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InnovatED LibGuide

Reference Resources

Need to get the basics on a topic or track down quick facts? Library reference resources are a solid place to start!

Library reference sources are written by reliable authors and published by trusted organizations, so they’re credible. Still, they’re usually best for background research—not as the main source in your paper.

They can help you understand the big picture, introduce key terms, and point you toward other sources. But for your actual research paper, you’ll want to use primary sources (first-hand accounts) or secondary sources (analysis or interpretation). Most reference materials are tertiary sources (third-hand), since they summarize information from primary and secondary sources.

WCPS Subscription Resources

Students can access the resources below on any day, at any time. If you are working inside a school building, you will not be required to input a username and password; however, if you are working online at home, you will need a username and password. Use this document to help log in to the databases and resources below and contact your media specialist for additional information.

 

Resource Resource Description
New York Times

  • Provides full access to New York Times and International New York Times content, including breaking news, multimedia, reviews and opinion, blogs, videos and more.  NYTimes.com is updated 24/7 with corresponding time stamps. 

  • Provides searchable, archived full access to NYT articles published between 1851 through 1922, and between 1981 through current day.

World Book Online

  • Includes all the articles from the print encyclopedia plus thousands of additional articles, learning resources, and research tools.

  • Includes encyclopedia, multimedia, e-book, and primary source databases along with lesson plans focusing on one or more primary source images.

  • Timelines - Hundreds of customizable, interactive timelines of important events throughout history.

  • Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos – encyclopedia in Spanish.

Gale in Context

  •  Designed for high school learners.

  •  Explore thousands of topics across subjects including literature, science, history, and social issues using different sources.

Gale Onefile News
 
  •  Access major U.S. and international newspapers online to search articles instantly by title, headline, data, or other fields.

Gale General Onefile
 

  •  Access general interest magazines and key serials in a single resource.

  •  Best for general research.

Gale Academic OneFile Select
 

  • Research academic topics ranging from art and literature to economics and the sciences.

  •  Ideal for smaller academic libraries.

Gale Literary Index
 

  • Search this digital master index that contains complete biographies on authors and critical essays on their writings in products published by Gale.

  •  This resource combines and cross-references author names, including pseudonyms and variant names, and listings for titles of works into one source.

  •  Gale Literary Index provides quick and easy access to author and title listings from over 130 literature products from Gale and the imprints.

Gale Literary Criticism
  • Literature Criticism Online takes literature, history and culture to the next level with the largest, most extensive compilation of literary commentary available.  Contains centuries of analysis - the scholarly and popular commentary from broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals - in an easy-to-use online format that matches the exact look and feel of the print originals.

Gale Presents:
Peterson’s Test & Career Prep
 
  • Search thousands of college and graduate schools, identify scholarships, take practice tests, create resumes, and explore careers.

National Geographic Kids
 

  • Explore amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space.

  • Resource is aimed for children aged 6 - 14.

SIRS Discoverer
 

  • Multidisciplinary content covering areas such as history, health, language arts, math, science, social studies and technology.  

  • All content is 100% full text & selected from 2,200+ reliable, high-quality global sources. 

  • Access to the content features logical subject tree hierarchy, age-appropriate search/filter capabilities (including by Lexile range), streamlined results to help young learners connect with and comprehend content. 

SIRS Issues Researcher
 

  • Offers balanced content selections from more than 2,000 international sources and includes magazine articles, graphics, charts, maps, primary sources, government documents, websites, multimedia, and timelines. 

  • Analysis and opinions cover the pros/cons and everything in between of 360+ social, scientific, health, historic, economic, and political issues. 

  • Content includes engaging essential questions and viewpoint articles to help build a solid foundation for understanding complex global issues.  

  • Research guides organize a student’s research inquiry process.

  • Lexile reading levels and scores are included to support individualized instruction.

Databases powered by WCFL

 

 
  • Students can access all WCFL databases directly in school. At home students will need to use their RAIL card to login.
MANGO LANGUAGE
  • Learn one of over 70 languages and learn cultural insights and grammar with self-paced courses delivered through native speaker dialogue.

  • Contains original movies revealing the book creation process, audio excerpts of professional readings, and book guides and resources that span thousands of children’s, YA, and non-fiction titles.