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Ask a Kent Librarian

To chat with a librarian, enter your name, e-mail address, and question below, the return or enter keys will send the message so do not press them until you have finished your question:

 
Online Reference Library
Reference and research resources
Arts and music
Screenonline
ScreenonlineBFI Screenonline is the "definitive guide to Britain's film and TV history". You can view and download extracts (for private or educational use).
BFI Replay
BFI ReplayDiscover thousands of digitised videos and television programmes from the 1960s to the 2010s, offering a glimpse into Britain’s past, its people and places.
Business
COBRA
COBRAThe Complete Business Reference Adviser (COBRA) is an encyclopedia of practical information for anyone involved in setting up, running and managing a business enterprise, including business start up guides, management factsheets and UK market sector reports. Please note: Remote access is restricted to 12 Business Information Briefings, 12 Business Opportunities Profiles, and 6 UK Market Synopsis a year. In library access is unlimited.
British Standards Online
British Standards OnlineAccess the full-text of most British Standards as well as their European and International equivalents.
Click the logo to find out more.
Fame (Ask a Kent Librarian only)
Fame (Ask a Kent Librarian only)Fame can be used to search for company reports, contact, financial, credit and ownership details for all registered UK companies; to download market intelligence reports; and extract mailing lists tailored to your requirements.

Due to licensing restrictions, we will need to create mailing lists on your behalf.


IBISWorld
IBISWorldProvides industry market research and risk ratings on hundreds of the industries in the UK, including statistics, analysis, risk scores and revenue forecasts

IBISWorld is available via public computers at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone.
Grantfinder
GrantfinderGRANTfinder allows you to search for all types funding including loans, awards and grants to help local companies succeed and grow.
GRANTfinder is available via the public computers at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone.
eLearning
Learn My Way
Learn My WayStep-by-step online basic computer courses: learn to use a keyboard and mouse, create an email account, search the Internet and much more (e.g. job hunting and shopping online).

Please note: You will need your local library's UK Online centre code to register. Ask local library staff.
Theory Test Pro
Theory Test ProTheory Test Pro is a highly realistic online simulation of the UK's driving theory test. It contains the entire official test question bank, hazard perception video clips and an online version of the Highway Code. All this material is licensed from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the people who set the tests.

When you first use Theory Test Pro, you will need to register with your name, email address and password. This information allows Theory Test Pro to save your test scores so you can follow your progress as you practise for the test. If you sign up from home or anywhere else outside of the library, you will also need a valid library barcode number, available on your library card.
Cisco online courses
Cisco online coursesWe are working in partnership with Cisco NetAcad to provide a range of free online courses designed to help progress your career in IT. Cisco courses are industry recognised qualifications.

The introductory courses are self-paced so you can enrol and complete each one in your own time. At the end of each course you have the option to take a final assessment, or you may choose to complete a knowledge quiz to check your understanding.

IAB Managing your finances
IAB Managing your financesLearn to manage your finances with the Institute of Accountants and Bookkeepers.

This 1-hour course covers:
Setting a household budget
Understanding your payslip
Reducing your cost-of-living expenses
Understanding loan repayments
Accessing financial support.

On completion, you will receive a certificate of learning which will be invaluable when applying for jobs, volunteering roles, housing or accessing further qualifications.
Family and local history
British Library Newspapers
British Library NewspapersA comprehensive range of national, regional and local newspapers published in 19th century Britain, which reflects the social, political and cultural events of the times. Users can search across a large range of titles, perform full-text searches and view specific article types.
Kent Archives and Local History
Kent Archives have a range of information and resources to help you explore your family history, and find out more about the history of Kent. Find help and advice on planning your search and visiting an archive centre from Kent Archives.
Ancestry.com - Libraries edition
Ancestry.com - Libraries editionProvides access to the 1841 to 1901 UK censuses and contains more than 4 billion names. A simple search using an ancestor's christian and surname can produce some interesting results, which can be viewed, printed or emailed.
British Newspaper Archive - Community Edition
British Newspaper Archive - Community EditionContains millions of pages of historical newspapers from the British Library collection searchable by keyword, name, location, date or title. See the up-to-date titles list, it also includes digital archives for Dover Express, Kentish Gazette, Whitstable Times & Herne Bay Herald and Kentish Chronicle. You will need to register when you first access the British Newspaper Archive. When you subsequently log in this will allow access to the archive and to a personal My Research area, to keep track of your searches and bookmark items. We have a limited number of concurrent licences across the county; to enable a maximum of people to benefit, the product will log you out following 10 minutes of inactivity.
Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National BiographyTells the stories of over 50,000 people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to those who died in the year 2004. It also includes over 10,000 portrait illustrations, and the complete text of the 33-volumes of the first edition of the Dictionary of National Biography.
Find My Past - Community edition
Find My Past - Community editionView around 750 million records including birth, marriage and death records, the complete UK census collection (including the official 1911 and 1921 census returns and the 1939 Register), millions of parish records (including Kent parishes) dating as far back as 1538, a vast military records collection spanning 1656 to 1994, migration records, and Kent School Admission Registers and logbooks, 1870-1914.
Find My Past - 1921 census
Find My Past - 1921 censusThe 1921 census holds information on every household, vessel, institution and overseas residencies that were part of England and Wales in 1921, plus the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Also included are merchant ships in the waters of England and Wales, all ships of the Royal Navy and army and, for the first time, Royal Air Force units stationed overseas.


