Databases available to library members
The following resources can be accessed at home or on a public computer in Camden libraries.
American National Biography
American National Biography provides over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars.
Benezit Dictionary of Artists
Benezit Dictionary of Artists is a comprehensive and definitive resource for artists’ biographies, published since 1911.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Access the online version of this reference resource, excellent for homework, coursework, projects, reference or just for fun.
Developed specifically for public libraries, Britannica Library provides library members with access to Adult, Student and Junior (age-appropriate) resources available anywhere, at any time and on any device. To access the Student and Junior versions, visit Learning resources for children and young people.
Britannica Library: Beginner (Age group 4yrs – 8yrs)
Britannica Library: Beginner (Age group 4yrs – 8yrs) gives you access to thousands of online articles, images, videos and biographies. This edition is designed for early learners to access to trusted sources of information to help with their homework, or just for the curious who want to know more about the world. Let's Explore...animals, our world, people, places, science, and nature.
Britannica Library: Adult (Age Group 14yrs and up)
Encyclopaedia Britannica is advanced level, constantly updated reference content from reliable trusted sources for older students and adults. It works on any device: PC, laptop, tablet or smart phone. Students can carry out research, complete homework, work on specific projects and store research in their own My Britannica Account.
COBRA - Complete Business Reference Adviser
COBRA is an reference resource that provides quick and easy access to information about starting or running a small business, considering self-employment or thinking about career options.
New Oxford Shakespeare
The New Oxford Shakespeare presents an entirely new consideration of all of Shakespeare's works, edited from first principles from the base-texts themselves, and drawing on the latest textual and theatrical scholarship.
Oxford African American Studies Center
The Oxford African American Studies Center combines the authority of carefully edited reference works with sophisticated technology to create the most comprehensive collection of scholarship available online to focus on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography hosts nearly 60,000 definitive biographies of great Britons and people who have influenced British history and culture.
Oxford Reference
Oxford Reference is a general knowledge database, offering access to more than a million entries from Oxford University Press dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the definitive guide to the meaning, history, spelling and pronunciation of over half a million words.
Oxford Dictionaries
Intended as a supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionaries includes dictionaries for translating French, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic and US English words and phrases.
Who's Who and Who Was Who
Who's Who is the definitive current biographical directory of the most influential figures in British public life, as well as leading international figures. Who Was Who is the full archive of former entries from Who's Who, dating back to 1897.
Grove Art Online
Grove Art Online is a Dictionary and encyclopaedia of the arts and artists. Covering painting, sculpture, architecture and all areas of design. Includes the full text of The Oxford Companion to Western Art and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.
Oxford Music Online
Oxford Music Online is a dictionary and encyclopaedia of music, composers and performers, with playable musical examples. Includes the full text of The Oxford Dictionary of Music, The Oxford Companion to Music and The Encyclopaedia of Popular Music, plus specialist coverage of opera and jazz.
Oxford World’s Classics (OWCs)
For over 100 years Oxford World’s Classics (OWCs) have brought readers closer to the world’s great literature. Now, for the first time, they exist as a single online resource. Oxford World’s Classics online provides access to over 450 novels and other writings from the Medieval period to the 20th century.
Newsbank
Newsbank provides full text of articles from most of the national UK daily and Sunday newspapers. Check out the new, expanded edition (2021) with full-page reproductions from recent years. Also includes The London Times Collection, with full-text coverage of the Times and Sunday Times since 1985.
The Times Digital Archive
The Times Digital Archive is a searchable archive reproduced from 1785-2014. Later years are available on Newsbank, above.
Databases available on public computers in Camden libraries
The following resources are not available remotely. You can access them from a public computer in Camden libraries.
Ancestry
Ancestry is a tool to research your family history. It is the largest genealogy database available online, containing more than 5 billion names.
Home access to this resource ended on 31 December 2021. It will continue to be available in our libraries.
Access to Research
Access to Research provides free access to over 10 million academic articles.
BFI Replay
From the British Film Institute, BFI Replay is a 'living digital archive', designed to give you access to thousands of newly-digitised television programmes and films. Footage spans 50 years of life captured from videotapes across the 20th century, from the 1960s to the 2010s, and almost lost forever.
Then archive offers a glimpse into Britain’s past, its people and places; recording and revealing an era of rapid social, industrial, political and technological change.