Research Tools

Academic Search Premier
Scholarly, multi-disciplinary research database.

Academic OneFile
Search millions of articles from thousands of college-level journals to find helpful facts on subjects like science, history and psychology.   

Criminal Justice
Find comprehensive periodical content for studying law, law enforcement, forensic science, terrorism, and more.

Educator's Reference Complete
Gain insight on issues in administration, funding, and policy. Best for educators, administrators, and education students.

Informe Académico
Realice búsquedas en revistas académicas y publicaciones periódicas a texto completo, en español y portugués, provenientes de América Latina y sobre la región.

Library Literature & Information Science Index
Cover-to-cover index of over 400 journals, including key library and information science periodicals.

Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA)
Index of core journals, books, research reports and proceedings.

Schools

Elementary
Introduce elementary students to database searching with this age-appropriate online tool.

Middle School
Discover reliable information on a variety of topics that support middle school student research. This database was created specifically for middle schoolers and includes articles, videos and more. 

High School (Gale in Context)
Search thousands of topics and find trusted sources for high school research projects and reports.

High School Edition (Gale OneFile)
Search magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference on a range of topics. Best for middle- and high-school students.

Art Full Text
Comprehensive resource for art information, styles and movements from periodicals, journals, art dissertations, and art reproductions.

Creativebug
Find classes on art & design, sewing, quilting, crochet, paper, knitting, food & home, jewelry, holiday & party, and kids.

Fine Arts (Gale OneFile)
Search millions of articles about drama, music, art history, and filmmaking. Diverse resource for serious fine arts students.

Auto Repair Source
Powered by the automotive experts at MOTOR, AutoMate provides the most accurate, authoritative and up-to-date service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles. All content comes from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and includes step-by-step repair information, diagrams, maintenance schedules, parts and labor estimates, service bulletins and recalls.

Content Includes:

• Service and repair procedures
• Wiring diagrams
• Technical service bulletins and recalls
• Maintenance schedules
• Specifications
• Diagnostic trouble codes
• Labor estimates
• Parts pricing
• Component locations

Chilton Library 
Find the detailed information you need to tackle car maintenance and repairs. This online resource includes automobile manuals, repair instructions, recall information and a labor estimation tool covering most vehicle makes and models.  

Biography for Beginners
Narrative histories, glossaries, timelines, and illustrations.

Gale in Context: Biography
Search for people based on one or more personal facts such as birth and death years and places, nationality, ethnicity, occupation, or gender.

Book Collection: Nonfiction
Searchable full text from popular nonfiction books covering core subject areas, as well as information on careers, health, sports, adventure, technology, life skills and more.

Books and Authors 
This online tool is designed to help you discover your next great read searching and browsing by author, title, topic and more.

BookFlix (Preschool through grade 3)
BookFlix is an online literacy resource that pairs classic video storybooks from Weston Woods with related nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to build a love of reading and learning.

eBooks (Gale)
Explore this database of encyclopedias and reference sources within the Gale eBooks platform. For multidisciplinary research.

Flipster
View your favorite magazines on your computer or mobile device.

Literature
Gale Literary Sources integrates full-text literary content with metadata and subject indexing and provides workflow tools to analyze information. You can research authors and their works, literary movements and genres. 

Literature Resource Center
Biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors from every age and literary discipline.

LOTE4Kids! LOTE4Kids has over 8,500+ picture books in 100+ languages, with new books and languages released each month – helping libraries to engage immigrant, refugee and multilingual families in their communities.
Download the mobile app!

Novelist Plus
Search for works by a favorite author, readalikes and book discussion guides.

Popular Magazines
Access the most searched magazines across Gale OneFile focusing on current events, sports, science, and health issues.

Scribner Writers
Search articles about famous authors and their greatest works. This online resource provides in-depth stories about writers and helps you understand how their lives inspired their writing.

WorldCat
WorldCat is the world’s largest network of library content and services.

