Information and Reference
Online Resources

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Citizenship Test Practice
GoCitizen Helps you prepare for the Life in the UK test or British Citizenship test. You can read the latest official study materials and try out hundreds of practice questions.
Newspapers Online
Newsstand UK Articles from over 100 UK national and regional newspapers for you to search and browse. To see the full list of titles, as at April 2011, open this Excel file 2011 (139KB). Find out more about Newsstand UK

Times Digital Archive The complete content of The Times newspaper from 1785 to 1985, for you to read exactly as originally printed. Includes all reports, adverts, illustrations and photos. Virtual Library member? Some Virtual Library members will need to find out how to become eligible to use the Times Digital Archive
Reference Books Online
Credo Reference Over 500 reference books on subjects ranging from art and bilingual dictionaries to science and technology. Also includes the 'Bridgeman Art Library Archive', a fully searchable collection of 17,000 large colour images of paintings and other works of art. Find out more about Credo Reference

Encyclopaedia Britannica Multimedia version of the famous encyclopaedia. High quality articles, images, videos, audio clips, timelines, world statistics and more. Find out more about Encyclopaedia Britannica

Oxford Art Online More than 45,000 articles covering all aspects of Western and non-Western visual art. Biographies of artists, subject articles and thousands of art images and links to high-quality images in art collections worldwide.

Oxford Dictionaries Pro Up-to-date dictionaries, thesauruses, and language reference content - Oxford Dictionaries Pro is an extensive, integrated, smart-linked English language resource. It offers quick search access to definitions of words, phrases, and idioms, with expert guidance on style and usage, grammar, and spelling; plus specialist guides for legal and technical writing.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The lives of 57,000 men and women who have shaped British history worldwide, from the 4th century B.C. to the 21st century A.D. (excluding living people). Includes over 10,000 portrait images. Find out more about the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Oxford English Dictionary This famous enormous dictionary, equivalent to over 20 printed volumes, is your unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words, past and present, from across the English-speaking world.

Oxford Music Online Huge music resource with thousands of articles on all kinds of music and musicians, including classical, opera, jazz, world music and more. More than 50,000 signed articles as well as links to sound files so that you can hear examples.

Oxford Reference Online, premium edition Over 200 Oxford University Press books, covering arts, economics, history, languages, science and more, along with full-colour maps and illustrations, timelines, web links and bibliographies. Find out more about Oxford Reference Online
Driving Test Practice
Theory Test Pro Practice for your driving theory test, for a car, motorcycle, passenger carry vehicle or heavy goods vehicle, with official practice questions (available in 40 languages); realistic hazard perception test videos; and the online Highway Code. Practice questions for student driving instructors are available too.
Business Information
Cobra: Complete Business Reference Adviser Starting a business or a new occupation? Cobra has hundreds of guides to different types of small business; factsheets on topics such as marketing and personnel; mini market research reports and more. Find out more about Cobra
Available in all libraries Family History
Ancestry Library Edition A huge family history resource with records for the UK and worldwide, including English census records from 1841 -1911. Available in any Central Bedfordshire or Bedford Borough Library. Find out more about Ancestry Library Edition
Available in some libraries Company and Industry Information
Mint UK A comprehensive database of UK businesses, along with news, industry research and directors. Use it to create targeted business lists, find company details, research markets and more. Available at Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and Biggleswade libraries by asking staff to log in for you. Limited number of users at any one time. You may book in advance.

Page last updated: 18th April 2013

Information and Reference Online Resources

Information and Reference
Online Resources