Online Resources

The library subscribes to many useful databases, which can be found below. We also provide links to free resources that are available to anyone, which librarians have checked to be sure they are reliable. These resources are marked with an asterisk (*) to denote that they are not library subscriptions.

Many of these resources can be accessed from home, but some of the subscription databases will require you to enter a Portsmouth Public Library card number for off-site access. All of them can be accessed for free within the library, whether you have a library card or not.

E-Books & Streaming

Content

Libby (formerly Overdrive)

Download Audiobooks, Ebooks, & Magazines on your computer, phone or tablet.

Kanopy

Kanopy is a video-streaming platform dedicated to thoughtful and thought-provoking films. Kanopy provides access to 30,000+ films, available to stream anytime and anywhere — from desktop to smart TV to tablet. 

 

Magazines & Newspapers

Content

Newspapers.com

Newspapers.com Northeast Collection is the online home of 100+ million pages pages of historical newspapers. Search or browse the collection to find news, notices of births, marriages and deaths, sports, comics and much more.

The New York Times Online

Use our link and follow the instructions to access the digital edition of the New York Times.

The Wall Street Journal Online

Use our link and follow the instructions to access the digital edition of the Wall Street Journal.

EBSCOhost: Masterfile Premier & Academic Search Premier

Masterfile Premier provides full-text magazines, reference books and primary source documents. It also includes an extensive image collection containing photos, maps and flags. Academic Search Premier is a leading multidisciplinary research database that provides full-text access to peer-reviewed journals, magazines and other valuable resources.

Chronicling America

Chronicling America is a newspaper resource from the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The New Hampshire collection includes The New Hampshire Gazette from 1756 to 1847, as well as 20 Portsmouth newspapers ranging from 1801-1921.

Portsmouth Herald

Homepage of the local newspaper. Includes news from Portsmouth, NH covering the Seacoast of New Hampshire and Southern Maine including Kennbunkport and York County, ME. There are several different ways to access the Herald, depending on what years you are interested in.

Learning & Languages

Content

CreativeBug

Creativebug includes classes for all skill levels, with new classes released every day. Class topics include: Art and Design, Knitting and Crochet, Sewing and Quilting, Papercrafts, Jewelry Making, Food and Home Décor, Holiday and Party Ideas, and Crafts for Kids.

Transparent Language

Whether you’re getting ready for a trip to a new country, want to practice speaking, or looking to learn a new language from scratch, Transparent Language can help. Transparent Language provides a fun, effective, and engaging experience for learners of all levels looking to build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a foreign language.  Combining robust courses, supplemental vocabulary, and grammar resources, Transparent Language Online is a complete language-learning system.

LinkedIn Learning

The LinkedIn Learning online video training library is an excellent resource offering almost 3,000 self-paced training classes on a wide range of computer skills for beginning, intermediate, and advanced users. Topics offered include: the entire suite of Microsoft and Adobe products, website development, business skills, design skills, audio and video tools, creative inspirations, and much more. 

Gale in Context: Global Issues

Gale in Context: Global Issues offers a truly global view, where users can find information on business and economics, conflict and diplomacy, society and culture, environment and climate change, and more. Gale in Context includes: content from over 800 newspapers, magazines, and journals, including 334 newspapers that are published in countries other than the United States, as well as information on business and economics, conflict and diplomacy, society and culture, environment and climate change, and more.

Peterson's Test & Career Prep

Peterson's Test & Career Prep provides resources for students planning for college and professionals embarking on a new career path. Resources for students include Test Prep, College Planning, and Financial Aid Tools. Resources for job seekers include Career Assessments, Career Overviews, Occupational Database, a Resume Tool, and Job Listings from Indeed.

Learning Express

LearningExpress Library features online tutorials, practice tests, and e-books to help patrons of all ages. It offers job search and workplace skills improvement, skill building in reading, writing, math, and basic science, career certification and licensure exam prep, college and grad school entrance test prep, GED® test prep, and more.

Digital Reference Books

This is an online reference collection of books from Salem Press/Grey House on literature and history. It includes:

  • HW Wilson's Reference Shelf series
  • The Working Americans series
  • Magill's Literary Annual, 1977-2014
  • Opinions Throughout History
  • Civil Disobedience, Social Justice, Nationalism & Populism, Violent Demonstrations and Race Relations
  • Treaties in the News
  • Pandemics: the Invisible Enemy
  • a selection of books on Ukraine and Russia
  • Video tutorials on Salem Press's titles

*NH Driving Tests

This resource includes online editions of the driver's manual, practice tests for car, motorcyle, and CDL licenses, and an FAQ about applying for a license. Take the online tests to see how you would do before scheduling an appointment at the DMV!

Local History & Genealogy

Content

American Ancestors

American Ancestors is the database of New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), which is a Boston research library for genealogists and family historians and home to 12 million+ original documents. Much of the collection is digitized and searchable by subscription only. Includes full access to the 162+ volume NEHGS Register!

FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch.org is a free genealogy website providing access to a large collection of genealogy resources from over 100 countries. Search over a billion names and images online. Portsmouth Public Library is now an Affiliate Site, which means that many restricted items are now available on-site in our library using our public computers or wifi connection.

