A-Z Resources

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ABCmouse.com

ABCmouse.com is a comprehensive early learning site for children ages 2 – 7+, covering reading and language arts, math, science, social studies, art, and music. It features over 5,000 learning activities, including online books, interactive learning activities, games, puzzles, songs, art activities, and more.

Only available at St. Louis Public Library

Academic Search Elite Library Card Required.

The world's largest scholarly, multi-disciplinary, full-text database designed specifically for academic institutions. This scholarly collection provides full-text journal coverage for nearly all academic areas of study - including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, ethnic studies, etc. and currently counting 3,834 full-text scholarly publications.

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African American Communities Collection Library Card Required.

Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina this resource presents multiple aspects of the African American community through pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records, reports and in-depth oral histories, revealing the prevalent challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and a unique African American culture and identity.

Found In: Only available at St. Louis Public Library

African American Experience: The American Mosaic, The Library Card Required.

Drawing on myriad sources and assembled with the guidance of leading librarians, this database gives voice to the African American experience from its African origins to the present day. This vast and accessible database covers history, biographies, literature, arts, music, popular culture, folklore, business, slavery, the struggle for civil rights, politics, sports, education, science, and other themes.

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ALLDATA Library Card Required.

Car and truck repair and maintenance information for makes and models from 1982 to the present, plus technical service bulletins and more. Find all the supporting information you need to fix automobiles and run a shop. Perfect for the knowledgeable amateur or professional mechanic.

Found In: Only available at St. Louis Public Library


Ancestry.com Library Card Required.

Unlock your family’s story with sources like censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, and maps.

Found In: Only available at St. Louis Public Library

Art Full Text Library Card Required.

Offers full text plus abstracts and indexing of an international array of peer-selected publications—now with expanded coverage of Latin American, Canadian, Asian and other non-Western art, new artists, contemporary art, exhibition reviews, and feminist criticism.

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AskART Library Card Required.

AskArt covers American artists providing biography, images, citations, museums owning their work and galleries representing the artist's work.

 

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Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals Library Card Required.

A comprehensive listing of journal articles on architecture since 1934, covering the history and practice of architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, historic preservation and interior design and decoration.

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Beanstack Library Card Required.

Beanstack is a personalized service designed for young readers up to 12 years of age. It features tools to help families, educators, and children themselves discover books in our collection, programs at our library, and activities that encourage lifelong reading.

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Ben’s Guide to US Government New!

Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government, a service of the Government Publishing Office (GPO), is designed to inform students, parents, and educators about the Federal Government, which issues the publications and information products disseminated by the GPO’s Federal Depository Library Program.

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Brainfuse HelpNow Online Learning Library Card Required.

Brainfuse HelpNow provides free online homework help and one-on-one tutors for grades K-12 and adult learners. Live tutors are available every day from 2pm-11pm. Video content and other resources are also available 24 hours a day. Receive personalized assistance in core subjects, including: math, reading, writing, science, social studies).

Features include:
-Live Tutoring: Select your grade and subject to begin
-Writing Lab: Upload a document or essay and get feedback within one business day
-SkillSurfer: Test prep and skill-building
-Send Question: Ask the tutors for assistance outside tutoring hours and receive a reply within one business day.
-Language Lab: Live practice for learning Spanish
-Tutoring in Spanish is available for many subjects
 
How to use Brainfuse:
-Students communicate with live tutors via an interactive whiteboard to chat, write, draw, copy/paste text or images and graph homework questions
-All live sessions are saved and can be replayed as well as shared with friends and teachers by email
-Registration is not required for live tutoring help, but it is recommended so students can track their progress
-Registration is required for certain features, such as Writing Lab and SkillSurfer
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Brainfuse JobNow Online Learning

Brainfuse JobNow provides support for every step of the job search process. Live coaching from Brainfuse experts is available every day from 2pm-11pm.
 
Features include:
-Resume assistance and cover letter assistance from live experts
-Resume resources and templates
-Use the Resume Lab to submit your resume and cover letter for proofreading and feedback
-Interview coaching from live experts
-Interview tips
-Meet online with a live job coach for expert assistance with searching, applying, and preparing for jobs
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C

Candid Learning

Access all of Candid’s live and on-demand training, webinars, and other resources designed to improve your nonprofit organization’s fundraising, overall sustainability, grantmaking, and transparency.

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Celebrating the Louisiana Purchase

The 1904 World's Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition) marked the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, a monumental event in U.S. history. Fair organizers set out to celebrate that event and create their own monumental event. It seemed appropriate to set the Fair in St. Louis Missouri, at that time the fourth largest city in the country and part of the land covered by the Treaty.

