eResources A-Z

Did you know your Library Card provides you access to online databases, as well as borrowing privileges and access to all of our other services? These databases are usually only accessible through a paid subscription, but we've paid for them and you can use them for free! Just login using your library card number and password to access these resources.

Ancestry Library Edition - Available at all GVPL locations. Genealogy treasure trove contains 3,000 databases, primary source documents and passenger lists. 

BC Codes Online - Available at all GVPL locations. Includes the BC Building Code, Fire Code, and Plumbing Services. Describes minimum construction requirements for safe buildings in BC. [How To Use]

BC STATS: Library Access Site - Available at all GVPL locations. Current statistical information on the state of the BC economy.

BC Vehicle Safety & Inspection Standards Online (VSIS Online) - Available at all GVPL locations. Vehicle safety and inspection standards and related BC legislation from official sources.

Booklist Online - Book reviews from 1992 from the American Library Association.

Canadian NewsStand  - Newspaper and magazine articles (for the last 10 to 20 years). Includes the Times-Colonist and Vancouver Island's Black Press newspapers.

Canadian Periodical Index (CPI.Q) - A 20-year index of nearly 200 Canadian magazines. Also includes full-text articles (from 1995) Canadian biographies, company profiles, and historical information.

CBCA Business  - Canadian business magazines, trade journals, general business publications, academic journals, topical journals and professional publications.

CBCA Reference & Current Events - Canadian coverage of politics, business, the arts, sports, and other news from newspapers, magazines, television and radio transcripts. Subjects include opinions, public policy, children/youth, lifestyles, arts and culture, health, regional concerns and more.

Consumer Health Complete - Articles from 100s of health and wellness magazines. More than 1,000 health pamphlets. Includes aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs & alcohol, fitness, nutrition, and women's health. High-quality images and videos.[How to use] [Flash tutorial]

Dragonsource Chinese Magazines - The most popular Chinese-language magazines. Topics range from business and economics to family, fashion, entertainment, film and travel.

EBSCO Auto Repair Reference Centre - Auto repair manuals, wiring diagrams, labour time estimates, maintenance schedules, and technical service bulletins.

EBSCOhost MasterFILE Premier - Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, the MasterFILE Premier database provides full text for nearly 1,700 general reference publications including hundreds of popular magazines such as Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping, and People, as well as full text for nearly 500 reference books. Also included are 165,000 primary source documents and an Image Collection of over 502,000 photos, maps, and flags.

EBSCO Small Engine Repair Reference Centre - The definitive guide to the repair and maintenance of everything from ATVs to yard and garden tractors. Ability to select a type of product, specific brand, specific model/engine type, and specific area of that model/engine type.

Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos - Organizada de modo que los estudiantes puedan encontrar informacion rapida y facilmente. Pulse en la primera letra del titulo del articulo para ver el articulo.

Encyclopedia of British Columbia - Encyclopedia entries about BC. Includes include links to in-depth research and homework help for assignments about BC.

Encyclopédie Universalis - Encyclopédie en ligne, mise à jour régulièrement, avec plus the 34,400 articles signés par 7,200 auteurs prestigieux et plus the 30,000 médias.

Fiction Room - Find novels and audiobooks by setting and character. Find movies based on works of fiction.

FictionConnection - Find a great book on this fun and interactive site. Listings include plot summaries and reviews. [How to use]

Freegal - A collection of popular MP3 music.  Allows residents of the Greater Victoria Public Library service area to download 3 songs each week and keep them permanently at no charge.

Gale Canada In Context - Created especially for researchers and educators studying Canada, its people and its history, Canada in Context is a media-rich database with audio, video, interactive maps, image maps, and global news feeds as well as biographies and original essays.

Gale Virtual Reference Library - Gale Virtual Reference Library contains the following eBooks: Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for Students,Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Environmental Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, The Encyclopedia of Surgery, New Catholic Encyclopedia, Terrorism Reference Library, and VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever. 

Global Books In Print - Reviews, summaries and price of more than 11 million books, audiobooks, DVDs and videos. [How to use]

Global Issues In Context - Using a wealth of resources to explain the historical and contemporary conditions necessary to understand global issues, conflicts and events, Global Issues in Context supports research in a wide variety of subject areas including sociology, geography, current events, civics, politics, science, economics, cultural/religious studies, women’s studies, human rights, English composition and many more.