Gale News Vault
Gale News VaultSearch 19th Century British Newspapers, Illustrated London News and Times Digital Archive in one go!
Illustrated London News
Illustrated London NewsThe world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, it allowed readers to not only read about British and world events but to actually see them. From war and disasters to politics and the arts, it provided a vivid view of the people, places and events that, until then, most of its readers could only imagine.
John Johnson Collection
John Johnson CollectionAccess thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera at the Bodleian Library, offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Categories include Nineteenth-Century Entertainment, the Booktrade, Popular Prints, Crimes, Murders and Executions, and Advertising.
Times Digital Archives
Times Digital ArchivesSearch through the digital edition of The Times (London) 1785 - 2006 using keyword or date searches to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page. The entire newspaper is captured, with all notices, obituaries, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching.
UK Press Online - South Eastern Gazette
UK Press Online - South Eastern GazetteUK Press Online for access to the South Eastern Gazette 1852 to 1912.
Who's Who with Who was Who Online
WhoWho's Who is the essential directory of the noteworthy and influential in the UK and worldwide. Who Was Who includes over 100,000 entries from the archives of Who's Who dating back to 1898.
Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
Authoritative work lists over 45,000 family names with explanations of the name's origins, variations in spelling, and information about geographical distribution.


General reference, encyclopaedias and dictionaries
Access to research
Access to researchStudents and independent researchers can now access over 15 million of the world's best academic papers from leading publishers who have made their journal content available for free. Start by viewing which articles and journals are available from home, then visit a Kent library where you can view the full text the full text on a public computer.
Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National BiographyTells the stories of over 50,000 people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to those who died in the year 2004. It also includes over 10,000 portrait illustrations, and the complete text of the 33-volumes of the first edition of the Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English DictionaryWidely acknowledged as the most authoritative and comprehensive dictionary of English in the world. It also traces the evolution of more then 600,000 words over the last 1,500 years through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of sources.
Who's Who with Who was Who Online
WhoThe directory of the noteworthy and influential in the UK today. Who Was Who includes over 100,000 entries from the archives dating back to 1898.

