Reference

Biographical information about notable people from all time periods and areas of study. Includes entries from 170 reference sources, including:

• Contemporary Black Biography
• Contemporary Musicians
• Encyclopedia of World Biography
• Newsmakers
• Writer's Directory

Remote access for non-SPPL cards:

If you have a Minnesota library card that has been registered in the SPPL system, access Biography in Context here, using your library card number and PIN/password.

Collection of online reference books and encyclopedias covering topics from Art to History to Medicine.

Titles include:

• American Eras: Primary Sources: Vol. 1 Development of the Industrial United States, 1878-1899 (2013)
• American Eras: Primary Sources: Vol. 2 Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877 (2013)
• American Eras: Primary Sources: Vol. 3 Westward Expansion, 1800-1860 (2014)
• Bioethics: 4th ed. (2014)
• Career Information Center: 10th ed. (2014)
• Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: 2nd ed. (2006)
• Encyclopedia of Business and Finance: 3rd ed. (2014)
• Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion : (2005)
• Encyclopedia of Philosophy: 2nd ed. (2006)
• Encyclopedia of Religion: 2nd ed. (2005)
• Environmental Encyclopedia: 4th ed. (2011)
• Gale Encyclopedia of American Law: 3rd ed. (2011)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence 2nd ed. (2011)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Everyday Law: 3rd ed. (2013)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine: 4th ed. (2011)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health: 3rd ed. (2012)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America: 3rd ed. (2014)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health: 3rd ed. (2013)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health : (2013)
• Gale Encyclopedia of Surgery and Medical Tests: 3rd ed. (2014)
• Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Extinction (2013)
• Human Diseases and Conditions: 2nd ed. (2010)
• Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry 2nd ed (2007)
• St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: 2nd ed. (2013)
• Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations: 13th ed. (2012)

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Remote access for non-SPPL cards:

If you have a Minnesota library card that has been registered in the SPPL system, access Gale Virtual Reference Library here, using your library card number and PIN/password.

Popular magazines and more covering all subject areas. Includes Consumer Reports, Parenting, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, People, and thousands of other titles. 

Also includes the full text of reference books, biographies, primary source documents, and an image collection of photos, maps, and flags.

Included in MegaFILE and Explora Library databases. (EBSCO)

Identification, research, and pricing for art, antiques, and collectibles.

Available at all Saint Paul Public Library locations. Outside of the library, use your Saint Paul Public Library card number to log in.

Middle school-appropriate database of reference works, biographies, magazine and journal articles, primary source documents, and multimedia. (Gale)

Remote access for non-SPPL cards:

If you have a Minnesota library card that has been registered in the SPPL system, access Research in Context here, using your library card number and PIN/password.

Reference works, millions of news and periodical articles, and more than 5,000 rare and vital primary source documents that range from slave journals to presidential papers.

Topics range from the arrival of Vikings in North America all to the way to the first stirrings of the American Revolution and on through the Civil Rights movement, 9/11, and the War on Terror.

Remote access for non-SPPL cards:

If you have a Minnesota library card that has been registered in the SPPL system, access U.S. History in Context here, using your library card number and PIN/password.

World History In Context reaches back to the ancient world - and forward to today's headlines - to deliver a chronicle of the great cultures and societies that have formed the history of the human race.

Rare primary sources, reliable reference, and multi-media content put this vast topic into context for students.

Remote access for non-SPPL cards:

If you have a Minnesota library card that has been registered in the SPPL system, access World History in Context here, using your library card number and PIN/password.