Our libraries subscribe to a number of online information resources including dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, British Standards and business information.
To access a world of information all you need is your 8-digit borrower number on your library card. (If you are using a smart card, please enter the 8-digit number written on the reverse of the card).
If you are not already a member of the library you will need to join to use these resources. Joining the library is easy and doesn't cost you a penny – please see the Join the library page.
If you would like help with accessing any of these resources our Ask Bolton Libraries service can help.
Please note that some of our resources are only available to use on a library computer.
Access to Research
The Access to Research service is a new initiative to give free, walk-in access to a wide range of academic articles and research in public libraries across the UK.
*Access available via Bolton library computers only.
Ancestry Library Edition
Search an extensive database of records to help you in your family tree research.
*Access available via Bolton library computers only.
British Newspaper Archive
The British Library's newspaper collections are among the finest in the world, containing most of the runs of newspapers published in the UK since 1800. Search for articles, family notices, letters, obituaries and advertisements from 356 titles.
*Access available via Bolton library computers only. Registration with a valid email address is required.
COBRA
COBRA is a continually expanding business encyclopedia covering all aspects of starting and running a business. From writing a business plan to expanding an existing business, COBRA contains around 4000 factsheets, market reports, contacts, and sources of funding and support to help entrepreneurs and their advisers.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Britannica contains over 120,000 articles, a world atlas, thousands of images and videos, an online dictionary and thesaurus, over 300,000 articles from respected magazines and journals, news headlines, a guide to the Web's best sites and much more.
FAME business database
Fame contains comprehensive information on companies in the UK and Ireland. You can use it to research individual companies, search for companies with specific profiles and for analysis.
There is a charge for the production of business lists using FAME, please see our Library Charges for details.
*Access available via Bolton Library computers only (login required).
Find My Past
Trace your family tree and build a family tree by researching extensive birth records, census data, obituaries and more with Find My Past.
*Access available via Bolton library computers only. Registration with a valid email address is required.
Frost and Sullivan
Frost and Sullivan provides access to a range of in-depth global market research & strategy reports. They cover medical technology, chemicals & plastics, automation, electronics, energy systems, environmental & building technologies and IT.
You can download up to 10% of one report (limited to two reports per person per calendar month).
*Access available via Bolton library computers only.
GrantFinder
GrantFinder is the leading funding database in the UK covering local, national, and international sources of funding.
*Access available via Bolton Library computers only (login required).
Issues Online
Issues Online covers topics such as crime and justice; drugs and alcohol; health; human rights and citizenship. Every topic has news articles, key facts and statistics, opinions from people involved in the subject and suggestions for topic work and assignments.
Local Data Online
Local Data Online provides up-to--date information on the retail and leisure sector in a particular location, such as a town, city or region. You can break search results down by industry classification, produce area summaries and lists of companies with contact details. Key statistics include the number of vacant units, opening and closure rates, and the mix of independent and chain businesses.
*Access available via Bolton Library computers only (login required).
Mintel
Mintel is the world's leading market research and insight agency. You can access in depth reports on retail and consumer trends across a vast array of products and services. You can also investigate regional, national and international markets with in depth reports and statistics.
Mintel is only available for online access. Reports cannot be downloaded or printed off.
*Access available via Bolton library computers only.
Newsbank UK & Ireland
NewsBank provides access to 351 newspaper and journal titles from across the U.K. and Ireland. It includes national, regional and local publications with archives going back as far as 1982 for some titles.
To log in put '16p' at the beginning of your 8-digit library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Oxford Art Online
The most comprehensive online reference resource for all aspects of the visual arts worldwide from prehistory to the present day. Illustrated with over 5,000 images, Oxford Art Online lets you see the works of art, as well as read about the people and processes involved in creating them.
To log in put 'bol' at the beginning of your 8-digit library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Oxford Bibliographies
Oxford Bibliographies provides an authoritative guide to the current scholarship in the fields of Victorian Literature and British and Irish Literature. Each topic is covered by an article, and expert recommendations of the best works available in each discipline, including books, journals, articles and websites.
To log in put 'bol' at the beginning of your 8-digit library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Contains over 56,000 biographies of anyone who was anyone in British history, from the Romans to 21st Century. Covers people from all walks of life from film stars to physicists, landed gentry to local heroes, and missionaries to millionaires.
To log in put 'bol' at the beginning of your 8-digit library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Oxford English Dictionary
Illustrates how a word is used and how the meaning of a word has changed over time by quoting from source material – from film scripts to wills, classic literature to blogs. Excellent for tracing how a word first entered the language and how it has evolved.
To log in put 'bol' at the beginning of your 8-digit library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Oxford Music Online
From Mozart to Madonna, punk rock to polka, panpipes to bagpipes, Oxford Music Online is a wealth of information about anything and everyone related to the world of music. Our subscription includes access to Grove Music Online, The Oxford Dictionary of Music and the Oxford Companion to Music
To log in put 'bol' at the beginning of your 8-digit library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Oxford Reference Online
A vast collection of subject dictionaries and reference books offering over 1 million facts and definitions. Oxford reference online also contains bilingual dictionaries and a range of English dictionaries and thesauri.
To log in put 'bol' at the beginning of your 8-digit library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Oxford Research Encyclopedias
Oxford Research Encyclopedias provides in-depth, peer-reviewed articles providing overviews of specific topics which are more academic than those in Oxford Reference. The articles are 'born-digital' and new topics are added monthly.
To log in put 'bol' at the beginning of your library card number.
** Please note: This resource will not be available after 31st March 2023
Statista
Statista is a source of statistical information on industry sectors, market share, company data and consumer behaviour across the world. Browse current news topics or search and build your own data profile. Written reports are available as well as a range of infographics on important current affairs and topics relevant to business and markets.
*Access available via Bolton library computers only.
Which? Online
Instant access to 1000s of independent reviews and recommendations online.
*Access available via Bolton Library computers only (login required).