Oxford Reference
Oxford ReferenceOxford Reference brings together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopaedias spanning around 25 different subject areas.
Health and wellbeing
Bereavement Advice Service
The Bereavement Advice Service offers practical advice and support after the death of a relative or friend.
History and social issues
British Library Newspapers
British Library NewspapersA comprehensive range of national, regional and local newspapers published in 19th century Britain, which reflects the social, political and cultural events of the times. Users can search across a large range of titles, perform full-text searches and view specific article types.
Cambridge Histories Online
Cambridge Histories OnlineContaining over 300 volumes published since 1960, this covers over 15 different academic subjects providing a diverse, up to date and authoritative collection that is a must for anyone researching or studying a subject that has an historical element.
Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National BiographyTells the stories of over 50,000 people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to those who died in the year 2004. It also includes over 10,000 portrait illustrations, and the complete text of the 33-volumes of the first edition of the Dictionary of National Biography.
Gale news Vault
Gale news VaultSearch 19th Century British Newspapers, Illustrated London News and Times Digital Archive in one go!
Illustrated London News
Illustrated London NewsThe world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, it allowed readers to not only read about British and world events but to actually see them. From war and disasters to politics and the arts, it provided a vivid view of the people, places and events that, until then, most of its readers could only imagine.
Times Digital Archives
Times Digital ArchivesSearch through the digital edition of The Times (London) 1785 - 2006 using keyword or date searches to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page. The entire newspaper is captured, with all notices, obituaries, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching.
John Johnson Collection
John Johnson CollectionAccess thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera at the Bodleian Library, offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Categories include Nineteenth-Century Entertainment, the Booktrade, Popular Prints, Crimes, Murders and Executions, and Advertising.
BFI Replay
BFI ReplayDiscover thousands of digitised videos and television programmes from the 1960s to the 2010s, offering a glimpse into Britain’s past, its people and places.
Homework
Grzimek's Animal Life encyclopedia
GrzimekPart of GVRL - More than 4,000 species categorized by Amphibians, Reptiles and Birds, Fish, Insects, Mammals and Simple Aquatic Life, including information on evolution, habitat, behavior, range and more. Perfect for assignments or indulging your love of animals. Includes videos and multimedia.
Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English DictionaryWidely acknowledged as the most authoritative and comprehensive dictionary of English in the world. It also traces the evolution of more then 600,000 words over the last 1,500 years through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of sources.
Oxford ReferenceOxford Reference brings together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopaedias spanning around 25 different subject areas.
Newspapers and periodicals
British Library Newspapers
British Library NewspapersA comprehensive range of national, regional and local newspapers published in 19th century Britain, which reflects the social, political and cultural events of the times. Users can search across a large range of titles, perform full-text searches and view specific article types.
British Newspaper Archive - Community Edition
British Newspaper Archive - Community EditionContains millions of pages of historical newspapers from the British Library collection searchable by keyword, name, location, date or title. See the up-to-date titles list, it also includes digital archives for Dover Express, Kentish Gazette, Whitstable Times & Herne Bay Herald and Kentish Chronicle. You will need to register when you first access the British Newspaper Archive. When you subsequently log in this will allow access to the archive and to a personal My Research area, to keep track of your searches and bookmark items. We have a limited number of concurrent licences across the county; to enable a maximum of people to benefit, the product will log you out following 10 minutes of inactivity.
Gale news Vault
Gale news VaultSearch 19th Century British Newspapers, Illustrated London News and Times Digital Archive in one go!
Illustrated London News
Illustrated London NewsThe world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, it allowed readers to not only read about British and world events but to actually see them. From war and disasters to politics and the arts, it provided a vivid view of the people, places and events that, until then, most of its readers could only imagine.
Times Digital Archives
Times Digital ArchivesSearch through the digital edition of The Times (London) 1785 - 2006 using keyword or date searches to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page. The entire newspaper is captured, with all notices, obituaries, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching.
PressReader
PressReaderRead newspapers online for free. On the site you need to click 'sign in', select 'Library and Group', search for 'Kent County Council' and enter your library card number.
Newsbank
NewsbankNewsBank provides a comprehensive collection of reliable news sources covering a wide array of topics and issues. Articles are taken from print and online-only newspapers, blogs, newswires, journals, broadcast transcripts and videos. Includes today's edition of The Times.
Rights & citizenship
Kent 4 Community
Kent 4 CommunityThis resource provides details of grants and funding available for community groups in Kent.
Kent Bereavement Advice Service
Practical advice and support after the death of a relative or friend. This service is provided by Kent Libraries, Registration & Archives in partnership with Simplify.
Westlaw UK (Maidstone only, ask staff for assistance)
Westlaw UK (Maidstone only, ask staff for assistance)
Over 400,000 case reports and transcripts dating back to 1220

Legislation consolidated back to 1267, and updated daily

Analytical commentary from the entire Common Law Library and a large range of market-leading books and looseleafs
Science and Nature
Grzimek's Animal Life encyclopedia
GrzimekPart of GVRL - More than 4,000 species categorized by Amphibians, Reptiles and Birds, Fish, Insects, Mammals and Simple Aquatic Life, including information on evolution, habitat, behavior, range and more. Perfect for assignments or indulging your love of animals. Includes videos and multimedia.
Statistics
Public Information Online
 Public Information OnlinePublic Information Online contains All material from 2006/07 Parliamentary session onwards. The site is updated daily with fully searchable PDFs that are available on the day of publication.
Kent facts and figures
Kent facts and figuresAll figures are for the Kent County Council (KCC) area which excludes Medway Unitary Authority.