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Central Exhibit

December 9, 2012, marked the grand reopening of Central Library in downtown St. Louis after an extensive two-year renovation. Take a tour back in time and learn about Central Library's rich history that encompasses over 100 years.

 

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Chilton Library Library Card Required.

ChiltonLibrary supplies a solution for the “do-it-yourselfer” that is easy to use no matter the skill level. Repair, maintenance and specification tables provide critical data on thousands of domestic and imported models of cars and light trucks from 1940 onward.

 

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Consumer Health Complete Library Card Required.

Consumer Health Complete contains health and wellness information from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic, and integrated medicine. It includes electronic searchable versions of many popular print titles such as the AMA Complete Medical Encyclopedia and the Mayo Clinic Family Health Book.

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Consumer Reports Newspapers & Magazines Library Card Required.

Consumer Reports provides complete access to product ratings, reviews, and recommendations from the Consumer Reports Magazine and Buying Guides. Full text articles are available from January 1991-present.

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Creativebug Online Learning New! Library Card Required.

Creativebug provides access to 1,000+ video classes on arts and crafts techniques. Learn how to paint, knit, crochet, sew, screenprint, bake, and more!

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Culinary Exhibit

This online exhibit will give you a “taste” of what is available in The Culinary Collection of St. Louis Public Library. View a variety of cookbooks, recipes, and menus documenting the culinary history of St. Louis.

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DemographicsNOW Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & Directories New! Library Card Required.

DemographicsNow provides access to highly detailed U.S. demographic, business, and residential data. It is ideal for gaining consumer and market insight, researching competitors, targeting your market, choosing a business location, analyzing your market size, profiling current and potential customers, uncovering consumer buying patterns, creating custom reports, and much more!

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Digital Learn New!

Discover tools to help you tackle technology at your own pace and gain the confidence you need to succeed. Topics include intro to email, internet privacy, applying for jobs, and more!

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Ebsco eBook Collection eBooks Stream & Download Library Card Required.

With a collection of over 33,000 titles chosen specifically for public libraries, this general reference collection features fiction titles for both adults and juveniles, as well as best-selling and highly-recommended titles from industry leading publishers. The collection includes substantial offerings in Self-Help, Health & Fitness, Games, Crafts & Hobbies, Medical, Cooking and Religion. This collection also features titles on Recreation and Leisure, Geography, Commerce, Finance, The Family, Marriage, Women, Folklore, Social and Public Welfare, and Home Economics.

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Explora for Educators Library Card Required.

Find more than 2100 full-text scholarly journals and over 1,700 peer-reviewed, full-text journals. The collection focuses on education by providing full text for over 500 high-quality education journals. Explora provides access to lesson plans, students' tools, curriculum standards, and links to sites valuable for teachers.

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FamilySearch (Library Affiliate Records – In Library Use Only)

FamilySearch maintains a collection of records, resources, and services designed to help people learn more about their family history. FamilySearch gathers, preserves, and shares genealogical records worldwide. Using the website in the Library allows access to many digital images that cannot be viewed at home.

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fold3 History & Genealogy Archives Library Card Required.

Fold3 provides convenient access to U.S. military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. Original records at Fold3 help you discover and share stories about these everyday heroes, forgotten soldiers, and the families that supported them.  Includes special archives collections: African American, American Revolution, Native American, U.S. Bureau of Investigation Case File, and World War II. Fold3’s social networking aspect allows you to combine original historical documents and records found on the site with what you have in your own albums and shoeboxes to create an online memorial for someone who served.

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Foundation Directory Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & Directories

Foundation Directory Professional is Candid’s searchable database of foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities in the U.S. that may provide financial support for nonprofit organizations and their programs. 

We invite nonprofit grantseekers to visit the Grants & Foundation Center at Central Library to search for potential grant funding, and the Library’s Grants & Foundation Center staff continues to provide “concierge” nonprofit grant searches of Foundation Directory Professional (begun during COVID shutdown) for customers who submit this Google Form.

Found In: is in branchOnly available at Central Library

Freegal Music Mobile Apps Music Stream & Download Library Card Required.

Freegal provides access to free music to stream and download on your device! Each day you can stream eight hours of music and every week you receive five credits to download from a collection of over one hundred music genres from more than 50 record labels. There are no due dates and the downloads never expire! The songs you download are yours to keep! You can stream and download music on your computer (no special software required) and with the Freegal mobile app (developed for Apple and Android users).
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Gale Business: Plan Builder Library Card Required.

