History & Countries

Search thousands of academic journals at once on a broad range of disciplines.

Academic Search Complete Help, opens a new window

Explore and stay informed on local, national and international topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources from around the world to around the corner, including The San Mateo Daily Journal. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.

This research database covers the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present and includes hundreds of full-text history journals and books.

America: History & Life With Full-Text Help, opens a new window

Asian Life in America is a newspaper database that can support discussions and conversations on Asian heritage, history, culture, and daily life. Explore and gain a deeper understanding of the Asian American experience as recorded by the news media, from the 18th century through today. 

The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media, from the early 18^th century to today.

This online database is the go-to site for elementary school research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

Un excelente recurso digital en español que ayuda a enriquecer el aprendizaje de los estudiantes de primaria y secundaria.

Un excelente recurso digital en español que ayuda a enriquecer el aprendizaje de los estudiantes de primaria.

Un excelente recurso digital en español que ayuda a enriquecer el aprendizaje de los estudiantes de secundaria.

This online database is the go-to site for high school research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

This online database is the go-to site for middle school research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

This online database is the go-to site for K-12 research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

California missions eBooks that can be read online for free.

When asked for a Username and Password please enter Username: missions Password: missions.

Need to find out about California Mission or California Indians? How about California Governors or Explorers? California Social Studies Fact Cards will help you out with facts at your fingertips for California Indians, Explorers, Missions and Mission life, Ranchos, Datelines and more.

Coursera is back! Level up your career with access to 5000+ courses and certifications taught by industry experts from leading universities. Courses include in-demand skills and certifications like data science, machine learning & AI, management essentials, and much more. Simply click on the link above, fill in your name, email address, zip code, and library. You will then be prompted to enter your library barcode and PIN. Access all that Coursera has to offer for three weeks. After three weeks, users will be asked to sign up again. Requires 29041 library card.

Use EBSCOhost to select and search reference databases of your choice. This interface is recommended for advanced searchers. For students and general searchers, try one of the Explora databases below:

• General Research
• Elementary School Research
• Middle School Research
• High School Research

EBSCOhost Help, opens a new window

Students can search multiple databases at once for elementary school research (grades K-5). All full-text articles included are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles).

Databases searched:

• Primary Search
• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
• American Heritage Children’s Dictionary
• Topic Overviews K-5

Elementary School Research Help, opens a new window

Search multiple databases at once covering general interest topics, business resources, literary reference, news articles and more.

Databases searched:

• MasterFILE Premier (with Consumer Reports)
• Business Source Complete
• Newspaper Source Plus
• Biography Reference Center
• Topic Overviews Public Libraries
• Associated Press Videos

General Research Help, opens a new window

Live real-time homework assistance is available for California K-12 students by laptop, tablet or phone from qualified tutors using state curriculum and standards. Assistance is available in English and Spanish for Language Arts and Mathematics.

Every day between 1:00 PM and 11:59 PM PST, assistance is available in core K-12 subjects in the following languages:

• English
• Spanish
• Mandarin
• Cantonese
• Vietnamese
• Tagalog

Tutors can provide a virtual whiteboard, conduct live audio interactions with students and work with learners on a wide range of concepts. Students are expected to work through the content and learn from the feedback. Tutors do not provide answers — they provide guidance and help. All tutors have passed background checks and possess, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree.

Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, and uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid-1900s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7.

Students can search multiple databases at once for full-text articles, images, videos, and more for high school research (grades 9-12).

Databases searched:

• MAS Complete
• Newspaper Source Plus
• History Reference Center
• Literary Reference Center Plus
• Science Reference Center
• TOPICsearch
• Biography Reference Center
• Topic Overviews 6-12
• Associated Press Videos

High School Research Help, opens a new window

 The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.

The definitive full-text database covering world history (excluding the United States and Canada) from the 15th century to the present.

Historical Abstracts With Full Text Help, opens a new window

Contains thousands of reliable resources including primary source documents, biographies, photos, maps, and more.

History Reference Center Help, opens a new window

Search and browse full-text articles from magazines, reference books, and other primary source documents.

