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
- Thumbnail
Health & Medical Collection (ProQuest)
This database offers reliable, comprehensive journal coverage of clinical and biomedical topics, consumer health, health administration and more.
Card RequiredResearch Databases -
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).
Card RequiredE-Books - Thumbnail
HeritageQuest
HeritageQuest Online is a library resource for census data, family records, and local histories. This collection assembles US federal census, family genealogies, local histories, tax lists, city directories, land and probate records, birth, marriage and death records, genealogical and local history serials, and more. HeritageQuest Online includes special collections including the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), Freedman's Bank Records, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Index.
Card RequiredResearch Databases -
Historic North Carolina Newspaper Collection
3.5 million pages of digitized content from over 1,000 North Carolina county newspapers.
Card RequiredNewspapers - Thumbnail
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.
Card RequiredAudiobooks - Thumbnail
hoopla en espanol
hoopla permite a los clientes tomar prestados instantáneamente libros electrónicos, cómics, audiolibros, música, películas y programas de televisión, ¡sin retenciones ni esperas! Y no hay necesidad de preocuparse por los cargos por pagos atrasados; hoopla cuenta con un servicio automatizado que devuelve su artículo una vez que se acaba el tiempo. El contenido se puede transmitir a computadoras, tabletas o teléfonos inteligentes, y se puede descargar a dispositivos móviles para permitir la visualización sin conexión en cualquier momento.
Card RequiredAudiobooks - Thumbnail
Indie Author Project
Indie Author Project is a self-publishing program where local indie authors can share publish their e-book through the Library. Authors looking to promote their work and increase readership and exposure can submit their work to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Indie Author Project program to be featured in the statewide Indie North Carolina's collection, with the potential for national exposure.
How does the Indie Author Project Program work?
- Authors submit their works to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Indie Author Project site
- All submissions are vetted by Biblioboard and then Library Journal further vets Adult and YA fiction submissions
- After the book is vetted by Biblioboard, it appears in Biblioboard Library in the statewide Indie North Carolina Collection
- Adult and YA fiction titles deemed by Library Journal as high-quality works are labeled as Indie Author Project Select titles.
How do authors submit their work to Indie Author Project?
Authors can submit to Indie Author Project in three ways:
- Visit Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Indie Author Project page (click ACCESS NOW).
- Authors can submit their work directly from Pressbooks under the "Publish" option.
- From the Biblioboard Library menu option, authors can click the "Submit Your eBook" link at the bottom of the page and will be redirected to the Indie Author Project Page.
E-Books - Thumbnail
Informe Academico (Gale)
Ofrece una amplia gama de revistas y revistas académicas en español y portugués a texto completo, tanto de Latinoamérica como de España. Informe Académico proporciona material de referencia de calidad, no solo traducciones de materiales en inglés, en una interfaz configurada para usuarios de habla hispana, lo que permite a los investigadores analizar temas y realizar investigaciones en español.
Informe Academico (Gale) provides a wide range of full-text Spanish and Portuguese language scholarly journals and magazines both from and about Latin America and Spain. Informe Académico provides quality reference material—not simply translations of English-language materials—on an interface configured for Spanish-speaking users, allowing researchers to analyze topics and conduct research in Spanish.
Card RequiredResearch Databases - Thumbnail
International Newsstream
Access to more than 600 of the world's top newspapers.
Card RequiredResearch Databases - Thumbnail
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.
Card RequiredVideos