GreenFILE - Covers all aspects of human impact to the environment: global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling and more. Full text access to more than 4,600 articles.

Hobbies & Crafts Reference Centre - This resource provides comprehensive full-text content for many of the most popular hobbies, crafts and recreation activities today including: arts & crafts, collecting, games and electronics, model building, needlework, and scrapbooking. It includes access to over 1000 magazine and books, over 720 videos, more than 160 hobby profiles, and over 3000 recipes from various collections. This database offers detailed "how-to" instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby enthusiast. Full text is provided from leading hobby and craft magazines, including Bead & Button, Birder's World, Creative Knitting, FineScale Modeler, Quilter's World, and many more!

KnowBC.com - The leading source of British Columbia information, KnowBC.com contains The Encyclopedia of British Columbia, The Enyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names, Raincoast Chronicles 20: Lilies and Fireweed: Frontier Women of British Columbia, and Far West: The Story of British Columbia, as well as other e-books about British Columbia's social, political, and natural history.

L 'Encyclopédie Découverte -  Offre des douzaines d'activités pratiques qui aideront  les jeunes élèves à s'intéresser à la recherche.

Library PressDisplay (Digital Editions) - Newspapers from 55 countries in 33 languages. Full-colour images of every page - just like the print version. Includes at least 30 days of back issues. Listen to articles, magnify print size, download and save. [Tutorials]

Mango Languages - One of the premier online language learning platforms, with close to 50 different language learning programs in 23 different languages. Once you get to the Mango sign-in page, simply create an account with your email address and a password and start learning!

Non-Fiction Connection - Find great non-fiction books on popular topics like Biography, Travel Stories, True Crime and more.

NoveList - If you're looking for a good read - start here! Find out who writes like your favourite author, other books in a series, and other great reading suggestions.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context - Everything you need to fully understand an issue: pro and con viewpoint articles, reference articles that provide context, full-text magazines, academic journals, and newspapers, primary source documents, government and organizational statistics, multimedia, including images and podcasts, links to hand-selected websites and more! [How to use]

Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Critical Thinking - Critical Thinking supplements Gale's Opposing Viewpoints in Context with additional content and features that correlate with today's school curriculums. Learners interact with entries and are asked to think critically about a specific topic. The content covers broad topics such as "school violence" or "acid rain". Each topic has three entries: an overview and two viewpoint essays. Entries also are available in audio format.

Oxford English Dictionary - Oxford English Dictionary includes the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words. [How to use]

QP LegalEze - Available at all GVPL locations. British Columbia's laws, statutes, regulations and other provincial publications and registries.

Statistics Canada E-STAT - Available at all GVPL locations. Census and CANSIM data (Canadian Socio-economic Information Management System) provides primary information on Canadian labour, manufacturing, investment, international trade and much more.

TumbleBooks - Animated picture books, novels and classics with sound, music and narration as well as read-along titles for students from K-12. Adjustable text size and complete audio narration. Sentences are highlighted as they're read. Pages turn automatically. Great for reluctant readers and an excellent tool for ESL. [Requires Flash]

TumbleBooks For iPAD - Animated picture books, novels and classics with sound, music and narration for iPads.

TumbleReadables - Read-along books for students K-12. Great for reluctant readers and ESL. Read these books online or listen as they are read aloud - not downloadable. [Requires Flash]

TumbleTalkingBooks/AudioBookCloud.com - Streaming audio books from classics and non-fiction to novels, children's and teen books, and plays -- including Shakespeare.

World Book Online Reference Centre - Includes primary and secondary sources, wide-ranging content, e-books, multimedia and customizable research tools. Designed to meet the needs and skills of older students. Shows most-viewed articles and primary sources.

World Book Kids - Kid-friendly version of the World Book Encyclopedia, plus special reports, state-of-the-art multimedia, maps, related articles from major newspapers and magazines and "Back in Time" chronicle of events.

World Book Student - An A-Z of everything, plus special reports, state-of-the-art multimedia, maps, related articles from major newspapers and magazines and "Back in Time" chronicle of events.