Research and Learn
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has the tools you need for any research or informational need. The Library provides free access to newspaper and magazine articles, homework help, genealogy, job and career help, financial resources, and more. These resources help you find quality materials that you can trust.
Please note, some resources require your library card or ONE Access ID number and PIN to access resources outside the Library.
Featured Resources
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Driving Test Prep
Free practice tests for the North Carolina DMV Permit, Road Sign test, NC DMV Motorcycle test, and access to the NC Driver's Handbook in English and Spanish.
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Ebook Central Academic and Public Library Complete
Ebook Central Academic & Public Library Complete offers scholarly e-book titles supporting student and faculty research, and general nonfiction on topics such as school & studying, career development, arts & leisure, and practical life skills.
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Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos
Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos es la herramienta de referencia en español para principiantes. Busque por palabra clave o busque artículos. Cada artículo ofrece una función bilingüe que le permite cambiar entre el contenido en español e inglés. Periódicos del Mundo Hispánico presenta enlaces web a periódicos de países de habla hispana en todo el mundo. El Diccionario Visual lo ayudará a aclarar el significado de las palabras y comprender temas visuales complejos en español e inglés. Mundo de Animales le permite comparar animales y ver una extensa colección de datos de animales, videos, imágenes y enlaces web.
Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos is the beginner's Spanish language reference tool. Search by keyword or browse for articles. Every article provides a bilingual feature which allows you to switch between Spanish and English content. Periodicos del Mundo Hispanico features web links to newspapers from Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The Diccionario Visual (or Visual Dictionary) helps you clarify word meanings and grasp complex visual topics in Spanish and English. Mundo de Animales (World of Animals) lets you compare animals side by side and view an extensive collection of animal facts, videos, images, and web links.
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Exploring Race in Society
Essays that provide a deeper understanding of how current issues stem from actions and policies of the past.
Designed for high school and undergraduate students, Exploring Race in Society contains proprietary essays that provide today’s students with a deeper understanding of how current issues stem from actions and policies of the past.
Each topic includes an overview article and three essays suggesting potential solutions. Solutions essays are written by a diverse group of writers representing the fields of academia, journalism, medicine and other disciplines working to address issues related to race.
Topics include: Affirmative Action, Black Lives Matter Movement, Digital Divide, Food Insecurity, Police Use of Force, Wealth Gap and more.
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Gale e-books
Gale eBooks is a database, in e-book format, of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for research topics on the arts, biographies, education, the environment, history, medicine, multicultural studies, the nation and the world, religion, science, and social science.
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Health Reference Soucebooks (Omnigraphics)
Straightforward and authoritative e-books on consumer health topics. Topics include: Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic Violence, Mental Health Disorders, and Stress-Related Disorders. This collection is on the Biblioboard Platform and was purchased by NC LIVE using LSTA grant funds*.
Titles in the Health Reference collection can also be accessed with the Biblioboard mobile app.
App Name: Biblioboard Library
- Search for "Biblioboard Library" in your app store. Download.
- Login with your Biblioboard account. If you don't have an account, you must create an account first using a desktop coming. Access Biblioboard from the Library's Research and Learn page and create a personal account. An account will also allow you to use customization features like saving books as favorites, adding notes or comments and bookmarks.
*This project/program/service is made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-250229-OLS-21).
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Historic North Carolina Newspaper Collection
3.5 million pages of digitized content from over 1,000 North Carolina county newspapers.
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hoopla
hoopla allows customers to instantly borrow e-books, comics, audiobooks, music, movies and television — with no holds, and no waiting! And there is no need to worry about late fees; hoopla features an automated service that returns your item once your time is up. Content can be streamed to computers, tablets or smartphones, and can be downloaded to mobile devices to allow for offline viewing any time.
Getting StartedIf you are a first time user, create a hoopla account by clicking on the link to the hoopla site and selecting "Sign Up Now." When creating your account, enter your email address, a password and your library card number. (Our Library does not use PIN numbers with hoopla.) If you are accessing with a tablet or smartphone, follow the instructions to download the free app compatible with your device. Enjoy!Access the Collection- Click the "Access Now" button below
- Download the hoopla app for Android or Apple.
- hoopla movies and tv can also be streamed on your Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku.
- Check out hoopla help to see if your device is compatiable.
Borrowing- You can check out up to 6 items from hoopla each month. Unused borrows do not roll over. Your check out limit resets at the beginning of each calendar month.
- Audiobooks, ebooks, and comics will be checked out for 21 days from the time your borrow the content. Music is checked out for 7 days from the time you borrow the content. Movies and tv are checked out for 3 days from the time you borrow the content.
- Our hoopla content is always available so there is no need to place a hold! If you are not finished with your book or audiobook at the end of the check out period, borrow it again!
- Items are automatically returned at the end of the borrowing period. If you wish to return your item early, click the Return Now button located at the bottom of the title on the information page.
- PRO TIP: Out of borrows for the month but don't want to forget the title you would like to check out? Add it to your favorites! When logged in and viewing a title to save, click the heart icon. To view titles that you have saved, click on "My hoopla" at the top of the page, then click "Favorites".
TipsOnly interested in seeing content for kids and families? Visit your "Settings" in the hoopla app or Account page on the hoopla site and flip the toggle to put hoopla into Kids Mode. Doing so replicates the experience kids might have in the children's section of the Library.
NEW Daily usage cap:Though our e-content services are free to customers, some of these services incur a cost to the Library each time someone borrows an item. This is the case with hoopla. To ensure our ability to provide access to hoopla year-round without exceeding our annual budget, there is a daily limit on hoopla lending. If demand is especially high, and the limit is reached, you might receive a message when you try to borrow an item that says, "Our collective daily borrow limit set by you library has been reached and will reset at midnight. Please browse and add titles to favorites so you can easily access them after midnight." We recommend you try to borrow as early in the morning as possible, since the limit resets after midnight.
