Databases

Available to Central, City, Suburban | In Library Use Only

From Age of Learning, Inc., the award-winning ABCmouse.com curriculum is designed to help young children (ages 2-6+) build a strong foundation for future academic success. ABCmouse.com is 100% educational, with 3,500+ learning activities across all major subject areas—reading, math, science, social studies, art, and music.

brainfuse logo shows a brain in a rainbow of colors

Available to Central, City, Suburban

Brainfuse HelpNow

*Live Tutors are Available from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM daily.*

Live Tutoring offers live tutor access for homework help, skills building and test preparation.  Because HelpNow is personalized, both the student and the tutor can access quiz questions to do an intensive test prep which may include loading lessons on the whiteboard. All live sessions are saved and can be replayed as well as shared with friends and teachers by email.  Using the CloudPack feature, students can store and upload MS Word, Excel, JPG, and other accepted file types directly onto the whiteboard.
Live Tutoring tutorial

Test Preparation in SkillSurfer includes practice tests and study guides for the GED SAT, PSAT, HiSET, ACT, AP classes, TOEFL, TOEIC, CLEP, THEA, TEAS, common core skills building, ESL, college application assistance, and a parent corner.
SkillSurfer tutorial

The Writing Lab and the 24/7 Center features give patrons the freedom to receive assistance at any time of the day without connecting with a live tutor.  Users can submit papers through the Writing Lab for detailed feedback.  24/7 Center is for non-writing assignments such as math or science. 
Writing Lab tutorial

MEET allows students to schedule their own online sessions using the Brainfuse MEET whiteboard which is specifically designed for a group setting.  Brainwave is a recordable whiteboard where students can draw, write on the whiteboard and chat then save and email it to others for feedback.
Meet tutorial
Brainwave tutorial

Adult Learning Center is the adult learners’ version of HelpNow™ where patrons can access High School Equivalency prep, US Citizenship test prep, resume assistance, Microsoft Office support, and Career Resources. The Writing Lab, Send Question, and Skills Building are also included in the Adult Learning Center suite. 
Adult Learning Center tutorial

Available to Central, City, Suburban

Thousands of up-to-date, curated, and curriculum-relevant articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, recommended Web sites, and three separate databases for elementary, middle, or high school students. There is Read-aloud, a font size adjuster, and built-in translation tools support students with special needs and ELLs.

Gale in Context Middle School

Available to Central, City, Suburban

Resource for students in grades 6 to 8.  Offers magazines, newspapers, primary sources, over 12,000 videos and more on a variety of topics.  Supports national and state curriculum standards in language arts, social studies and science.

Available to Central, City, Suburban

Look here for trusted information on topics in social studies, science, language arts, and more. Access videos, magazine and news articles, images, and books in an age-appropriate resource with tools designed to develop research skills. Elementary supports literacy, enhances learning, and encourages exploration.

Tutorial for teachers: https://support.gale.com/doc/itke-video2

newsbank logo

Available to Central, City, Suburban

A comprehensive news collection ideal for exploring issues and events at the local, national and international level. Titles include over 3,650 American newspapers, blogs, newswires, news magazines, journals, international special reports and videos. Jump to suggested trending topics or special collections like the Onondaga County Newspapers and the Post-Standard.   All papers are in full text or are fully searchable digital images. Customized email alerts can be set up to follow a particular topic or news event of interest.

Collections

USA Today

Buffalo News

Observer-Dispatch

Watertown Daily Times

Times Union

Syracuse Herald-Journal


Helpful How To Tutorials

Use Quick Links to Local Resources and Special Collections

Do a Basic Search

Set Up a Topic Email Alert

Cite an Article

Available to Central, City, Suburban

Database covering more than 120,000 adult, teen and children’s fiction and non-fiction titles. Provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations, hundreds of theme-oriented book lists for readers at all grade levels, award-winning and recommended titles, read-alikes, book reviews and much more.

Gale in Context Opposing Viewpoints

Available to Central, City, Suburban

Provides overviews, pro/con essays, articles from reference books, newspapers, and magazines, and links to websites, podcasts and videos on over 5,000 topics. Supports NYS Common Core.

Salem Online logo

Available to Central, City

Complete content from selected printed reference books of Salem Press. Primary documents, articles, images, maps and charts can be downloaded, saved to Google Drive or emailed.  Citation tools are included. Find American and European History, Great Athletes, Peoples and Cultures, Natural Disasters; science topics from Ancient Creatures, astronomy chemistry, forensics, Privacy Rights in the Digital Age, and climate change.