Penn Area Library Photo of the Penn Area Library

Children's Programs
Adult Programs
Calendar
Online Resources
Services
About Us
Library Policies
Board of Trustees
Friends of the Library Group
Contact Us
Links
News
Home
       

 
Online Resources - All FREE of charge to Penn Area Library card holders!

Click to go to the section below:

Mango Languages   Learn foreign languages online: Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Greek, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, and more.
Learning Express   Comprehensive courses in math, reading, and writing; resume writing and workplace skills enrichment; and more than 300 online practice tests for students and adults of all ages including ACT, SAT, and GED.
Heritage Quest   Start exploring your roots with this collection of materials for both genealogical and historical research, with coverage dating back to the late 1700s. Find your ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled.
Overdrive   Downloadable digital media like audio books, music, and videos.
Grolier Online   Eight databases including The New Book of Knowledge®, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia™, Encyclopedia Americana®, La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre, The New Book of Popular Science, Lands and Peoples, America the Beautiful, and Amazing Animals of the World.
Ask Here PA   Connect online with a real librarian -- one-to-one in real-time -- for help with any topic or information need.
Power Library   More than 2,000 full text magazines, journals, and newspapers; specialized databases for art and music, medical resources, historic photographs, and general reference; an encyclopedia, maps, almanacs, the Associated Press photo archive, and other references.

Click here to use Mango LanguagesMANGO LANGUAGES - Click here to use

This premier online software program for libraries is a unique way to learn a foreign language. It combines linguistic expertise from across the globe with the latest software technologies, providing an easy-to-use interactive learning tool. Remote online access allows patrons to learn at their convenience. Mango also features a unique comprehensive teaching approach that actively engages audio and visual cues to assist users in language retention.

Mango Languages currently offers 12 language courses -- Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Greek, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, ESL for Polish speakers, ESL for Spanish speakers, and ESL for Brazilian Portuguese speakers -- with many more on the way.


Click here to use Learning ExpressLEARNING EXPRESS - Click here to use

Learning Express is an innovative instructional and test preparation web site that offers comprehensive courses in math, reading, and writing; essay writing practice with instant scoring; resume writing and workplace skills enrichment; and more than 300 online practice tests for students and adults of all ages.

Free, unlimited access to interactive skill-building courses and a broad range of practice tests based on such official exams as the ACT, SAT, GED, ASVAB, Firefighter, Police Officer, Paramedic, EMT Basic, U.S. Citizenship, Postal Worker, Cosmetology, Real Estate Agent & Broker Exams. All practice tests include instant score reports that help you target those skill areas that need the most attention. Complete answer explanations accompany each test question so that you understand why a particular answer is right or wrong. If you are preparing for the SAT or GED, Learning Express offers a complete course series, as well as targeted essay writing practice with multiple writing prompts and instant score reports that immediately let you know how you performed in each skill area.


Click here to use Heritage QuestHERITAGE QUEST - Click here to use

Heritage Quest includes all of the images, and extensive indexing, from the 1790 - 1930 U.S. federal censuses. It offers more than 27,000 book titles, including nearly 12,000 family histories and over 15,000 local histories. The newest books to the collection come from never-before digitized books from the American Antiquarian Society.

Additionally, there are more than 250 primary-source documents such as tax lists, city directories, probate records, and more invaluable sources of information including Periodical Source Index (PERSI), a widely recognized resource guide, updated annually, that covers more than 6,300 genealogy and history periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800. There are other valuable collections such as the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, which identifies more than 80,000 American military, naval, and marine officers and enlisted men. The forthcoming Freedman’s Bank Records is a database that documents more than 70,000 bank depositors and their dependants and heirs. The Freedman’s Bank Records is considered one of the most important resources for African-American genealogical research.


Click here to use OverdriveOVERDRIVE - Click here to use

Overdrive.com provides downloadable digital media (i.e., audio books, music and videos) to all library patrons within the Westmoreland Library District.

After you browse the content, to download an item, add it to your cart, then click on the Proceed to Checkout link. Choose "Penn Area Library" from the drop-down list and then enter your patron ID number. A one-time download and installation of a free software called "Overdrive Media Console" is also required to comply with the publisher licensing agreements. Once this is done, the digital media can be used on a personal computer, mp3 player, and/or in some cases be burned to a CD. Each item lists which of these digital rights applies.


Click here to use Grolier OnlineGROLIER ONLINE - Click here to use

Grolier Online is an educational portal providing access to information from many electronic sources. This online suite consists of eight databases, with the foundation being three of the best-known encyclopedias: The New Book of Knowledge®, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia™, and Encyclopedia Americana®. Plus, five more specialty databases: La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre, The New Book of Popular Science, Lands and Peoples, America the Beautiful, and Amazing Animals of the World.


Click here to use Ask Here PAASK HERE PA - Click here to use

Don't search...Find. Connect online with a real librarian -- one-to-one in real-time -- for help with any topic or information need. Available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week!
 


Click here to use PA Power LibraryPOWER LIBRARY - Click here to use

The Online World of Electronic Resources is provided by the State of Pennsylvania through Commonwealth Libraries to public library card holders. A resource for all ages, POWER Library provides more than 2,000 full text magazines, journals, and newspapers. There are specialized databases for art and music, medical resources, historic photographs, and general reference. It also includes an encyclopedia, maps, almanacs, the Associated Press photo archive, and other references.

Note: To use some of these services, you must have cookies enabled. If you receive an error, please verify that your browser is set to accept cookies.

   
     
   

Children's Programs  |  Adult Programs  |  Calendar  |  Online Resources  |  Services  |  About Us  |
Library Policies  |  Board of Trustees  |  Friends Group  |  Contact Us  |  Links  |  News  |  Home

Copyright © 2005-2010, Penn Area Library. All rights reserved.
Web site design by: Annette Blanar - Consultant, Technical Writing / Web Site Design/Desktop Publishing