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Just for Kids Access Video Collection
The Just for Kids Access Video Collection (by Films on Demand) gives children—and their parents—a thoroughly kid-safe, advertisement-free media platform they can freely explore and enjoy. Just for Kids has the educational videos children want to watch, plus songs, games, and other interactives that are sure to entertain, educate, and inspire young patrons. Plus, this streaming collection is ideal for librarians hosting a video storytelling hour activities for preschoolers and early learners, an after-school or ESL/ELL program, homework help, or resources for homeschoolers that they can access anywhere, anytime.
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Kanopy
Kanopy is an award-winning video streaming service providing access to more than 30,000 independent and documentary films ─ titles of unique social and cultural value from The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, Media Education Foundation, and thousands of independent filmmakers.
Getting started:
If you are a first time user, create a Kanopy account by clicking the "Sign Up" button. When creating your account, enter your name, email address and select a password. An email will be sent to you with a verification link. Click on the link sent in the email and it will ask you to select your Library (Charlotte Mecklenburg Library) and enter your Charlotte Mecklenburg Library barcode and PIN number.
New collections - Ticket Free!
- British Cinema and TV: A unique blend of intriguing mysteries, addictive dramas, and big-hearted comedies for Anglophile customers who relish proper British movies and TV series.
- Kanopy Favorites: Customer and staff favorites from the Kanopy catalog.
- Credit-Free Films: Kanopy offers a small collection of free movies each month.
Access the Collection
- Click the "Access Now" button below
- Download the Kanopy app for Android, Apple, and Amazon Fire tablets.
- Kanopy can be streamed on your desktop computer, tablets, smartphones, and TV apps.
- Click here for supported devices.
Borrowing
- Charlotte Mecklenburg Library customers have 12 tickets per month to use on Kanopy content.
- The viewing period for movies and episodic content will be displayed beside the number of tickets to be used on content. After starting a video, customers can watch it as many times as you want within the viewing period.
- Great Courses are 5 tickets per course. When you check out a Great Course, you have access to all the videos in that course for 21 days (from the time of check out).
- Kanopy Kids does not use tickets.
- Tickets reset on the 1st of the month.
NEW
In order to control the Library's spending in Kanopy, we have a monthly budget cap in place. Once the Library has reached it's spending cap service will be paused until the next month. You will see the following message when our budget cap has been met, "Sorry, access is currently limited per your library's request." Read more about it here.
Tips
- Kanopy also has a site dedicated to kids! Kanopy Kids highlights films and TV series that inspire and inform, helping children develop empathy, mindfulness, and self-esteem through entertaining and educational videos. Kanopy Kids categories include TV Series, Learning Languages, Animated Storybooks, Anime Favorites, Classic Films, and Movies for the whole family. Parents can set up parental controls for their Kanopy accounts. Kanopy Kids is unlimited plays! Learn more here.
- Check out more than 70 Great Courses available on Kanopy. View Great Courses such as Masters of Mindfulness, Decisive Battles of History, and Fundamental of Photography. Upon checking out a Great Course, you have access to all the vidoes in the series for the next 21 days!
Need Help?
Click on the "Support" link in the footer of the Kanopy site. Help articles on creating accounts, using the website, mobile and tv apps, and more are available.
Kanopy es un servicio galardonado de transmisión de video que brinda acceso a más de 30,000 películas independientes y a documentales ─ títulos de valor social y cultural único de las siguientes organizaciones: The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses y Media Education Foundation. También se ofrecen videos de miles de cineastas independientes.
Explore algunos de los más de 70 cursos disponibles en Kanopy como Maestros de atención plena, Batallas decisivas de la historia y Fundamentos de la fotografía. ¡Al ver uno de estos cursos, tiene acceso a todos los videos de la serie durante los próximos 21 días!
¡Kanopy también tiene un sitio dedicado a los niños! Kanopy Kids destaca películas y series de televisión que inspiran e informan, ayudando a los niños a desarrollar empatía, atención plena y autoestima a través de videos entretenidos y educativos. Las categorías de Kanopy Kids incluyen Series de televisión, Aprendizaje de idiomas, Libros de cuentos animados, Favoritos de anime, Películas clásicas y Películas para toda la familia. Los padres pueden configurar controles parentales para sus cuentas de Kanopy. ¡El número de videos que puede acceder con Kanopy Kids es ilimitado! Aprenda más aquí.
Kanopy se puede transmitir en su computadora, tabletas, teléfonos inteligentes y aplicaciones en su televisor. Los usuarios de la Biblioteca Charlotte Mecklenburg tienen 12 boletos para usar en el contenido cada mes. El período de visualización de películas y otros contenidos se muestra junto al valor de la entrada. Los boletos se reinician el día 1 de cada mes.
Para comenzar:
Si es usuario por primera vez, cree una cuenta en Kanopy haciendo clic en el botón "Registrarse". Al crear su cuenta, ingrese su nombre, dirección de correo electrónico y seleccione una contraseña. Se le enviará un correo electrónico con un enlace de verificación. Haga clic en el enlace enviado en el correo electrónico. Se le pedirá que seleccione su biblioteca (la Biblioteca de Charlotte Mecklenburg) e ingrese su número de tarjeta y número PIN de la Biblioteca de Charlotte Mecklenburg.
¿Necesita ayuda?
Haga clic en el enlace titulado "Soporte" en el pie de página del sitio de Kanopy. Encontrará artículos sobre cómo crear cuentas, usar el sitio web, aplicaciones móviles y de televisión, y más.
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