habilidades clave de lenguaje e investigación.

World Book – Banco de Contenidos aulaPlaneta  
Upper-level Spanish language database intended for high school students through adult learners. La base de datos de nivel superior en español destinada a estudiantes de secundaria hasta adultos.