Research

America's News

Explore and stay informed on local and national topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more.  Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources spanning the U.S. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.

Ancestry Library Edition

Please note: Ancestry is only available in the library. Search a wide range of unique resources for genealogical and historical research, including US census records, military records, court, land and probate records, vital and church records, directories, passenger lists, and more.

Heritage Hub

Discover the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for genealogical research, 1704 - today.

Black Life in America

Explore the experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media.

Asian Life in America

The experience and impact of Asian Americans as recorded by the news media.

Hispanic Life in America

The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.

Document Bank of VA

Document Bank of Virginia (DBVa) is the Library of Virginia’s initiative to get documents into classrooms. Using primary sources, teachers can make history relevant to students while helping them learn and understand state standards. DBVa will teach students to be critical thinkers as they analyze the original documents and draw their own conclusions about Virginia’s past.

Explora Public Libraries

  • EBSCO’s Explora is a user-friendly search tool that supports both research and instruction. Explora searches across the following resources.
    • MasterFILE Complete – A comprehensive collection of full-text general interest articles from periodicals, newspapers, and books. This authoritative general information database is the best place to start your research project. Includes the full text of Consumer Reports use the search box below to get started.
    • Read It! – Research while practicing reading skills. Read It! helps students who have a basic foundation in English grammar and reading but need level-appropriate reading material. Read It! is also a great tool for English Language Learners.

Consumer Reports Search

Find product reviews and more to help you make good buying decisions. Outside the library you will need to enter your library card number to complete the search.

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Explora Secondary Schools

Explora supports both student research and classroom instruction with age-appropriate content for middle and high school learners with an easy-to-use interface and great accessibility tools, including translation and text to sound.

Gale in Context: Elementary

Gale In Context: Elementary meets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through grade 5, with age-appropriate content from magazines, newspapers, and reference materials, covering current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, and more.

Legal Forms

Find downloadable, fillable forms for basic legal transactions, current to Virginia code covering basic legal needs--wills, power of attorney, landlord/tenant, and lots more. Includes a comprehensive section of templates for small businesses including: invoices, leases, sales agreements, contracts, and more.

Virginia Judiciary Website

On this website you will find a Guide to Virginia Legal Resources. This document includes a list of legal information resources covering topics as varied as incorporating a business, contesting a traffic ticket, researching health law, obtaining social security, renting a dwelling, buying a house, and writing a will.