A wealth of information awaits at Carnegie Library

0

Fayette County library card holders made more than 25,000 information requests through Carnegie and Jeffersonville Library’s online resources in 2016. Twenty-five thousand!

This does not count reference questions, book circulation or ebook downloads. This number represents the amount of database searches alone. Knowledgeable students, library patrons, and researchers rely on databases and curated online resources to gather timely, accurate information. Many of these databases are provided to Ohio public libraries and their patrons at no charge via the Ohio Web Library funded by the State Library of Ohio, while some of these resources are purchased locally. The majority of these are accessible anywhere with just your library card and computer or mobile device. Here are just a few:

One such resource, Gale LegalForms, is a robust online collection of legal forms available for free through Carnegie Public Library. With access to authentic “attorney forms,” residents can better understand common legal procedures and the involved documents. Unlike other online legal products – which frequently include generic, do-it-yourself materials that may not have been drafted by an attorney – Gale LegalForms offers a well-organized collection of forms actually used in legal practices and allows users to edit the forms as they need. Gale, along with other resources on the library’s webpage, provides legal information to residents in usable and customizable formats and may simplify certain common law transactions. Power of attorney and living will forms, premarital agreements, residential leases, deeds and more will help individuals, families, small businesses, and landlords take greater control over their legal affairs.

Another great online resource available through the library is World Book Encyclopedia for early literacy, children, and students pre-k through high school. In addition to other sites and resources available through the library, the World Book resources include up-to-date, easy to cite encyclopedia entries for research, as well as games and educational tools for reading, science, math, geography and more! Interactive maps, printables, biographical information and books are fully integrated and linked with supporting information and audio-visual elements. World Book is a great complement to other online game play for little ones and one-on-one homework help for elementary students. This digital tool is unique. It mimics the enriching discovery process that many of us enjoy while exploring a set of print encyclopedias or a dictionary. You can move seamlessly from one subject to the next with ease and be guaranteed the information you receive is accurate and from an authoritative source.

HeritageQuest is a terrific online resource for genealogists and those just beginning to research their family history. This database provides genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries with coverage dating back as early as the 1700s. Additionally, through HeritageQuest, United States Federal Census records from 1790-1940 are fully searchable online. City directories, fully digitized local and family histories, Revolutionary War records, and Freedman’s bank records are all available with your library card.

With a library card in your pocket, you can walk through the doors of Carnegie and Jeffersonville libraries, or visit the Ohio Digital Library online and have thousands of items at your fingertips. Let your library card be the passport to rich databases and resources online too!

By Sarah Nichols

Carnegie Public Library Director

No posts to display