Tumblebooks
TumbleBook Library is a collection of animated, talking picture books. TumbleBook Library can be read by you or read to you! Our collection includes storybooks, books in French and Spanish for language learning, read-along books, non-fiction books, puzzles and games, math stories and graphic novels.

Twayne's Author Series
Find in-depth critical introductions to the lives and works of major writers. Includes influences of literary movements.

A to Z Databases
AtoZdatabases is a directory and marketing database that includes 30 million businesses and 220 million residents. It is ideal for sales leads, mailing lists, market research, job searches and finding friends and relatives.

Business (Gale)
Understand the activities of companies and industries worldwide through leading business and trade publications. Updated daily.

Business Source Premier
Business research information including company profiles; industry, market research, and SWOT analysis reports.

Economics and Theory
Discover content useful for starting a business, marketing a product, developing policy, analyzing trends, and more.

Entrepreneurship 
Learn how to start, finance and manage your small business through articles, guides and sample business plans. 

Insights
Learn more about companies, industries and how businesses around the world operate.  

Kansas City Business Journal
The premier source for Kansas City business articles. Full issues available online.

Morningstar Investment Research Center
Research stocks, funds, current or prospective holdings.

Regional Business News
Coverage of regional business publications covering all U.S. metropolitan and rural areas.

Small Business Reference Center
Business basics, start-up kits, business plans, and information on business areas and small business types.

Value Line
Full-page reports, analyst commentaries and Value Line’s trademark rankings of all stocks covered by the print edition.

Consumer Reports
Expert unbiased product ratings and reviews.

Home Improvement
Search home improvement topics such as architectural techniques, tool and material selection, zoning requirements, and more.

Insurance and Liability
Discover information about physical and intellectual asset protection, from individuals to multinational corporations.

Leadership and Management
Search authoritative periodical content covering topics like organizational dynamics, adult learning, and more. Updated daily.

Legal Collection
Information on current issues, studies, thoughts and trends of the legal world.

LegalTrac
Find articles in all major law reviews, law journals, specialty law and bar association journals and legal newspapers.

Britannica Escolar para secundaria y preparatoria
Una enciclopedia para estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria, fácil de navegar.

Fuente Académica
Revistas científicas de América Latina, Portugal y España. Scholarly journals from Latin America, Portugal and Spain.

MedicLatina
Investigación médica y revistas de investigación de renombrados editores latinoamericanos y españoles. Medical research and investigatory journals from renowned Latin American and Spanish publishers.

*Indicates site is only available for use on library computers or your own computer using library Wi-Fi.

African-American History & Genealogy
Explore African-American history, culture and experience from the 16th through 20th centuries.

America’s Obituaries & Death Notices
Comprehensive newspaper collection of obituaries and death notices (1999-present) with an easy-to-use interface.

American Ancestors*
Online repository for more than 400 million searchable names covering New England, New York, and beyond. It provides access to the New England Historical and Genealogical Register and American Ancestors magazine, databases, and more than 200,000 published genealogies, biographies, local histories, vital records, maps, and other printed materials. (Due to license restrictions, this resource is only available for use on library computers or your own computer using library Wi-Fi.)

Ancestry Library Edition*
Census data, genealogy records and family history resources. (Due to license restrictions, this resource is only available for use on library computers or your own computer using library Wi-Fi.)

Family Search Catalog
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library is an affiliate site for Family Search microfilm. You can now search the catalog, find microfilm or microfiche and have it sent to our library for you to view. (Library Card Not Required)

Fold 3
Collection of US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served.

Genealogy Connect
Collection of nearly 600 genealogy research and reference publications.

Heritage Hub
Comprehensive newspaper collection of obituaries and death notices (1999-present) with an easy-to-use interface.

HeritageQuest Online
Search the U.S. census 1790-1940, family histories, genealogical serials, and local histories. Resources on towns and families from all 50 states as well as Canada and the British Isles.

Newspapers.com - World Collection
Find marriage and birth announcements, obituaries, news and more.

Asian Life in America
The experience and impact of Asian Americans as recorded by the news media, 18th century to today.

