Free Online Resources

To access the following resources you must be a member of Borders Council Libraries as you will need to enter your library card number. They can be accessed from any PC with an internet connection.

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Includes the complete encyclopaedia, as well as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, Britannica Student Encyclopaedia and the Britannica Book of the Year. You can also search an Internet directory that includes more than 300,000 links to Web sites selected, rated, and reviewed by Britannica editors.

Also available for different age groups

Britannica Student (for ages 12-18)
Britannica Junior (for ages 5-11)

CANS Advice Notes:

CANS Advice Notes is a detailed and practical summary of the laws of Scotland, England and Wales. It sets out the law in a user-friendly way to make it easier for you to find the information you need. Updated weekly

KnowUK:

Provides key information about the people, institutions and organisations of the United Kingdom. It brings together in a single electronic source some of the most authoritative reference materials in any library, from Who's Who to Hansard. Other features are also available such as The Year Ahead (a UK events calendar) and Find My Local.

NewsUK:

If you want to access KnowUK/NewsUK from outwith the library your PC must have cookies enabled.

NewsUK is an online service developed to provide national and regional news, combining the most popular British newspaper titles in one database.
NewsUK provides access to 60 national and regional newspapers and magazines

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography:

50,000 people, 2400 years of history, 10,000 illustrations. This database tells the stories of the people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from earliest times to those who died in 2000. It includes 10,000, fully searchable, portrait illustrations. Everything from coins and death masks to photographs by Cecil Beaton and man Ray. Searching is easy and fun. Search for people or by themes.

James McNeill Whistler

Check out this site dedicated to Whistler. Free access to resources for a wide range of learning activities. This site can be accessed from any internet PC.

SCRAN Online can only be used from a People's Network PC in a library

SCRAN Online

SCRAN is the award winning history and culture website providing instant access to images, sounds, movies and learning resources. It contains over one million records from museums, galleries and archives.

The following sites provide free access to current newspapers and radio services online. They can be accessed from any internet PC.
Media UK Internet Directory
International Newspapers Online
BBC World News in 43 languages