Articles and Databases

Articles and pictures from encyclopedias and magazines on more than 528,000 people from throughout history. Search by birth and death years and places, nationality, ethnicity, occupation and gender.

Readers' advisory information including recommended reading lists for both fiction and non-fiction. Book reviews, plot summaries and author information are provided. Young Adults titles are also covered.

Covers world literature and authors throughout history. It contains over 150,000 full-text poems, 800,00+ poetry citations, plus short stories, speeches, and plays.

Search for fiction and non-fiction titles for kids in grades kindergarten through eighth based on favorite authors, titles, subjects or genres. Browse book talks, grab and go book lists, and curricular connections for educators.

Includes business case studies, analytical tools, and in-depth statistical data and industry research so you can easily compare global economies, companies, and industries. 

An investment resource specializing in fund investing. It provides trusted, independent and in-depth news, commentary, fund information, recommendations and research on stocks and mutual funds. It also provides tutorials and investment education.

Helps entrepreneurs learn how to start, finance, and manage their small businesses, as well as provide information on marketing, management, human resources, and taxes. Resources include hundreds of real-life sample business plans, dozen of titles from business publisher John Wiley & Sons on small business strategy, and the full text of the Encyclopedia of Management, Encyclopedia of Business Information Sources, and Small Business Management - A Framework for Success.

The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. Our Reference tab includes: maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, a World Oceans map, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map.

This website provides information about obtaining passports and visas as well as country information for travelers with such topics as safety and criminal activity, entry and exit requirements, travel advisories, and consulate locations.

Find our very latest downloadable e-book titles here. The 3M Cloud Library is compatible with tablets, eReaders, and Kindle Fires.

Viewable and downloadble e-Books, featuring a wide range of subjects and publishers. Downloaded books can be checked out for up to 7 days. You'll need to create an account with a user name and password to access the ebook content.

A collection of reference books in electronic format: 

• American Men and Women of Science
• College Blue Book
• Dictionary of American History
• Encyclopedia of Education
• Encyclopedia of Modern Asia
• Encyclopedia of Small Business
• Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
• Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia
• International Directory of Films and Filmmakers
• West's Encyclopedia of American Law

Downloadable audiobooks from Recorded Books. Download to your computer and transfer to listening devices. Many titles are MP3 compatible. You will need to create a Media Manager account in order to download, check out, and transfer audio books.

Animated, talking picture books that can be played on your computer while online. (No downloading is possible!) The Story Book collection includes a fun variety of stories for different age levels. The pace of the stories can be controlled by the reader - or set to automatic. The Tumble Readables are large print "read on your own" children's books. There's more...including health and language resources!

A collection of directories in electronic format. Users can search for organizations by name, keyword, industry, and geography. Directories included: Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations; Encyclopedia of Associations: International Organizations; Encyclopedia of Associations: Region, State, and Local Organizations; Directory of Non-Profit Organizations.

El mejor recurso de referencia para principiantes de Español con contenido editorial y multimedia. Incluye Mundo de los Animales, diccionario visual, actividades, y características bilingües.

All the Gale periodical archives and reference book sets can be searched at once using this feature.

Public records and genealogy tools for the family historian. Emphasis on immigrant lists, passenger lists, and other public documents. This database is available at the Main and branch libraries, but not outside library facilities.

Comprehensive information on grantmakers and their grants in a database of 92,000 foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities in the US. This database is available at the Main Library only.

Health information from over 700 journals, magazines, pamphlets and medical reference books. Written for non-experts.

Contains full-text articles from over 60 magazines, including articles about proven treatment techniques, experimental research theses, and applications for specific sports.

A freely accessible repository of digitized California newspapers, from 1846 to the present. Includes San Francisco Call (San Francisco, 1890-1913), California Star (San Francisco, 1847-1848), Elevator (San Francisco, 1865-1898), Pacific Appeal (San Francisco, 1862-1880), Pacific Rural Press (San Francisco, 1871-1922), Weekly Alta California (San Francisco, 1849), and Wide West (San Francisco, 1854-1858).

The Online Archive of California (OAC) provides free public access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by more than 200 contributing institutions, including libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California and collections maintained by the 10 University of California (UC) campuses. Oakland Public Library’s African American Museum and Library (AAMLO) archive and the collections of the Oakland History Room are included, encompassing correspondence, photographs, photomechanical prints, diaries, manuscripts, education, music, performing arts, official records of many East Bay social and political organizations, news clippings, sheet music, monographs, serials, and  historic maps. 

Books, journals, maps, primary documents and multimedia describing United States History.

Registration requires an e-mail address. If you are registering from outside the library, you will also need to enter your library barcode. Your Email Address is your Username. 

Over 300 online practice tests, including the SAT, GED, ASVAB, Firefighter, Postal Worker, and many others. Also includes US Citizenship Exam Preparation; and English language and math practice exams for Spanish speakers. 

Offers children access to information about the animal kingdom and its place in our world. It includes interactive information on over 1,200 animals, with illustrations, maps, and glossaries. To get to the database, in the menu on the left side of the screen, click on Amazing Animals of the World.

CultureGrams is the leading primary source reference for concise, reliable, and up-to-date cultural information on the countries of the world. It goes beyond mere facts and figures to deliver an insider's perspective on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people.

Search for fiction and non-fiction titles for kids in grades kindergarten through eighth based on favorite authors, titles, subjects or genres. Browse book talks, grab and go book lists, and curricular connections for educators.

Animated, talking picture books that can be played on your computer while online. (No downloading is possible!) The Story Book collection includes a fun variety of stories for different age levels. The pace of the stories can be controlled by the reader - or set to automatic. The Tumble Readables are large print "read on your own" children's books. There's more...including health and language resources!

Transparent Language Online is a powerful language learning resource offering instruction in over 80 languages plus English. Learn basic language skills or dive into more extensive language instruction all at your own pace. Transparent Language Online uses multimedia activities that instruct all four language skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as social media resources to meet the needs of any learner. It includes beginner English courses for speakers of other languages and an immersion course for intermediate level English learners.  The free companion mobile applications for Apple & Android Devices allow you to take your language learning on-the-go.

Here, you can read selected Nolo books online - in their entirety, for free. These are the current editions of these books.

A directory of area libraries with web links.

Explore 5,420,824 digitized items from nationwide public and university libraries, archives, and museums in a single free platform and portal.

Articles and indexing from over 1200 college-level periodicals, from 1980 to the present. Full text articles are available from over 700 titles.

Zinio, the world's largest newsstand, offers full color, interactive digital magazines for your enjoyment. Browse from our collection of popular titles with no holds, no checkout periods, and no limit to the number of magazines you can download.

Freegal is a downloadable music service, which provides access to the catalog of artists in Sony Music Entertainment. Library cardholders can download three songs a week with their barcode and pin number. Freegal works with any MP3 device, including iPods. Works best if used with Firefox or Chrome.

A freely accessible repository of digitized California newspapers, from 1846 to the present. Includes San Francisco Call (San Francisco, 1890-1913), California Star (San Francisco, 1847-1848), Elevator (San Francisco, 1865-1898), Pacific Appeal (San Francisco, 1862-1880), Pacific Rural Press (San Francisco, 1871-1922), Weekly Alta California (San Francisco, 1849), and Wide West (San Francisco, 1854-1858).

Provides current information about important issues and events. This resource addresses a wide variety of contemporary subjects from around the world related to social studies, science, health, sports, the arts, people and more. The reports are updated constantly, with new reports added as world and national events unfold. A good student research site, with full text access to the Oakland Tribune back to 2001.

The world's largest collection of online newspaper images, including hundreds of English language papers from California and around the world. Most issues of the Oakland Tribune between 1874 and 1977 are included in this collection. Newspaper issues can be searched by word or date, and search help is available from within the NewspaperArchive.com site. This database is available at the Main and branch libraries, but not outside library facilities.

Full-text of articles published since September 14, 2001.

California history and culture at-a-glance for students in grades 4 through 8.

Registration requires an e-mail address. If you are registering from outside the library, you will also need to enter your library barcode. Your Email Address is your Username. 

Over 300 online practice tests, including the SAT, GED, ASVAB, Firefighter, Postal Worker, and many others. Also includes US Citizenship Exam Preparation; and English language and math practice exams for Spanish speakers. 

Provides current information about important issues and events. This resource addresses a wide variety of contemporary subjects from around the world related to social studies, science, health, sports, the arts, people and more. The reports are updated constantly, with new reports added as world and national events unfold. A good student research site, with full text access to the Oakland Tribune back to 2001.

Thousands of topic overviews, science experiments, biographies, pictures and illustrations, plus the latest scientific development in articles from over 200 science magazines. It focuses on key concepts taught in classrooms including biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, math, environmental science, life science, medicine, space science, computer science, technology, history of science, and science and society.

A private website designed to help students find scholarships, college, and career information. TFS offers students the largest scholarship database in the world with over $41 Billion in scholarship awards along with a career personality test and detailed college and career information. On the homepage, Click on "Membership" to create TFS login.

Registration requires an e-mail address. If you are registering from outside the library, you will also need to enter your library barcode. Your Email Address is your Username. 

Over 300 online practice tests, including the SAT, GED, ASVAB, Firefighter, Postal Worker, and many others. Also includes US Citizenship Exam Preparation; and English language and math practice exams for Spanish speakers.