Black Life in America
The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media.

Britannica Library
Easy to use, and easy to find trusted information to conduct research, complete school assignments, work on special projects.

Britannica Library for Kids
Easy to use, and easy to find trusted information to complete school assignments or explore unique interests.

Enciclopedia Moderna y Britannica Escolar Online
Enciclopedia Moderna para adultos y estudiantes y Britannica Escolar Online para estudiantes de 6 a 12 años de edad.

Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Over 25,000 encyclopedic entries covering a variety of subject areas.

Gardening and Horticulture
Find millions of articles on the practical and scientific aspects of horticulture studies. For all horticultural enthusiasts.

Gender Studies
Discover balanced coverage of topics related to gender studies, family and marital issues, and more.

General Reference Center
Find articles from magazines, newspapers, and reference books covering current events, popular culture, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more.

General OneFile
Find full-text magazines, journal articles and newspapers focusing on current events, sports, science and health topics. Great for general research, this database provides trusted academic sources. 

GreenFILE
Information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment on topics such as global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more.

Hispanic Life in America
The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.

Hospitality and Tourism Discover well-rounded coverage of both the historical and current state of affairs in the hospitality and tourism industries.

Indigenous Life in America
The experience and impact of Indigenous Americans as recorded by the news media, 1690 to today.

LGBTQ+ Life in America
Explore the experience and impacts of LGBTQ+ Americans as recorded by the news media, 1705 to today.

MasterFILE Premier
Covering virtually every subject area of general interest; search and access reference books, primary source documents, photos, maps and flags.

Military and Intelligence
Search scholarly journals, magazines, and reports covering all aspects of past and present military affairs. Updated daily.

Newspaper Source Plus
Search through newspaper articles as well as television and radio news transcripts.

Pop Culture Studies
Access scholarly journals and magazines that both analyze and contribute to popular culture.

Readers Guide Retrospective
Comprehensive index of the most popular general-interest magazines published in the U.S. (1890-1982), reflecting the history of 20th century America.

TOPICsearch
Search and view articles from international and regional newspapers, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Vocational and Career Collection
Search and view articles from vocational, trade and industry-related periodicals.

Alt HealthWatch
This database focuses on the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness.

Consumer Health Complete
Comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health information with content from journals, magazines, books, pamphlets, images, videos. Also includes information from medical encyclopedias and guides to prescription/ nonprescription drugs.

Culinary Arts
Find a variety of information from major cooking and nutrition magazines as well as key reference titles.

Health and Medicine
Find up-to-date information on a range of health care topics. Best for students, researchers, and health care professionals.

Health and Wellness
Find reliable medical information and easy-to-read articles covering diseases, healthy living and medications. Use this trusted online guide to find safe tips and clear answers for yourself, your family or research projects.

Health Reference Center Academic
Search information from medical and professional periodicals, health and fitness magazines, and reference books and pamphlets. Designed for both nursing and health students as well as consumer health researchers.

Health Source – Consumer Edition
Information on topics such as medical sciences, food sciences and nutrition, childcare, sports medicine and general health from consumer health magazines.

Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
Full text scholarly journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Also features the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide.

MedicLatina Investigación médica y revistas de investigación de renombrados editores latinoamericanos y españoles. Medical research and investigatory journals from renowned Latin American and Spanish publishers.

MEDLINE
Authoritative medical information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine on topics such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences.

Merck Manual Consumer Edition
Find information on medical topics, symptoms, drugs, procedures, news and more, written in everyday language.

Nursing & Allied Health Source
Comprehensive coverage of the fields of nursing and allied health including journals, video, dissertations, reference books and more.

Nursing and Allied Health 
Research full-text titles cited in CINAHL and other resources to support specialized care, treatment, and patient management.

Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine
Access academic journals and magazines covering the fields of physical therapy, physical fitness, and sports medicine.

Contemporary Women's Issues
Find timely and historically relevant content on issues that influence women's lives across the globe.

