More information on our online reference services
Richmond Libraries subscribes to a number of reference and information services. Use the following links and login with your Richmond Libraries' card number to access these services from home. (Type the whole number, including DXXXX, and leave no spaces). You no longer need a PIN.
Naxos Music Library
New: Naxos Music Library is a growing collection of 230,000 tracks of Classical, Jazz, Blues, World and Chinese music. Listen to individual tracks or whole CDs. This is a "streaming" service - you listen online over your Internet connection. (We have a limited number of concurrent sessions so please remember to log out from this service).
Ancestry Library Edition
Ancestry Library Edition is invaluable tool for family historians; it includes census data and indexes of births, marriages and deaths, plus many other useful databases. (Our subscription provides access from library premises only).
If your ancestors were local to Richmond borough there are also many sources available in our Local Studies Collection.
COBRA - COmplete Business Reference Advisor
COBRA is a comprehensive, practical and continually updated information resource for anyone looking to start a business, write a business or marketing plan or conduct research into a new market. (Enter your library card number against Ticket ID when accessing from home).
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. (See Problems accessing our online services? if you have difficulty accessing the OED from home).
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography contains 55,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the 21st century. New entries are added regularly, but people must have been deceased for at least 4 years before inclusion.
Oxford Reference Online
The Oxford Reference Online Premium Collection is an authoritative and indispensable research resource bringing together over 100 of Oxford's renowned dictionary, reference and companion titles across more than 20 subject areas including languages, arts, sciences, medicine, law, history, business, mythology and religion. (Enter your library card number under Subscriber log in when accessing from home).
Grove Art Online
Grove Art Online provides web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art (1996, 34 volumes) with ongoing additions of new material and updates to the text, plus extensive image links and all the sophisticated search advantages possible with an online reference resource. Grove Art Online now also includes access to the Oxford Companion to Western Art making it an ideal source for concise, authoritative information on western art and an excellent starting point for basic information for students and scholars alike. (Select Library barcode user login when accessing from home).
Grove Music Online
Grove Music Online is an integrated music resource on the web, including the full text of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (second edition; 29 volumes), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4 volumes) and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (second edition; 3 volumes). When it was launched, the service was celebrated as the most “important reference publishing event of 2001” (Reference Books Bulletin) and was cited as “the best single source of musical information” (New York Times). (Select Library barcode user login when accessing from home).
KnowUK
KnowUK provides key information about the people, places, institutions and organisations of the United Kingdom, including government, medical and health. You can search over 100 of the best UK reference directories with a single word or phrase. These include Who's Who, Chambers Dictionary, Whitakers' Almanac, the Blue Guides for the UK, a selection of Which? guides and Writers and Artists Yearbook.
NewsUK
NewsUK is an online service developed to provide national and regional news, combining the most popular British newspaper titles in one database. News articles are fully keyword-searchable and can either be printed off in a user-friendly format or e-mailed for later reference.
Times Digital Archive
The Times Digital Archive is a digital version of the complete run of The Times from 1785 to 1985. The database is a complete version of the original newspaper containing photos, cartoons, adverts as well as articles, and is fully searchable.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
Britannica Online Library Edition is a web version of world famous Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Library Edition provides 3 age specific sections with encyclopaedic content, features and an interface that is developed for that age group. In addition to Encyclopaedia Britannica (18+), there are also:
