Use these links to access thousands of full-text magazine, newspaper and reference articles along with special indexes prepared by the library. Some of these databases are restricted to Appleton Public Library or OWLSnet library card holders. Please read below for further details about each database, or call the reference department at (920) 832-6173 for help.

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ALLDATA Car Repair - (accessible only at APL) "The world's most comprehensive resource for automotive diagnostic and repair information." Use the Online SEARCH feature to locate information quickly. Access the latest Technical Service Bulletins with the NEW TSBs feature. Print wiring diagrams on 8 1/2" x 11" paper.

Ancestry Library Edition - (accessible only at APL) Ancestry.com is the largest family history site online with over 4 billion names in worldwide historical records, family tree services and genealogy learning materials.

Antiques Reference - (if you're in the Library, click here to skip logging in) ....a comprehensive database of antiques, collectibles and historic Americana sold at auction throughout the country. Thousands of entries for furniture, china, glassware, folkart, brass, silver, iron, artwork and major antique collectibles with complete information on when, where and for what price the antique was sold. Entries have both text and photographic formats, and cover primarily american antiques with a sprinkling of english, continental, and oriental works sold in the U.S.

Badgercat - lists the books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, maps and other items owned by nearly 500 Wisconsin libraries. It also offers access to the WorldCat database, which lists the millions of items owned by libraries throughout the U.S. and more than 80 countries.

Grzimek's Animal Life - you now have online access to Grzimek's (pronounced Chím-ex) acclaimed 17-volume Animal Life Encyclopedia - the print standard for conventional animal reference collections. This image-rich online version contains constantly updated facts, figures, news and views.

HeritageQuest - resource for genealogy data.

Learn-A-Test - an online collection of practice tests and study aides on a variety of topics. Also includes basic reading, writing, and math skills improvement for school children and adults. You will need your library card number.

Mango Languages - Mango Languages is an easy to use and effective language learning tool focusing on everyday conversation. This program provides step by step lesson plans for nine different languages. Funding provided by the Outagamie Waupaca and Nicolet Federated Library Systems.

Morningstar® Mutual Funds - (accessible only at APL) provides fast and easy access to Morningstar Mutual Funds in a PDF format. Download the latest issue under Most Recent Issue, select an entire group of funds to review under Download Reports by Category, or find a specific fund under Search.

Next Good Book - simply enter your zip code and then create/enter your login and password to discuss books with other people, build online book shelves, share your favorite books, see who's reading a specific book (and what else they've read), and get suggestions on what to read next. You can also join an online book club: every morning you will receive a portion of a book in your email. After you've read two or three chapters from a book, you will receive a new book. It's free and you can read at more than one club.  Learn more!

Optimal Resume - A web based resume and career building tool. Optimal Resume provides an easy way to build, export, and print resumes and cover letters, and also includes tools for interview preparation and skills assessment. The first time you visit Optimal Resume you will need to sign up for an account. On the home page you will find information and help documents about using Optimal Resume. To start a new resume, letter, interview prep etc... go to the Document Center.
Optimal Resume was funded in part with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services which administers the Library Services and Technology Act.

Overdrive Audiobooks - browse and search for hundreds of downloadable Audio Books, Music, and Videos. A total of 6 items may be checked out.  (WI Public Library Consortium)

Post-Crescent -- ProQuest (September 2005 - current) - complete full-text content of local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community. Paid advertisements are excluded. Appleton Public Library cardholders can access this from home.

Reference USA   Business and Residential data compiled from public sources. To access this outside of the library you will be asked to provide your library card number.
  * If you are asked for a login and password rather than just a library card number, on that very same page please click on "Help" in the upper-right corner and look at the second-last topic in the Help screen regarding this issue. If adjusting the anti-virus settings still does not resolve the problem, please read the fourth-last topic "Why can't I log in to ReferenceUSA?" If you still cannot connect, Reference USA asks that you contact their 1-800 number for trouble-shooting assistance.

Science Online - presents a broad range of scientific disciplines through extensive definitions, essays, diagrams, biographies, and experiments. To access from home you will need to enter your library card number.

Tell Me More - discontinued March 22, 2009; see Mango Languages instead.

Tumble Books - animated, talking picture books that have been created from existing picture books from well-known publishers and authors and converted to the TumbleBook format.
* NOTE: TumbleBooks and TumbleQuizzes are created in Flash animation and require the Flash plug-in to view and hear the animation. The great majority of computers and operating systems are already preloaded with Flash, however, if you are unable to view the books you can download the Flash plug-in for free from Adobe.

World of Poetry (Columbia Granger's) - (accessible only at APL) This premiere poetry on-line resource contains 250,000 full text poems and 450,000 citations, as well as poetry commentary, poets' biographies, and literary glossary terms.

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InfoTrac Databases

…available through the web to Appleton and OWLSnet library card holders. To access these databases from home you will need to enter your library card number. Access to InfoTrac is made possible by a combined effort of Appleton Public Library, Outagamie Waupaca Library System and Nicolet Federated Library System.

• Associations Unlimited - source for information on associations and professional societies that contains more than 152,000 detailed listings for organizations all over the world, with a scope that covers everything from a local Chamber of Commerce to the American Medical Association and beyond. In addition, IRS information on over 300,000 nonprofit organizations has been added to Associations Unlimited, making it the world's largest, most detailed and searchable database available on nonprofit information. To access this outside of the library you will be asked to provide your library card number.



• Biography Resource Center - search for biographical information on over 200,000 people throughout history and from around the world. Search by name, or use the custom search to find people by nationality, ethnicity, birth place, and gender. Records contain basic biographical information and often link to related magazine or newspaper articles. Contemporary Authors is included in the Biography Resource Center.



• Legal Forms - a wide selection of state-specific (and multi-state) legal forms across the most popular legal areas (real estate contracts, wills, pre-marital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlord tenant and many others). Also included is a comprehensive attorney state directory and a dictionary of legal definitions explained in laymen's language.



• Literature Resource Center - a vast reference resource providing both biographical and critical articles on a wide range of literary figures from all time periods writing in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more. Contemporary Authors is included in the Literature Resource Center.



• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center - a database covering social issues, such as Gun Control, Genetic Engineering, Censorship, Endangered Species, and Terrorism. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center brings together viewpoint articles, contextual topic overviews, government and organizational statistics, biographies of social activists, court cases, profiles of government agencies and special interest groups, newspaper and magazines articles, as well as links to more than 1,800 reviewed and subject-indexed web sites.



• (Gale) Virtual Reference Library - encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Because each library creates its own eBook collection, the content you see may vary if you use the database at different libraries (your school, your public library, or your office).

* General Reference Center, Business and Company Resource Center, and Health & Wellness Resource Center database subscriptions discontinued on December 21, 2006.

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BadgerLink Databases

…provide increased access to information for Wisconsin residents in cooperation with the state's library community. BadgerLink is supported and funded through the Department of Public Instruction's Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning. Funding is provided through the Public Service Commission Universal Service Fund. Subscribers to some Internet Service Providers, however, may need to use their Appleton or OWLSnet library card to gain access. (learn more about BadgerLink)

• Auto Repair Reference Center - contains information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles, with repair information for most vintage makes starting as far back as 1945. (Bundled with EBSCOhost)



• BadgerLink Songbook Database - The Wisconsin Reference and Loan Library has a large collection of songbooks and sheet music that can be requested via the statewide Wiscat system. The Badgerlink Songbook Database has been developed to help you easily locate songs.  Appleton Public Library has a similar Songbook Index for songbooks in non-fiction and a Children's Songbook Index for those in the children's collection.



• Consumer Health Complete - provides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine. (Bundled with EBSCOhost)



• EBSCOhost - provides indexing to a large collection of academic and popular publications. Subjects include business, health, education, general interest periodicals and more ! Includes the full-text of over 2000 magazines and journals, including some newspapers and reference resources. (Library card login; list of databases)



• Encyclopædia Britannica - the Britannica Online School Edition K12 offers encyclopedias, dictionary, thesaurus, illustrations, maps, biographies, educational activities, exercises, study guides, and related material for students and teachers (Kindergarten through 12th grade).
  • Elementary School Edition - custom search screen
  • Enciclopedia Juvenil - a Spanish language student encyclopedia with articles, images, videos, and learning materials specifically designed for students.
  • High School Edition - custom search screen
  • Learning Materials - study guides, activities, and exercises make learning more fun
  • Learning Zone- activities and games for young children
  • Middle School Edition - custom search screen



• LitFinder - international in scope, covers all time periods, and contains primary literature content including poem citations and excerpts, as well as full-text poems, short stories, essays, speeches and plays. Also includes biographies, work summaries, photographs, and a glossary.



• NewspaperARCHIVE contains tens of millions of searchable newspaper pages, dating as far back as the 1700s. A gateway to searching and reading historical newspapers online.



• NoveList - a fiction database that provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations, and much more for over 120,000 fiction titles. It also includes other content of interest to fiction readers, such as Author Read-alikes, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, and Feature Articles. For school media specialists and teachers there are Standards-Based Thematic Units and Picture Book Extenders, as well as specific teaching guides for using fiction in the classroom. (Bundled with EBSCOhost)



• NoveList K-8 - Designed especially for elementary and middle school students, an online database with fiction and nonfiction titles chosen specifically to support the school curriculum as well as the pleasure reading needs of students. (Bundled with EBSCOhost)



• TeachingBooks - makes available original, in-studio movies of authors and illustrators, audio excerpts of professional book readings, guides to thousands of titles, and a wealth of multimedia resources on children's and young adult literature.



• WISCAT - The Wisconsin Catalog is the statewide bibliographic database. It contains 5.2 million bibliographic records with local holdings statements for 1116 libraries of all types throughout Wisconsin.



• Wisconsin Heritage Online - an expanding digital collection featuring documentary sources and material culture from Wisconsin libraries, archives, and museums. The collections in this exhibition project are contributed by cultural heritage organizations throughout Wisconsin.

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Appleton Public Library Databases

…created by and maintained locally by library staff. These databases are free to the public.

• Fox Valley Memory is a collaborative project bringing local history resources to the web. The Fox Valley Memory web site includes the full-text of Ryan's History of Outagamie County and a collection of over 400 historic photographs.



• Historic Photos Index is a partial index to photos from books in the Wisconsin Collection, generally scenes from Appleton history. The photos may be viewed in the library or requested as photocopies. Photos are not available online. Other historic photos are in Fox Valley Memory.



• Local Services Directory    helps you find which City Department to call for certain issues. This database includes all the City of Appleton Departments as well as other selected government agencies and community organizations.



• Obituary Index  is a partial index to obituaries and death notices from Appleton newspapers. This index is a work in progress.



• Online Periodicals Index  lists magazines available in Full-Text from either InfoTrac or EBSCOhost.



• Periodical Index  lists magazines and newspapers available at the library.



• Platbook Index  is a name index to four plat books for Outagamie County: Platbook of Outagamie County, WI (1889), Platbook of Outagamie, WI (ca. 1910) Standard Atlas of Outagamie County (1917) and Atlas of Outagamie County (1942). The originals are shelved in the Wisconsin Collection at the Appleton Public Library. This index is a work in progress.



• The Post-Crescent Index  lists articles on local events from the The Post-Crescent newspaper, with some entries dating to the 1850s. The library owns microfilm for most Appleton newspapers going back to 1853.



• Songbook Index  is a searchable index to approximately 600 songbooks owned by the Appleton Public Library. Only song titles are included in the index, but these may be searched by either phrase or keyword. You may also search by the title of the songbook.



• Veterans' Graves Index  This database contains information on over 500 Fox River area deceased veterans from the War of 1812 to World War I.