European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750
Comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750.

History Reference Center
Articles and information from reference and nonfiction books, encyclopedias, leading history periodicals, historical documents, biographies of historical figures, historical photos, maps, and videos.

Military & Government Collection
Current news pertaining to all branches of the military and government.

Sanborn Maps
Learn about the history, growth and development of American cities, towns and neighborhoods through digitized, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1867-1970.

Social Justice Suite
Research the history of slavery in America, civil rights and social justice issues, gun regulation and legislation in America and more.

U.S. History
Uncover information on hundreds of significant people, events and topics in U.S. history from a variety of sources. 

World History
Uncover information on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in world history from a variety of sources.

Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library staff identify reliable organizations to provide access to Kansas-specific legal forms and information.

• Library staff cannot give legal advice.
• Library staff will help customers access online legal resources and print forms.
• Public computers, scanning and faxing are available for free.

Research Tools

Ebsco Legal Collection
Covers modern legal issues, studies, viewpoints, and trend, including full-text law journals and law reviews. 

Gale OneFile: LegalTrac
Covers federal and state cases, laws and regulations, legal practice and taxation in major law reviews, legal newspapers, specialty publications, Bar Association journals, and international legal journals.  

Building & House Research

Shawnee County Appraisers Office
A great resource to get more information about properties in Topeka and Shawnee County. Click on real estate property search and enter the address.

Shawnee County Register of Deeds
Mortgage and deed records from 1988 to present are available on Public Access Computers located in our office during office hours (8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.).

Sherwood Smith Collection
The Sherwood Smith blueprint and document collection contains approximately 500 items that represent the growth of Topeka from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th.

City of Topeka Historic Preservation Office
The Planning Department works to preserve Topeka’s history, and strengthen its recognition and value within a wide variety of applications.

Sanborn Maps
Learn about the history, growth and development of American cities, towns and neighborhoods through digitized, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1867-1970.

State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
The Kansas Historic Resources Inventory (KHRI) is administered by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) at the Kansas Historical Society (KSHS) and is a searchable inventory of the state’s surveyed historic properties.

Topeka Building Permits index
The corresponding microfilm is available in the Topeka Room.

HeritageQuest Online
Search the Topeka city directories online.

U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps
1860-1918: Database that includes Topeka and Shawnee land ownership maps that portrays land purchased, granted, or inherited with the property owners name. (available in library only)

Topeka & Shawnee County History

Kansas Secretary of State-Business Entity Database Search
Trying to figure out when a business or organization started in Kansas. Check out the Business Entity Database

Shawnee County Historical Society
preserves, collects and interprets the history of Shawnee County, Kansas.

Shawnee County Historical Society Bulletins

Topeka Capital Journal:

• Local Newspaper Index – contains articles, obituaries and events from 1989-1999.
• Full text articles and archives (1999 – present).

Kansas Digital Newspapers
Select historic Topeka newspapers can be found here as are freely available on the websites of several of their digital partners (must be a Kansas resident)

Kansas Historical Society-Archives

Full text articles and archives of the Topeka Capital-Journal (1999 – present)

African-African History & Genealogy
A keyword searchable database of Topeka and Shawnee County’s African American newspapers. (1880- 1971). View a list of titles and dates.

History of Shawnee County, Kansas, and representative citizens
One of the earliest county histories written about Shawnee county is keyword searchable in electronic format. (Available in library only)

With Christ in Kansas: a history of the First Presbyterian Church of Topeka Kansas, 1859 to 1934.
The 75th anniversary history of one of the oldest churches in Topeka is keyword searchable in electronic format. (Available in library only)

Kansas, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Prior Service Records, 1859-1935.
The cards in this database serve as an index to “prior service” record files for employees of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Prior service refers to employment with the railroad before 29 August 1935. Some may include only a name and a department, while others may record a birth date, retirement date, years of service, and other details. (Available in library only)

Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880.
Agriculture, Industry/Manufacturers Schedules, Social Statistics and Supplemental Schedules 1850-1880. This database contains U.S. federal non-population schedules from 1850-1880 includes Topeka and Shawnee County.