HeritageQuest Online

HeritageQuest Online is a genealogy resource, including full text of historic texts and genealogies, Census, revolutionary War records, Persi, etc.

Ancestry Library Edition

Ancestry Library Edition is a genealogical database, including access to Census records, Social Security death index, Immigration records, Military, etc. Covers the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Learn about the differences between Ancestry.com and Ancestry Library Edition, as well as tips on researching with Ancestry.

Newspaper Resource Guide

Newspapers are an invaluable research tool for genealogists. This guide will help you navigate all of the newspaper resources available to you through the PPL, including microfilm and digital papers.

Portsmouth Herald

There are several different ways to access the Herald, depending on what years you are interested in.

*City of Portsmouth Maps

Maps from the Planning Department, including tax maps, street maps, parking mats, and more. This includes MapGeo, which permits users to view combinations of layers, search parcels by property owner, address, or parcel, and to perform tasks including measurements and map creation. Thematic overlays for zoning, polling and ward locations, elementary school districts, and solid waste and recycling routes maps.

Newspapers.com – Northeast Collection 

Newspapers.com – Northeast Collection is the online home of 100+ million pages pages of historical newspapers. At Newspapers.com it's easy and convenient to search or browse the collection to find news, notices of births, marriages and deaths, sports, comics and much more.

Fold3

Fold3 provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. Original records at Fold3 help you discover and share stories about these everyday heroes, forgotten soldiers, and the families that supported them.

*New Hampshire City & Town Annual Reports

The New Hampshire State Library, in partnership with UNH, is working to provide a permanent digital collection of town reports for all 234 New Hampshire Towns. UNH’s collection includes 15,700 digitized reports from 214 of the 234 towns in New Hampshire. Records for Portsmouth go back to 1849.

Salem Press/Grey House Collection 

This is an online reference collection of books from Salem Press/Grey House on literature and history. It includes:

  • HW Wilson's Reference Shelf series
  • The Working Americans series
  • Magill's Literary Annual, 1977-2014
  • Opinions Throughout History
  • Civil Disobedience, Social Justice, Nationalism & Populism, Violent Demonstrations and Race Relations
  • Treaties in the News
  • Pandemics: the Invisible Enemy
  • a selection of books on Ukraine and Russia
  • Video tutorials on Salem Press's titles

Black Freedom Struggle in the United States

This Proquest database features more than 1,600 primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history, from 1790 to the present. The documents featured center on the experiences and perspectives of African Americans, in the hope that this collection imbues the study of Black history with a deeper understanding of the humanity of people who have pursued the quest for freedom.

*CIA World Factbook

The CIA's World Factbook provides basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.

Business Resources

Content

Resources for Small Businesses & Nonprofits

The Portsmouth Public Library is committed to serving our community, and we know that small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs are vital to its resilience and wellbeing. This page details services that the library offers such as free spaces, services, and resources to support business productivity and growth, as well as links to outside resources.

AtoZdatabases

The AtoZ Business Database includes 30 million U.S. businesses, and the AtoZ Residential Database includes 215 million U.S. residents. Researchers can easily share data by email among co-workers, family or friends, and export up to 1000 records.

Candid

Candid is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits serve their communities. We offer Candid’s key tools including GuideStar and Foundation Directory. Our patrons can access GuideStar to research local nonprofits to support and to find services. Nonprofits and individuals seeking funding, scholarships, or fellowships can access Foundation Directory to find and connect with funders. 

EBSCO's BusinessSource Premier

BusinessSource Premier offers information from business publications as well as tens of thousands of company profiles.

EBSCO's Regional Business News

Regional Business News provides full-text regional business publications for the United States and Canadian provinces. Users can search newspapers, magazines and other resources from trusted news sources.

Gale Business Resources

Get access to three great business resources from Gale: Entrepreneurship, Plan Builder and Gale's NH Legal Form Library. Follow the link the learn more about it. 

Business Information Resources from Salem Press

Complete and expanded coverage of 104 high-growth industries; includes associations, newsletters, journals, trade shows, directories & databases. With thousands of updates to existing listings and hundreds of brand new listings, Business Information Resources is the source for information every business needs to stay current and competitive.

Value Line

Value Line provides accurate and insightful investment research on companies, industries, markets and economies. This resources provides the latest data, sophisticated tools, and expert analysis and guidance, plus video tutorials to help you navigate their site. Outside the library a library card and pin is needed to access this database.

*NH Small Business Development Center

NH SBDC's team of certified business advisors provides highly individualized, confidential advising at no charge to NH enterprises and is the leading resource for business advising and education for small to medium businesses in the Granite State.

*NH Center for Nonprofits

The NH Center for Nonprofits is a statewide association dedicated to providing programs and resources that support nonprofit organizational capacity building and to partnering with sector leaders, businesses, and the broader community to elevate the visibility and status of the nonprofit sector.

*Business Information from nh.gov

An overview of business related services and information found in the State's networks of websites.

*Seacoast SCORE

Seacoast SCORE offers FREE business mentoring, no-cost small business workshops, and numerous templates and tools to help you start or grow a business.