Libraries have online encyclopedias, too

Wikipedia’s not your only online option–check out your library!

Yes, we have the print encyclopedias, and we’ll be happy to see you, but from the comfort of your own home, 24/7, we offer:

• Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Encyclopaedia Judaica
• World Book Online
• Salem Science: Encyclopedia of Global Warming
• Specialized encyclopedias in the Gale Virtual Reference Library, including the Encyclopedia of Religion, Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion, Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine–and 16 more
• Several gardening encyclopedias in our eBook Collection from EBSCOhost (formerly NetLibrary)

All you need is your library card, and it’s all free!  We also have original sources in JSTOR, newsreels and documentaries in American History in Video,  FREE access to articles from the Boston Globe (since 1980) and New York Times (since 1985), online test prep classes from LearningExpress Library, several computer-based language learning programs, two streaming music databases, and much, much more.

Check out the guides to all our online offerings!

At a loss for words?

Trace the evolution of over 600,000 words in the OED!  The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) provides an unrivaled guide to the meaning and usage of English words, both past and present.  With quarterly updates and extensive search options, find out what those words and phrases really mean!

Available at the Library or remotely to Newton residents.

Which appliances cost you the most?

Now you can find out!  The Library has a Kill A Watt: Electricity Usage Monitor (Model P3) meter available to loan.  The meter monitors electric consumption, so you can reduce energy costs and identify the real energy abusers.

Simply plug an appliance into the meter and the power consumption will be displayed by the kilowatt hour.

To borrow it, search in the Minuteman Catalog for the title Kill A Watt and place a reserve request just as you would for a book or AV item.  You will be notified by email (or regular mail) when it is your turn.  The meter will be held for you at the Circulation desk.

Are you preparing for the SAT, PSAT, ACT, GED, graduate school exam, or a licensing test?

Free with your library card, LearningExpressLibrary has the practice tests and ebook preparation you need!  It has online test preparation courses for all levels, as well as ebooks for further study. Click for access, or find it on our Databases list under Education/Test Preparation.

Also included in the database are skills improvement courses (reading, vocabulary, math, science, and more) for everyone from elementary school students to adults looking for a job.  There are study materials for passing the Citizenship Test as well as help in interviewing and creating a resume.

LearningExpress Library
Home access for this database is available only to Newton residents with a Newton library card number beginning 21323.

New in the LearningExpressLibrary Database:

New eBooks:

• ACT Power Practice
• ACT Word Game
• EMT – Basic Exam, 5th Edition
• Praxis, 4th edition

 

New Online and Updated Practice Exams:

• ACT English Practice Test 3 & 4
• ACT Math Practice Test 3 & 4
• ACT Reading Practice Test 3 & 4
• ACT Science Practice Test 3 & 4
• ACT Writing Practice Test 3 & 4

Officer Candidate Tests Practice:

• Arithmetic Reasoning
• Aviation Information
• Block Counting
• General Science
• Mathematics Knowledge
• Mechanical Comprehension
• Reading Skills
• Rotated Blocks
• Verbal Analogies
• Word Knowledge

United States Constitution Review Series:

• United States Constitution Review 1
• United States Consitution Review 2
• United States Constitution Review 3

Learn to speak Pirate!

Ahoy, mateys!  You may have missed Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th), but you can still learn to speak Pirate!

For a limited time only (until November 1st), Pirate is one of the many language courses offered through Mango Languages.

In just a few minutes, you’ll learn:

• The appropriate way to hail your fellow gentlemen o’ fortune.
• A few choice names to call your lazy excuse of a crew.
• The finer points of swashbuckling.
• A bit about Pirate history, and the part it played in forming modern democracy.
• All sorts of practical Pirate lingo!

Of course, if you just want to learn Spanish or Italian (or Russian, Chinese, Korean, Haitian Creole, or many others), Mango has plenty for you, too!

Mango Languages 
Click here if inside the library | Click here if outside the library

(If you are not a Newton resident, click here for access to the Pirate course only, through Nov. 1, 2011.)

Read the ratings!

Would you like to know how the financial stability of your bank or credit union is rated? Try our Database of the Month:  Financial Ratings Series Online from Weiss Ratings (available in the library or remotely with a Newton library card).  The database includes financial strength ratings and financial planning tools covering banks, credit unions, and insurance companies.

Use the Search option to find ratings, or download any of the seven Financial Planning Tools including a Medicare Prescription Drug Planner, an Auto Insurance Quote Comparison Chart and an Investor Profile Quiz. Look up Banking, Insurance and Investment terms in the extensive Glossaries.

And if you’re in the Library, look for the Weiss Consumer Guides on our Consumer Table at the back of the first floor.  These nine guides cover Homeowner’s Insurance, Automobile Insurance, Variable Annuities, Term Life Insurance, Elder care Choices, Long-Term Care Insurance, Health Savings Accounts, Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage, and Medicare Supplement Insurance.

Financial Ratings Series Online
In Library |  Home Access

Home access for this database is available only to Newton residents with a Newton library card number beginning 21323.

Looking for consumer information?

Come to the Library, where four consumer databases can help you evaluate your options.

Consumers’ Checkbook (Boston) will lead you to Metro Boston area consumers’ reviews of local service professionals and stores.

ConsumerLab reviews vitamins, herbal and other supplements, rates nutritional products, and lists recalls and safety warnings.

Take your health seriously by reading Consumer Reports Health articles on leading a healthy life.  It also includes information on 12,000 drugs, side effects, interactions, and treatment ratings.

When every dollar counts, use Consumer Reports Online for product evaluations and recommendations before making a purchase, big or small.

Please note:  These four databases are available in the Library only.

Learn a language on the go!

With the new Mango Mobile  free app for the iPhone® and iPod touch® (it also runs on the iPad®),  you can learn languages everywhere you go!  Just access Mango from the Library’s website, create a profile, then download the app to your device and log in to take your language study with you.  Once lessons are downloaded, they can also be used offline for seven days without an internet connection.  All languages and ESL courses are available.

Have an Android phone, or an Android or BlackBerry tablet?  You can still use Mango on the go through your internet browser.  Call or text the Reference desk if you have questions.

Read any good books lately? We have!

Do you love to read, but don’t know what to read next?  Our Books for You service can help!  Fill out the online questionnaire (paper copies are available at the library) and we’ll email back a personalized reading list, or use our database to find fiction or non-fiction books recommended by our librarians.

Demystify the complexities of investing

Try our Database of the Month for June:

Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage*  
Home Access | In Library Access

Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage is a business analysis package that includes industry surveys, stock and bond reports, company profiles, articles, and the Register. Industry Surveys are only available in the library.

Home access for this database is available only to Newton residents with a Newton library card number beginning 21323.

Please note:  This online version  does not include the Mutual Funds Reports, the Dividend Record, and Security Dealers Directory.  The Outlook the Library subscribes to in print form and found on the Main Library’s Reference Business Table is not available online.