If your Jayhawk great-grandfather fought for the Union, see if he joined the club after the war in these Kansas GAR records. (Available in library only)

• Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Post Reports, 1880-1940.
• Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Bound Post Records, 1866-1931.

HathiTrust Digital Library keep in their repository several items related to Topeka history.

Topeka Capital-Journal 2017 to Present
The electronic image edition of The Topeka Capital-Journal covers the years 2017 to the present and is an exact digital reproduction of the printed edition, with keyword searching and the ability to browse the full publication. All pages including advertising, photos and graphics are included.

Topeka Capital-Journal 1980 - 2017
The electronic image edition of The Topeka Capital-Journal that covers the years 1980-2017.

Topeka Daily Capital Historical Archive
Image editions from 1948-1980 and is an exact digital reproduction of the printed edition, with keyword searching and the ability to browse the full publication.

Topeka State Journal Historical Archive 
Image editions from 1958-1980 and is an exact digital reproduction of the printed edition, with keyword searching and the ability to browse the full publication.

The Kansas City Star Collection
The electronic image edition of The Kansas City Star is an exact digital reproduction of the printed edition, with keyword searching and the ability to browse the full publication. All pages including advertising, photos and graphics are included.

Wichita Eagle Collection
Explore Wichita history through local news, events and people with Wichita Eagle Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.

U.S. Major Dailies

Chicago Tribune
Full text 1996 - present

Los Angeles Times
Full text 1996 - present

The New York Times In the library you can access articles, videos and interactive features from 1981 to today. Access from anywhere gives you access to articles before 1851.

New York Times - Late Edition
Full text 2020 - present

The New York Times – Historical Newspapers Edition
The complete run of The New York Times (1851-2011) reproduced in cover-to-cover full-page image, including news stories, editorials, graphics and advertisements.

Wall Street Journal (Online)
Citation/Abstract 2010 - present

The Washington Post
Full text 1996 - present

Other Newspapers

Newsbank: America’s News
Full text articles and archives of local and regional newspapers including The Topeka Capital-Journal, Lawrence Journal-World, The Emporia Gazette, The Hays Daily News,The Hutchinson News, The Kansas City Star, The Mercury (Manhattan), The Olathe News, Salina Journal, St. Joseph News-Press and The Wichita Eagle.

NewsBank: Special Reports
Browse news and information on topics of current interest. Includes content sources throughout the world to provide a global perspective, current and background information, statistics, maps, images, websites, and suggested search terms.

Newspapers.com - World Collection
Find marriage and birth announcements, obituaries, news and more.

Newspapers (Gale OneFile)
Access major U.S. and international newspapers online to search articles instantly by title, headline, date, or other fields.

USA TODAY Collection
Explore USA history through local news, events and people with USA TODAY Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.

Web News
Near real-time access to thousands of top news feeds and newswires from around the globe.

Candid
Candid search is the most comprehensive source of nonprofit information, combining decades of trusted data from Foundation Directory and GuideStar, helping people get the information they need to find grants and connect with funders to make a difference in their community.

Access data on 1.9 million+ nonprofits and 304,000 grantmakers to:

• Find organizations where you can donate, volunteer, or work
• Easily find and connect with funders for your nonprofit or project

Candid is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits serve their communities. As a Candid community partner, we offer Candid’s key tools including GuideStar and Foundation Directory.

Computer Science
Access leading business and technical publications in the computer, telecommunications, and electronics industries.

Computer Source
Search and view articles on the latest information and current trends in technology.

Information Science
Access articles covering all aspects of managing and maintaining information and technology. Updated daily.

LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is an online library of high-quality instructional videos on the latest software tools and skills.

Treehouse
Learn from over 1000 videos created by expert teachers on web design, coding, business, and much more.

Environmental Studies
Understand environmental topics and issues that affect people globally. This database includes news articles, case studies and videos related to the Earth and nature.