Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & Directories

This resource offers three separate sites for children, young adults, and older patrons. With Britannica Library, it's easy to conduct research, complete school assignments, work on special projects, or explore unique interests.

Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online includes biographical and critical essays on the lives, works, and careers of the world's most influential literary figures from all eras and genres.

Whether you're looking for consumer, health, news or employment information, Explora serves as a simple, yet powerful access point for all of our EBSCO databases.

Discover all of our EBSCO databases for teens through Explora. This simple, yet powerful interface supports both student research and classroom instruction with rich, reliable content and easy-to-use functionality.

Discover all of our EBSCO databases for kids in one spot! Explora provides a single search box with easy-to-browse categories, making it easier to discover rich, reliable content that supports student research and classroom instruction.

Discover all of our EBSCO databases for teens through Explora. This simple, yet powerful interface supports both student research and classroom instruction with rich, reliable content and easy-to-use functionality.

Foundation Directory is merging with GuideStar to become Candid Search (https://app.candid.org/ipl, opens a new window).  

Nonprofits and individuals seeking funding, scholarships, or fellowships can access Candid’s Foundation Directory to find and connect with funders.

Please contact the Library's Grants and Foundation Center at Central Library (314 539-0357 or gfc@slpl.org) if you have questions about other nonprofit grant resources available through the Library, or would like to set up an appointment for an overview of the Foundation Directory database.

For students and adults alike, the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia database indexes over 25,000 records, covering an array of topics.

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.

Search, sort, view, and print Company Profiles and Prospect Lists from Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City databases of the Sorkins Directory.

Includes more than 25,000 World Book Encyclopedia articles, edited to suit students from grades 4 through 12 and adults. Also includes more than 1,800 tables, 100 animations and videos, 10,000 pictures, 500 maps. Has teacher's resources, current news, special reports and historical articles.

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.