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RocketSearch databases :: Homework Help

A variety of resources are available at your fingertips if you know where to look!

Start with the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL), which provides all Alabama residents with free online access to essential library and information resources. AVL has a jumping-off page for their databases as well as a a list of databases with descriptions.
Interested in researching genealogy or regional history? Visit the Huntsville Heritage Room's page for a description of the collections available and location details.

Database name	Description	Need a library card?	Part of AVL?	How to access this resource
Literature Resources from Gale	A search environment, designed specifically for literature research, that searches several Gale Literature databases (Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Dictionary of Literary Biography, LitFinder, Merriam Webster Encyclopedia of Literature, Scribner Writer's Series, and Twayne's Authors) at the same time.	no	yes	[link via AVL]
LitFinder (Literature Resources from Gale)	LitFinder is a clearinghouse for poetry, short stories, essays, plays, and speeches since 1976.	no	yes
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center	Draws on the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources to provide a complete one-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.	no	yes	[link via AVL]
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. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books. The OED covers words from across the English-speaking world, from North America to South Africa, from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean. It also offers the best in etymological analysis and in listing of variant spellings, and it shows pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet.	no	yes	http://www.oed.com
Oxford Reference Online Premium	Brings together language and subject reference works from one of the world's biggest reference publishers into a single cross-searchable resource.The Core Collection contains over 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press. It is a fully-indexed, cross-searchable database of these books, giving subscribers unprecedented access to a comprehensive information resource.The Premium Collection offers all of the above, plus added functionality and more detailed information across a broad subject range from titles in the world-renowned Oxford Companions Series, to enhance the coverage already provided by the award-winning Core Collection.	no	yes	oxfordreference.com
Points of View Reference Center	Provides students and schools with a series of controversial essays and presents multiple sides of the issue.	no	yes	[link via AVL]
Searchasaurus	Searchasaurus is an exciting and easy way for young researchers to experience online searching. It is an animated interface with a dinosaur theme that encourages students to enhance and develop basic search methodologies. Students will be riveted by the colorful, animated interface, complete with erupting volcanoes and a dinosaur guide, as they gather information on a wide range of topics. Searchasaurus offers Lexile limiters (reading level), making it easy for students to read and research only appropriately challenging materials.	no	yes	[link via AVL]
Serials Solutions	Provides a reference tool to determine which full-text electronic serials are available through the AVL licensed databases. Use Serials Solutions to reduce search time when looking for a specific electronic journal and to find and use AVL resources that may be overlooked. Serials Solutions will help you to know what electronic journals are available in the AVL databases.	no	yes	[link via AVL]
SIRS Discoverer	Selective, interactive reference tool of full text articles, many with images, from 1,100 magazines for young readers. Discoverer helps students develop their research, writing, language, and computer skills. Site resources include Spotlight of the Month topics, The World Almanac for Kids, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus and the Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia.	no	yes	http://discoverer.sirs.com
Student Research Center	Provides students with the most appropriate research tools for easily obaining the information that they need from their EBSCO databases. Users can easily pre-determine which content sources (e.g., Magazines, Newspapers, Biographies, Country Reports, Film & Video) will be included with their search. They can also search their databases by topic heading, make use of an online dictionary and encyclopedia, explore the top searches of the day, and even limit their search according to appropriate Lexile reading levels.	no	yes	[link via AVL]
World Almanac for Kids	Easy-to-use reference database complements SIRS Discoverer articles by providing facts and information on a variety of topics including people, countries, animals, the environment and history. Maps and other related graphics are also available.	no	yes
World Data Analyst	This powerful yet easy-to-use online tool lets students analyze countries at a glance. World Data Analyst offers detailed statistical comparisons of countries around the world, using both the most recent statistics and historical figures. Plus, students can create tables, charts, and even export the information to a spreadsheet for printing and data crunching. Students can also link to country articles from the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. It all leads to better understanding of our ever-changing world.	no	yes	http://world.eb.com