Online Resources

  1. Show All
  2. Biography
  3. Books & Literary Criticism
  4. Burlington History
  5. Business & Finance
  6. Careers
  7. Consumer Information
  8. Education
  9. Films and TV
  10. Genealogy
  11. General Reference & Encyclopedias
  12. Health & Medicine
  13. History
  14. Languages
  15. Magazines
  16. Music
  17. Newspapers
  18. Science
  19. Technology
  20. Test Prep
  21. Youth Oriented


Resources by Name

Academic OneFile (Gale) - The premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world’s leading journals and reference sources. Extensive coverage of:

  • Arts
  • Literature
  • Medicine
  • Physical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Technology
  • Theology and Other Subjects

    Includes full-text coverage of the New York Times back to 1995. Updated daily.  

Ancestry Library Edition - Genealogy information including U.S. Census Records from 1790 to 1930, immigration records, birth/death/marriage records, and much more.  Available in-library only. Video help.

AtoZdatabases - A searchable collection of 30 million business profiles, contact information for 240 million residents, and over 7 million jobs.  A useful tool for creating mailing lists, performing market research, and much more.

Author Alerts - Sign up to get notified by email or text message when any member library of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium orders new titles by your favorite authors or performers!

Biography in Context - Biographical information with full-text magazine articles, images, and website links. Search by:

  • Birth/Death Dates
  • Ethnicity
  • Name
  • Nationality
  • Occupation
  • Place

Boston Consumers' Checkbook - Independent, nonprofit ratings and price comparisons of local businesses and service providers. 

Boston Globe - Full-text access to the Boston Globe from 1980 to now. 

Britannica Escolar - This site offers resources in Spanish for ages 6 to 12 years.

Britannica Moderna - Enciclopedia española para estudiantes mayores y educadores. Spanish encyclopedia for older students and educators. Incluye artículos, imágenes , mapas, tablas , líneas de tiempo , así como un diccionario completo y atlas - Includes articles, images, maps, tables, timelines, as well as a complete dictionary and atlas. 

Britannica Online School Edition - Encyclopedia with separate elementary, middle, and high school levels. Access video help.

Careers Internet Database - Provides detailed information on over 400 careers. It also includes profiles of emerging careers, resume building tools, and career aptitude testing.

To access, click on the Members icon and. Enter Username: 516w Password: future.

Commonwealth Catalog - If the MVLC library catalog does not have the item for which you are searching available, check the Commonwealth Catalog which allows you to search for and place holds on material owned by libraries across Massachusetts. The material can be picked up in Burlington. Items reserved using the Commonwealth Catalog can easily take 3 weeks or more to arrive here for you. This service is free.

Consumer Reports - Remote access for Burlington cardholders only. Provides ratings, product reviews, and buying advice from the experts at Consumer Report magazine. Choose below to access:

Driver’s License Practice Tests - Free Massachusetts permit practice tests presented through a partnership with Driving-Tests. This includes:

  • 3 online driver’s manuals (car, motorcycle, and Commercial Driver’s License (CDL))
  • 9 motorcycle practice tests
  • 11 car practice tests
  • CDL practice tests
  • Frequently Asked Questions to many Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) related questions

Driving-Tests is not affiliated with or evaluated by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV).  The official RMV Driver’s Manual is available on their website along with additional driver’s education information. Practice tests ford Motorcycle, CDL and road side signs and meanings can be found here.

Elementary - Gale in Context - Formerly called Kids Info Bits. Developed for researchers in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Full-text content, from elementary reference sources and magazines, covers geography, current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, sports, and more.

Encyclopedia Britannica - This Public Library Edition is a large comprehensive encyclopedia with images and links to 80,000 quality websites. Also includes links to primary sources. Kids Edition is also available.

Environmental Studies - Gale in Context - Topic overviews of environmental issues which can be expanded to include magazine and journal articles, news reports, media, and primary source documents.     

FamilySearch - FamilySearch is the largest genealogical organization in the world. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources at home or here at the library where they’ll gain access to 350 plus million restricted images and name indexes as part of the FamilySearch Affiliate Library Program. Get started by creating a free account.

Freegal - Download and stream songs for free. Log in with your Burlington library card number.

Gale Databases - The Gale Databases is a massive database that includes Academic OneFile, Expanded Academic ASAP, and General OneFile plus others. Many databases can be searched individually or simultaneously. Millions of full-text articles. Also includes databases specifically for elementary, middle, and high school students (see list below). Contains newspaper and magazine articles as well as scholarly journals on a wide variety of topics including:

  • Art
  • Business
  • Computers
  • Current Events
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Environmental Issues
  • Health Care
  • Hobbies
  • Humanities
  • Law
  • Literature
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Social Science
  • Sports
  • Technology

Gale Legal Forms - Massachusetts - Search for state-specific legal forms or browse by category. Links to state and federal forms, legal definitions, helpful articles, a law digest, and much more.                                                          

Global Issues in Context - International viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global and current events, including:

  • Analysis of Social
  • Country Information
  • Cultural Issues
  • Economic
  • Environmental
  • Health
  • Military
  • Political

GreenFILE - GreenFILE is a collection of scholarly, government, and general-interest titles covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Choose below to access:

Health and Wellness Resource Center - Includes 400 health/medical journals, hundreds of pamphlets, health-related videos, and articles from general interest publications.