A step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration in order to develop a business plan focused on long-term success.

 

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Gale Courses Online Learning Library Card Required.

Interactive, instructor-led online courses covering a wide range of topics. Free for cardholders. New six week courses start on the second Wednesday of every month.

  • Please read the syllabus and course requirements carefully prior to enrolling, as SLPL cannot drop or transfer you from a course.
  • If you don't visit the week 2 class of a course within 13 days of the start of the course, you are automatically dropped from the course. There is no penalty for dropped courses. You can enroll for the same course again in the next six-week session.
  • You are allowed one, 10-day extension after the final exam due date to finish your course. SLPL cannot provide additional extensions.

 

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Gale In Context: Biography Library Card Required.

Biographies of more than half a million people from all periods of history and from every geographical region. Search for a specific person by name or use the Person Search to create lists of people based on nationality, ethnicity, occupation, gender or date of birth or death. Recommended for grades six and up.

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Gale In Context: Science Library Card Required.

Gale In Context: Science covers the latest scientific developments with millions of full-text articles, images, videos, and audio files that include national and global publications as well as 200+ experiments, projects, and top reference content. Topics covered include astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth, and environmental sciences, health and medicine, math, and physics.

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Gale Literary Sources Library Card Required.

This dynamic platform searches all of Gale’s literature products. Included databases are: Literature Criticism Online, Literature Resource Center, Something About the Author, and Gale’s Dictionary of Literary Biography.

 

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GCFLearnFree.org New!

Explore more than 300 topics, including more than 6,000 lessons and 2,000 videos on a variety of essential skills needed to live and work in the 21st century. Topics include Computer Basics, Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint, social media, Google Suite, Email Basics, and more.

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GPO

The Government Publishing Office provides this system as a way to browse, search and access government publications, including Congressional bills, Congressional hearings, the Federal Code, and much more.

 
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Grand Tour, The

First seen as a “cultural finishing school” for privileged young British gentlemen, The Grand Tour of the 19th century included several months of European travel between the end of formal schooling and adulthood.

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Grants to Individuals

Candid’s searchable database can be used to find detailed information on more than 10,000 foundations that give grants or scholarships to individuals. The application also provides direct access to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for individuals not associated with a nonprofit right on its homepage.

Found In: is in branchOnly available at Central Library


H

Heritage Quest Library Card Required.

Search thousands of family and local history books and the complete US Federal Census from 1790 to 1930. Census records can be searched by name, place of birth, age, ethnicity, and more. HeritageQuest Online also includes Revolutionary War records and the Freedman's Bank.

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Home Repair Guide

The Home Repair Network (HRN)—a coalition of home repair service providers in St. Louis City and County who came together during the pandemic and quickly recognized the urgent need to improve the home repair system for the St. Louis region.

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Hoopla Comics & Graphic Novels eAudiobooks eBooks Mobile Apps Movies & TV Music Stream & Download Library Card Required.

• Available to residents/property owners of the City of St. Louis. 

Hoopla offers eBooks, eAudiobooks, movies, television shows, and music albums to stream or download onto your device. There are materials available for all ages! Selecting the 'Kids Mode' will limit results to children's content only. All items are available for immediate check out. There are no hold lists, which means no waiting for your favorite materials! With your library card you receive ten Hoopla borrows per month.

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Illinois Compiled Statutes

The Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) are the codified statutes of the State of Illinois. There are 67 chapter arranged into 9 major topic areas, and the Illinois Legislative Reference Bureau makes any additions, deletions and/or changes to the ILCS when new acts become law or existing acts are repealed. The ILCS are searchable by Number or Keyword.

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Learning Express Library Online Learning Library Card Required.

LearningExpress Library’s unique, self-guided, interactive, online learning platform provides users with a comprehensive selection of academic and career-oriented resources. More than a database, it offers tools needed to conduct successful job searches, resume and cover letter builders and educational test preparation materials (HiSET, ACT, SAT), plus much more, all on one platform.

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Library Literature & Information Science Library Card Required.

Reflecting the latest trends in a rapidly evolving field, this database indexes English and foreign language periodicals, selected state journals, conference proceedings, pamphlets, and library school theses, plus over three hundred books per year. This resource delivers full-text articles from over a hundred select publications. Indexing begins in 1984 and full-text articles begin in 1994.

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LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) Library Card Required.

Explore over 16,000 online video courses to learn the latest software, creativity and business skills. View short tutorials or comprehensive courses on hundreds of topics taught by expert instructors.

To access the LinkedIn Learning app on your smartphone or tablet, download the app here (Apple and Google Play), then enter our Library ID. The Library ID is stlouispubliclibrary. It is case-sensitive, use all lowercase letters.

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Literature Resource Center Library Card Required.

This current, comprehensive and reliable online literature database is uniquely relevant to today’s researcher. Its rich critical, biographical and contextual content supports interdisciplinary approaches, information literacy and the development of critical-thinking skills. 

 

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Mango Languages Online Learning Library Card Required.

Access to over 60 foreign-language courses and 17 English courses taught in the native language of the user. Each Mango lesson incorporates the four key conversational components crucial for successful communication: vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and culture.

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MEDLINE Library Card Required.

MEDLINE® provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more.

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Metro St. Louis

Metro operates bus and light rail service in the StLouis, Missouri, metropolitan area. Links for maps, schedules, and a trip finder can be found here.

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Missouri Death Certificates

This database compiled by the Missouri State Archives offers access to over 2.5 million digitized death certificates of persons who died in Missouri. Currently, the database covers images of certificates issued from 1910 to 1970. This span reflects the time period from 1910 when the keeping of death records in Missouri became mandatory by law, to the most recent year opened to public access. The Index is updated annually to include another year's worth of records. A smaller database of pre-1910 birth and death records from areas of Missouri where such records were kept is also included.

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Missouri Revised Statutes

This is the unofficial, electronic version of the Missouri Revised Statutes, searchable by words or section.

Print volumes of the Missouri Statutes are available in several St. Louis law libraries, including the St. Louis University Law Library. Please ask our staff if you would like assistance in locating a print volume.

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Morningstar Investment Research Center Library Card Required.

Search over thirty thousand stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs to determine where to invest your money. Identify stocks and funds that meet your criteria and read reports prepared by Morningstar. Obtain an analysis of your current portfolio or see how the stocks and funds you select work together to form a balanced portfolio.

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New York Times Online (NYTimes.com) Magazines & Journals Newspapers & Magazines Library Card Required.

NYTimes.com provides free access to the New York Times and International New York Times content, including breaking news articles, reviews, blogs, videos, and more. There are two different ways to access NYTimes.com depending on if you are inside or outside the Library. For both onsite or offsite access, you need to sign up for a free account using a valid email address.

 

Using NYTimes.com in the Library:

  1. Click here, opens a new window

  2. Enter login information (first-time users will need to create an account) or log in with Facebook or Google

  3. Begin reading!

Using NYTimes.com outside the Library:

You must redeem a code to access NYTimes.com remotely. The code lasts for 72 hours. At the end of the 72 hours, you can repeat the process and receive another 72-hour pass.

  1. Click here

  2. Redeem your code for digital access to the New York Times. (The code will be pre-populated). Select the Redeem button

  3. Enter login information (first-time users will need to create an account) or log in with Facebook or Google

  4. Get Started! Enjoy your 3 days of unlimited access to NYTimes.com and the NYTimes smartphone and tablet apps

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NoveList K-8 Plus Library Card Required.

Need help finding good books to read? Novelist K-8 helps kids and young teens do just that! Use your favorite books and authors to find new adventures! If you can't think of a book you've liked in the past, simply choose a topic of interest and explore lists of recommended books. NoveList K-8 Plus includes both fiction and nonfiction titles. Teachers will find thematic units and other resources for incorporating fiction and nonfiction into the classroom, as well.

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NoveList Plus Library Card Required.

Need help choosing a fiction book? You can match a favorite author or title, identify a book by describing the plot, explore fiction by genre such as mystery, romance, or adventure, find lists of award-winning books, read book reviews, and more. NoveList Plus also includes certain nonfiction genres such as adventure stories, biographies, current events, history, and true crime.

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NYTimes Cooking Magazines & Journals

NYTimes Cooking is a service of The New York Times. It is a digital cookbook and cooking guide, available on all platforms that helps home cooks of every level discover the world’s best recipes, while also helping them become better, more competent cooks.

To access NYTimes Cooking, you must redeem a code. The code lasts for 24 hours. At the end of the 24 hours, you can repeat the process and receive another code.

  1. Click here or select NYTimes Cooking above
  2. Redeem your code for digital access to NYTimes Cooking. (The code will be pre-populated). Select the Redeem button.
  3. Log in or create an account. First-time users will need to create an account or login with Facebook, Google, or Apple.
  4. Start Cooking! Enjoy your 24 hours access to NYTimes Cooking.
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Obituary Search

Search for St. Louis obituaries.
Currently this index contains names from the St. Louis Post Dispatch for the years 1880-1930, 1942-1945, 1960-1969, and 1992-2011.