MasterFILE Premier Help, opens a new window

Students can search multiple databases at once for full-text articles for middle school research (grades 6-8). All full-text articles included are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles).
Databases searched:

• Middle Search Plus
• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
• Topic Overviews 6-12

Middle School Research Help, opens a new window

Engage elementary and middle school students with age-appropriate digital content on exciting subjects such as science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space.

72-hour complimentary, unlimited access pass to the full edition of The New York Times online and eligible apps without a subscription. Find all regular newspaper content, photography, and videos dating back from 1851 to the present. Personalize your access through email newsletters, mobile apps, and customizable news feeds and recommendations. Mandarin and Spanish versions are also available.

Getting Started
To get started, register for a free account either by being logged into smcl.org or from within a San Mateo County Libraries location using a library computer or using your own device on the library WiFi. Once registered, you will be able to enjoy your 72-hour access pass from anywhere by logging in with the same email and password entered during registration.

After your 72-hour pass expires, you may activate a new pass by visiting the pass activation page while once again being logged into smcl.org or from within a San Mateo County Libraries location using a library computer or using your own device on the library WiFi.

Search full-text articles from over 1,200 newspapers, newswires, and news magazines.

Newspaper Source Plus Help, opens a new window

Contains resources that present diverse perspectives on important issues and events.

EBSCO Points of View Reference Center Help, opens a new window

A highly specialized database of full-text electronic information especially for educators, professional librarians, and education researchers.

Professional Development Collection Help, opens a new window

An online resource of reports on 209 countries, each U.S. state, and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. Reports contain information on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people, as well as audio, video, images, maps, infographics, and classroom exercises.

Culturegrams Help, opens a new window

Provides authoritative, full-text eBooks in a wide range of subject areas along with powerful tools to find, use, and manage the information. Subjects covered: Business & Economics; Computers & IT; Education; Engineering & Technology; History & Political Science; Humanities; Interdisciplinary & Area Studies; Language, Literature & Linguistics; Law, International Relations & Public Policy; Life Sciences; Medical; Nursing & Allied Health; Physical Sciences; Psychology & Social Work; Religion, Philosophy & Classics; Sociology & Anthropology.

eBook Central Help, opens a new window

A reference collection of periodical and digital media content designed to support middle and high school students, college-prep and college-level researchers, and professional educators.

eLibrary Help, opens a new window

ProQuest is used by researchers and librarians around the world. Through its partnerships, ProQuest has built a growing content collection that now encompasses 90,000 authoritative sources, six billion digital pages and spans six centuries.

A general reference database providing safe, reliable, curriculum-aligned content and features for use by students and educators in Primary and early Secondary schools.

SIRS Discoverer Help, opens a new window

Students can access all of Redwood City Public Library's eResources using their Empower Card. Requires 29731 or 29735 library card.

Este base de datos de texto completo en español cubre temas dentro y fuera de la academia y ofrece contenido de una variedad de fuentes, incluidos libros de referencia, revistas de interés general e informes de salud.

Ayuada con Referencia Latina (en inglés), opens a new window

Professional educators can search multiple databases at once for full-text articles from peer-reviewed education journals and educational reports.

Databases searched:

• Professional Development Collection
• ERIC

An online learning platform for San Mateo County Libraries cardholders who want to improve work-related skills or further develop a personal interest. Users can search through more than 4,000 continuously updated, on-demand video courses across 75 categories in business, technology, design, health, mindfulness, and more. Requires 29041, 29731 or 29735 library card.

To Use the App:

1. 1. Download the Udemy for Business app in the View available apps below.
   2. Open the app and enter gale.udemy.com as the organization account and click Next.
   3. Under Find Your Institution select Public Library and search for San Mateo County Library.
   4. Click San Mateo County Library and you’ll be taken to the screen where you can enter your library card number and click Sign In.
   5. You’ll be taken to the screen where you can sign in using a Google or Microsoft account.

Udemy Help, opens a new window

An engaging, interactive, gamified and trustworthy online learning experience for grades pre-K through high school. A suite of online research tools that includes encyclopedia articles, primary source collections, educator tools, student activities, educational games, pictures, audio, maps and video, complemented by children’s ebooks, current periodicals and related Web sites.

Perfect for school reports and research papers. There are different portals for different age ranges and includes Spanish resources for elementary school users.

World Book Online Help, opens a new window