CHECK IT OUT:

Yes, it’s that time of year once again. Whether you are a college student, high school student, or even an elementary school student, writing term papers is a fact of life. The process can be confusing, tedious and even maddening, but it needs not be so!

At the Newport Beach Public Library, we have many resources that can aid you in your time of need. In fact, most of the library’s online resources are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which makes it very convenient late Sunday night when your paper is due Monday morning!

Having trouble finding sources for a paper?

The library subscribes to many databases that you may find very helpful, whether it’s for an English class assignment or more scientific study.

Library databases can be accessed through the “Articles and Databases” link on the library homepage using your library card.

If you are new to the library, simply follow the “Using the Library” link, also on the library homepage.

The Ancient History and Culture database presents detailed articles on world history through the ages. Primary sources can be found here as well as images and even videos. The “Learning Center” is a useful place to begin a search, or you can use a keyword search, or explore the timelines that the database offers.

The Biography Resource Center features searchable brief biographies of famous people from many professions. Simply type in a name and see search results. This database also allows you to search based upon occupation, nationality, gender and birth/death years.

Literature Resource Center is a complete literature database where you can find biographical materials, research and criticism, literary timelines, and so much more. For those studying an author, a work of literature, or just trying to develop a sense of literary movements, the Literature Resource Center is an indispensable source of information and help. This database also offers assistance in creating a bibliography of sources and how to cite them in a paper.

Live Homework Help provides access to a live online tutor any day between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. The content of help available is geared toward students K-12, but also offers some college introductory help as well as assistance to adult learners. The database offers a shared whiteboard to share lessons with as well as a chat utility and file transfer.

Opposing Viewpoints is a valuable resource for finding pro and con articles on hotly debated topics such as abortion, human rights and racism. The database offers many topics on its front page, or you can use a keyword search. You can limit your search based on content level, content type, or even those only with images. Articles here are presented in an academic, level-headed fashion and are especially useful for high school students.

Proquest offers articles from countless magazines, newspapers and scholarly journals. Proquest’s “Basic” Google-like search box is friendly to newcomers, yet Proquest offers many more tools to those with more advanced searching skills. For those of you still reeling from reference citation confusion, be sure to check out the built-in tool that to help you create your bibliography and how to show citations (while viewing an article, click on ‘Cite This’).

World Book Online is a great place to look up facts about nearly anything. Learn facts about countries such as the economy, government, history, land and climate. The World Book Online offers a dictionary, atlases, tools for educators, and a special resource dedicated to California.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.