Subscriptions to information services
We have subscriptions to many online sources of information, including newspapers and magazines. You can access these when you become a member of our libraries.
Online resources available in our libraries
Some of our online subscriptions are only available if you use our computers at the library, or your own device while connected to a library's wifi.
Please ask the staff at your local library for help with these resources. You may have to create a personal log in to access them.
Family history
The library edition of Ancestry, the UK’s largest family history site, with information including census records, military records and births, marriages and deaths.
Historical illustrations
Held at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the John Johnson Collection contains images of nearly 60,000 printed illustrations from the 18th to the early 20th century.
Newspaper archives
The British Newspaper Archive is a project to digitise up to 40 million pages from the British Library's vast collection of local newspapers from the 1700s. You can search articles and watch your results appear in an instant.
Research papers and academic journals
Access to Research is an extensive and growing database of publicly funded research papers and academic journals,
Online resources accessible from anywhere
Some of our subscriptions are available from your devices even when you are not at the library. You just need to use your library membership details to log in.
Ask a member of staff at your local library for help accessing any of these resources.
Art and art history
Oxford Art has over 21,000 biographies, 6,000 images and 45,000 articles covering painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, interior design and glass.
Biographies
The Oxford Dictionary of Biography includes the life stories of over 60,000 men and women who shaped British history and culture worldwide, from the Roman times to the 21st century.
Who’s Who contains over 33,000 short biographies of noteworthy and influential people from all walks of life who have left their mark on British public life.
When the subject of a Who's Who entry dies, the biography is transferred to the next volume of Who Was Who, with the date of death added. Entries range from 1897 to 2015.
British citizenship and Life in the UK tests help
GoCitizen is for candidates preparing for the life in the UK or British citizenship test. It includes an online version of the latest official study materials, plus hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test.
Dictionaries and reference
The Oxford English Dictionary is widely held to be the world’s most authoritative and comprehensive record of the English language, tracing the evolution and use of more than 600,000 words.
A vast online reference library, Oxford Reference combines in-depth content from the Oxford Companions series.
Driving theory test help
An online simulation of the UK driving theory test, Theory Test Pro contains current versions of the entire official test question bank, hazard perception video clips and an online version of the Highway Code.
Social issues facts and figures
Find out facts and figures for school or college homework with Issues Online, which offers high-quality articles on today's social issues.