Health Reference Center Academic - Full text of nursing and allied health journals, plus a wide variety of personal health information sources.

Heritage Quest Online - American genealogical information beginning in the late 1700s. Includes tax lists, city directories, Freedman’s Bank records, Revolutionary War-era records, and more. Video help.

Hoopla - Borrow thousands of albums instantly, 24/7.  Create an account with your Burlington library card.

Internet Archive - Full text digitization of selected Burlington High School Yearbooks and Annual Reports accessible through the Internet Archive.

Kanopy - Stream thousands of films, documentaries, and TV shows. Access for Burlington Library cardholders only.

Leadership and Management - Gale OneFile - Authoritative periodical content covering topics such as 21st-century skills, organizational dynamics and leadership, adult learning and continuing education, and more. Updated daily. 

Merck Manuals - A comprehensive medical information source covering thousands of topics in all fields of medicine. They are offered as a free public service to health care professionals and the general public.                                                                    

Morningstar - Remote access for Burlington cardholders only. Morningstar provides data on stocks, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds. The number of simultaneous users is limited. Please make sure to log out of the database when finished. Choose below to access:

New York Times - Full text of the New York Times beginning in 1985.

New York Times Digital - Digital version with remote access for Burlington Library cardholders.

  • In Library - Register or log in and enjoy unlimited access to NYTimes.com during your visit using our PCs or while you are signed in on our WiFi network.
  • At Home You will be asked to enter your Burlington Library card number. Log in or create a New York Times account if you don't already have one then redeem an access code that gives you 24-hour access after which you may revisit the page and receive another code.

Novelist Plus - [At Home] [In Library]  A powerful online readers’ advisory resource that is searchable by author, title, genre, and series or by describing a plot. Also includes lists of award winners and recommended books broken down by genre. Now includes narrative nonfiction.

Opposing Viewpoints - Explores different points of view on hot topics that are in the news today.

O'Reilly for Public Libraries (Previously known as Safari Tech Books Online) - Available Now!  Digital access to over 60,000 titles on technology, digital media, and professional development. Available as books, audiobooks and videos. Topics covering Java, Web development, certification, project management, enterprise computing, security, operating systems, networking, and more.

Access O'Reilly's catalog:

Overdrive - Download eBooks and audiobooks to your computer or compatible device. Choose below to access:

PebbleGo - A learning tool design for students in grades K-3 containing 2 modules, Animals and Biographies. Supports early literacy with read-aloud audio, and includes activities, videos, games, and more. 

Peterson’s Career Prep - Use this tool to craft professional resumes and job application materials. Search for new careers, access career advice tutorials on interviewing skills, and more.

Peterson's Test Prep - Over 185 prep courses and practice tests including ACT, SAT, graduate and licensing exams. Also includes college planning, scholarship information, career, and job searching tools. 

Rocket Languages - Access for Burlington cardholders only. Rocket Languages® is an award-winning interactive online language-learning system. The multi-faceted system allows patrons to learn new languages at their own pace. Speak and understand a new language better. With 15 languages to choose from, including American Sign Language, Rocket Languages also features modules in Spanish and Japanese to learn English. Rocket Languages is perfect for the business or traveler learner, as well as extra practice for students.

Science Database - ProQuest Science Database is a growing resource of 7.3 million full-text articles on applied and general sciences from over 1,600 sources. Researchers have access to charts, diagrams, graphs, tables, photos, and other graphical elements so vital to scientific and engineering literature.                                                                       

Science (Gale Interactive) - Zoom, rotate and explore interactive 3D models. Includes related articles and and advanced search feature for expanded research.                

Science in Context - Provides topic overviews and access to full-text magazines and academic journals, experiments, biographies, news articles, images, videos, audio files, and links to quality websites. Curriculum-related science topics are covered and offer teachers an easy-to-use tool to identify content directly correlated to state and national standards.

Transparent Language - Online language learning with lessons in over 110 languages including English. 

U.S. History in Context - Contextual information on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in U.S. History. Authoritative reference content with full-text:

  • Academic Journals
  • Audio Files
  • Images
  • Links to Vetted Websites
  • Magazines
  • News Articles
  • Primary Source Documents
  • Videos

World History in Context - Contextual information on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in World History. Authoritative reference content with full-text:

  • Academic Journals
  • Audio Files
  • Images
  • Links to Vetted Websites
  • Magazines
  • News Articles
  • Primary Source Documents
  • Videos

WorldCat - Contains bibliographic records and holdings information for 46 million books. Useful in verifying titles and tracking down which libraries own them. Choose below to access: