Databases

(Creativebug / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Creativebug has thousands of award-winning art and craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Full-text access to scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers on topics including arts and humanities, social science, science, and technology.

(State Library of Massachusetts / free access)
Repository of the Central Register, a state publication containing public contracting opportunities, contract awards, and related information.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social sciences, sports, technology, and many general-interest topics. Includes millions of full-text articles, updated daily.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Company listings for over 150,000 companies, including contact information, news, and articles on major companies and industries.

(EBSCO / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Powered by the automotive experts at MOTOR, Auto Repair Source provides the most accurate, authoritative, and up-to-date service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles. All content comes from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and includes step-by-step repair information, diagrams, maintenance schedules, parts and labor estimates, service bulletins and recalls, and more. Designed for touch-enabled devices such as laptops and tablets.

Cypress Resume is an online resume and cover letter builder. It enables users to create very basic, but professional looking resumes in three steps, and it also automates simple cover letters and reference sheets.

Although it’s best practice to save resumes and cover letters created with Cypress Resume to a USB drive, Google Drive, or email attachment, users have the option to use Cypress Resume as a guest, or create a free account to store resumes and cover letters.

(Pearson Education / free access)
Offers MTEL test guides, practice tests, tutorials, and more.

(MassHire / free access)
Offers job listings and job-seeking resources for Western Massachusetts residents.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Offers a variety of job-seeking and career-building resources including personalized career assessments, comprehensive career information, job searching, and resume editing tools.

(Gale / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Offers test preparation materials and practice tests for GED, HiSET, AP, ASVAB, SAT, NCLEX, PRAXIS, GRE, LSAT, TOEFL, and many more.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Designed for elementary school students to easily access magazines, newspapers, and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports, and more.

(Driving-Tests.org / free access)
Driving-Tests.org offers Massachusetts RMV handbooks and practice tests for those preparing to take the learner’s permit exam.

(Rosetta Stone / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Language learning lessons for 30 languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Irish, Japenese, Polish, Portuguese, and more. Access is restricted to Palmer residents. If you are a Palmer resident and your library card number doesn’t allow access, please call the library.

(New England Historic Genealogical Society / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
NEHGS provides a wealth of opportunities for all genealogists to learn more about family history and genealogy, whether you are just beginning your search or have been researching for many years. A vast number of educational resources are available to you in the NEHGS Learning Center, including help for getting started, online seminars, articles, and information about upcoming programs and special events held by NEHGS. Ancestry.com is only available from within the library building. A link is available from the desktop of public internet access computers.

(ProQuest / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Trace your amazing personal history with the world’s largest online collection of family records and resources. It includes billions of names from US, UK, and Canadian census and vital records; immigration and passport records; military histories and records; photos; and more. A learning center and other tools help you get started and put your research together. Ancestry.com is only available from within the library building. A link is available from the desktop of public internet access computers.

Fold3 provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of men and women who served. You will need your Palmer Public Library card number to access this resource.

Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. Heritage Hub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7.

(ProQuest / funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners)
Discover where your American past begins with this comprehensive collection of genealogical sources. It features US federal census records, local and family histories, Revolutionary War records, Freedman’s Bank records, memorials and petitions to the U.S. Congress, and the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) article citations from the Allen County Library.

(Latimer Clarke / free access)
Atlapedia Online contains free full-color physical maps and political maps, as well as key facts and statistics about countries around the world.

(US National Library of Medicine / free access)
A service of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus Includes an array of information related to health and prescription drugs, as well as a robust medical encyclopedia.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Professional and consumer health information from medical and nursing journals, general interest publications, medical dictionaries and encyclopedias, and pamphlets.

(University of Kansas / free access)
The University of Kansas has compiled a wide array of primary sources related to American history from the 800s to the present, including maps, letters, speeches, legal documents, and more.

(National Archives / free access)
A collection of primary sources related to US History provided by the National Archives.

Fold3 provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of men and women who served. You will need your Palmer Public Library card number to access this resource.

(Foreign Service Association / free access)
The Foreign Service Journal covers foreign affairs from an insider’s perspective, providing thought-provoking articles on international issues, the practice of diplomacy, and the US Foreign Service.

(Fordham University / free access)
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is a collection of public-domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly for educational use.

(Library of Congress / free access)
The Library of Congress offers free access to a wide variety of primary sources related to US history.

(Tufts University / free access)
Contains a variety of primary sources related to the study of ancient Greece and Rome.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
In Context: Biography is an engaging experience for those seeking contextual information on the world’s most influential people. Organized into a user-friendly portal experience, it merges Gale’s authoritative reference content, including Lives & Perspectives, with periodicals and multimedia. Users can browse to find people based on occupation, role, or historical period, or search based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender, as well as by keyword and full text.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Critical essays on contemporary (1960-present) authors, including biographical information, lists of principal works, and sources for further study.

(EBSCO / funded by CW MARS)
Offers a variety of resources to help connect readers of all ages with books they’ll enjoy, including full-text reviews, author read-alikes, discussion guides, and book talks.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world’s leading journals and reference sources. Extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature, and other subjects. Includes full-text coverage of the New York Times back to 1995. Updated daily.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Full-text access to scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers on topics including arts and humanities, social science, science, and technology.

(EBSCO / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Consumer Reports enables consumers to make better purchasing decisions on thousands of products and services, with ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice.

(Foreign Service Association / free access)
The Foreign Service Journal covers foreign affairs from an insider’s perspective, providing thought-provoking articles on international issues, the practice of diplomacy, and the US Foreign Service.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social sciences, sports, technology, and many general-interest topics. Includes millions of full-text articles, updated daily.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Designed for students in middle school to access information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, and sports.

(Gale / funded by MBLC and MLS)
Designed for high school students to access magazines, newspapers, and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports, and more.

(NewsBank / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Offers U.S. news content from local, regional, and national sources, including printed and online newspapers, blogs, journals, newswires, broadcast transcripts and videos. Explore a specific issue or event through the detailed coverage provided by local reporting or compare a wide variety of viewpoints from across the country on topics such as politics, business, health, sports, cultural activities and people. Includes the Springfield Republican (1988-present) and other Massachusetts newspapers, such as the Boston Herald, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

(IPL / free access)
The Internet Public Library is a repository of 500,000+ essays over a wide variety of topics intended to help students with homework.

(MLS / free access)
The Massachusetts Library System has gathered a wide variety of resources regarding copyright and fair use.

(UC Berkeley / free access)
The University of California Berkeley has created a useful guide to conducting research using primary sources, including information about how to evaluate sources.

A collection of free interactive tools designed to aid students and professionals with their online research and with citing sources. Other resources are available with a paid subscription. 

(EBSCO / funded by the Palmer Public Library)
Powered by the automotive experts at MOTOR, Auto Repair Source provides the most accurate, authoritative, and up-to-date service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles. All content comes from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and includes step-by-step repair information, diagrams, maintenance schedules, parts and labor estimates, service bulletins and recalls, and more. Designed for touch-enabled devices such as laptops and tablets.

(Niche Academy / funded by the Palmer Public Library)

Niche Academy offers short, easy-to-understand training videos for a variety of online tools, including library resources, social media, and Google products.