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Information and Reference
Online Reference
You can now get free access to a range of online reference sources to which the library subscribes.
Most of the services listed below are available from any public library in Devon. If you are registered member of the library service you can also get free access to some of the services from home.
If you have not used a service before, choose the find out more link for details of where and how you can get access. Registered members can also find links to the services available from their home computers by logging into their personal account page on the library catalogue.
Services available
Ancestry Library Edition
Thousands of sources of information of interest to family history researchers, including every UK census from 1841 to 1901. Available from any Devon County Council public library.
Find out more >>The Annual Register
A Record of World Events is a year by year record of British and world events. It has been published every year since 1758. It is a valuable source of contemporary opinion, historical context and biographical information.
Available from any Devon County Council Public Library. Ask a member of Library staff for login details.
Find out more>>BFI screenonline
British Film Institute online encyclopaedia of British film and television featuring hundreds of hours of film and television clips. Available from any Devon County Council public library.
Find out more >>British Standards Online
The full text of current and draft British Standards. Available from any Devon County Council public library and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
The complete text of the encyclopaedia and selected magazine articles. Available from any Devon County Council public library and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Grove Art Online
Over 45,000 articles on every aspect of the visual arts from prehistory to the present day with more than 2,500 images and over 40,000 image links from other art sites. Available from any public library in Devon and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Grove Music Online
Over 45,000 articles on people and places, instruments and techniques, music genres and styles. Available from any public library in Devon and to registered library members at home.
Find out more>>Issues Online
A reference source which explores a wide range of contemporary social issues from different points of view. Available from any Devon County Council public library and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>John Johnson Collection
An archive of printed ephemera. Available to registered library members at home and from any public library in Devon.
Find out more>>Naxos Music Library
Listen to over 210,000 mainly classical music tracks online. Available from any Devon County Council public library and to registered library members at home.
Find out more>>Newsbank UK Newspapers
Search current and back copies of UK national and regional newspapers together. Available from any Devon County Council public library and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Nineteenth Century British Library Newspapers
The complete text of 48 national and regional newspapers covering the 19th Century, including Trewman's Exeter Flying Post. Available from any Devon County Council public library and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Over 55,000 biographies and 10,000 illustrations of the people who shaped British history. Available from any public library in Devon and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Oxford English Dictionary
The largest English language dictionary available, tracing the history and meaning of more than 600,000 words. Available from any public library in Devon and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Oxford Reference Online
Over 120 dictionaries and reference books on a wide range of subjects. Available from any public library in Devon and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>Times Digital Archive
The complete text of the Times Newspaper from 1785 to 1985. Available from any public library in Devon and to registered library members at home.
Find out more >>UK Official Publications
The official catalogue of UK official publications from 1980 onwards. Available at Exeter and Barnstaple Libraries.
Find out more >>Which? Extra
The last 2 years of Which? magazine available online. Available in libraries with a subscription to the printed magazine.
Find out more >>