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Open Library eBooks Stream & Download

Similar to Project Gutenberg, Open Library provides access to digitized materials, most of which are from the public domain. St. Louis Public Library has made Open Library titles available through its catalog, where you can directly download them to your computer or mobile device.

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OverDrive eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines eAudiobooks eBooks Magazines & Journals Mobile Apps Newspapers & Magazines Stream & Download Library Card Required.

Overdrive, SLPL’s original downloadable provider, offers access to thousands of downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks. Every book lover is sure to find an enjoyable title, available for download to the device of their choice, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can check out up to 20 Overdrive titles, for seven or fourteen days, and you can place up to 30 holds at a time.

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OverDrive for Kids eBooks Stream & Download Library Card Required.

Access to downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks, just for kids! Every book lover is sure to find an enjoyable title, available for download to the device of their choice, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can check out up to ten Overdrive titles, for seven or fourteen days, and you can place up to twelve holds at a time.

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OverDrive for Teens eBooks Stream & Download Library Card Required.

Access to thousands of downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks, just for teens! Every book lover is sure to find an enjoyable title, available for download to the device of their choice, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can check out up to ten Overdrive titles, for seven or fourteen days, and you can place up to twelve holds at a time.

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OverDrive Grade Level Reading Room and Class Sets

Access thousands of downloadable eBooks and audiobooks, grouped by grade level. Books in the "class sets" section can be checked out by an unlimited number of users, so a whole classroom (or school!) can read the same book. You can check out up to ten Overdrive titles, for seven or fourteen days, and you can place up to twelve holds at a time.

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Passport

The U. S. Department of State provides passport services, including applying, renewing, and reporting lost or stolen passports.

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Peterson’s Test Prep

Improve your test scores, find a college or university, explore careers, prepare for vocational tests, and explore financial aid and scholarship offerings with Peterson's Test Prep! Access free, full-length online practice exams for standardized tests, including the GED, civil service/licensing, ACT, SAT, cosmetology, postal service, and much more.

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Project Gutenberg eBooks Stream & Download

Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to archive and digitize cultural works. It was founded in 1971, and is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are full texts of public domain books. The project tries to make these materials as free as possible, in long-lasting, open formats that can be used on almost any computer. St. Louis Public Library has made Project Gutenberg titles available through its catalog, where you can directly download them to your computer or mobile device.

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Reference Solutions Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & Directories Library Card Required.

Reference Solutions, formerly ReferenceUSA, is a collection of helpful business databases. Use U.S. Businesses to search millions of businesses, small and large. U.S. Historical Businesses allows you to search for businesses from 2003 to 2013 to help visualize changes and trends over time. Research lifestyle statistics with U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles. Looking for a phone number? Use the Standard White Pages database to simultaneously search residential phone books.

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Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law

This HeinOnline collection brings together, for the first time, all essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery.

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SLPL Then & Now

The “Then” photos in this exhibit come from the St. Louis Public Library’s Archives which are housed in the Rare Books and Special Collections Department at Central Library. The Library’s records date back to the founding of the St. Louis Public School Library.

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Something About the Author Library Card Required.

Something About the Author Online covers the lives and works of authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. In addition to the information found in the print version of this reference source, the online edition also includes hundreds of specially commissioned autobiographical essays that are illustrated with personal photos and present an entertaining and informative first-person perspective on the lives and careers of these authors and illustrators.

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SQSHBook

The SQSHBook is a community-owned database of 1,200+ resources throughout the St. Louis region and beyond, compiled from various local resource lists and vetting efforts by SQSH's Community Partners. Use SQSHBook to find queer-affirming resources for housing, food, healthcare, socio-emotional support, and more.

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St. Louis City Youth Connection Hotline

If you need immediate help for a mental health issue or concern for you or someone you care for, the Youth Connection Helpline is available via phone call, chat or text.
Qualified staff from the Behavioral Health Response Team are available 24/7 to listen and connect you with resources

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StartHere

This website provides general information, street addresses, phone numbers and websites for dozens of agencies, shelters, employment resources, food pantries and other organizations throughout the St. Louis area.

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TrackBill

TrackBill allows you to search, track and report on legislation in the US Congress and 50 state legislatures.

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WorldCat Discovery Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & Directories

Search for books, videos, sound recordings, and more by searching library catalogs from around the world. If you find an item that SLPL does not own, you can use WorldCat to place a request for the item. Please note: SLPL can not guarantee that the owning libraries listed in WorldCat can fill your request. Requested items may not be loaned for a variety of reasons. You will be notified if your requested item cannot be obtained.

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