Research
SCPL subscribes to 48 premium research databases
A to Z List: Premium Research Databases & Recommended Websites
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Academic Onefile Peer-reviewed, full-text articles for academic research from the world's leading journals covering the physical and social sciences, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, technology, literature, and many other subjects.
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Access Northern California Accessible tourism and outdoor recreation.
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Alexander Street - All Content A truly remarkable and diverse collection of Music, Dance and Theatre content, covering hundreds of genres and a wide range of content types, from instruction to performance. Leading content providers include the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Qwest TV, Smithsonian, L.A. Theatre Works, Broadway On-Demand, and many more. Includes video, audio, and text.
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Alexander Street - Video Collection A truly remarkable and diverse collection of Music, Dance and Theatre content, covering hundreds of genres and a wide range of content types, from instruction to performance. Leading content providers include the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Qwest TV, Smithsonian, L.A. Theatre Works, Broadway On-Demand, and many more. Easily browsable by collection.
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America's News (NewsBank) Explore and stay informed on local and national topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources spanning the U.S, including current and archived issues of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the San Jose Mercury News, and the San Francisco Chronicle with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.
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American Ancestors Presented by the New England Historical Genealogical Society, this resource provides access to more than a billion records, including extensive online collections of early American genealogical records, and the largest collection of U.S Catholic records online. Special thanks to the Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County. Available ONLY from inside the library (any branch).
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American Physical Society The American Physical Society is a non-profit organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy and international activities. These journals are now available online from inside the Santa Cruz Public Library Branches only.
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American Rhetoric Text, audio, and video versions of public speeches; movie speeches; information on rhetoric and communications.
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Amistad Research Center Digital Collection of oral histories, photographs, and primary documents covering the Civil Rights Movement.
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Ancestry Library Edition Premier genealogical research tool. Available ONLY from a library computer (any branch). See this tutorial to get started.
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Archive of American Television Chronicles the television industry from its earliest days to the present with extensive interviews and clips. Created by the nonprofit Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation.
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BookBrowse Your guide to exceptional books. Reviews, articles, interviews, book club resources, and much more.
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BookConnections Book Connections strives to joyfully enrich everyone's experience reading children's and young adult books.
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Brainfuse HelpNow Offering free academic help at all levels, Brainfuse has live online tutoring in elementary, middle school, high school, college, and adult education. SAT, ACT, GED, and Citizenship test help is also available. Writing a paper? Send your paper to a tutor and receive a response within 24 hours. Job seekers can also get resume and job finding assistance in the Adult Learning Center. Maestros en español disponible.
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Britannica Escolar Britannica Escolar es una enciclopedia en dos partes con portales para estudiantes de primaria y secundaria.
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Britannica School Elementary Thousands of articles on a wide range of subjects. The entries are specially designed at different reading levels, allowing students to move easily to material of higher or lower comprehension levels as needed for K-6, middle school and high school.
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Britannica School High Thousands of articles on a wide range of subjects. The entries are specially designed at different reading levels, allowing students to move easily to material of higher or lower comprehension levels as needed for K-6, middle school and high school.
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Britannica School Middle Thousands of articles on a wide range of subjects. The entries are specially designed at different reading levels, allowing students to move easily to material of higher or lower comprehension levels as needed for K-6, middle school and high school.
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California Budget and Policy Center Independent analysis with reports, fact sheets, infographics, and more.
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California Courts Self Help How to resolve disputes in or out of court.
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California Driving Permit Test In partnership with Driving-Tests.org, the Santa Cruz Public Libraries is proud to offer FREE California Driver Permit practice tests. The tests cover both automobile and motorcycle, and the site contains the Driver Handbook for each.
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California Indians - Social Studies Fact Cards California Indians Fact Cards gives quick facts about the traditional way of life around 1770 for more than 50 early California groups. It is a snapshot of what we believe life was like at that time, and not a history of any of the tribes either before or after 1770.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Statistics on public health worldwide, information on epidemics and health threats, immunization guidelines; travel alerts; workplace safety.
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CIA World Factbook Almanac-style information.
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Consumer Reports Independent dependable reviews on all kinds of products.
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Consumer Search Easy-to-use guide to hundreds of product reviews.
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Copyright Alliance A one-stop shop for copyright information, including resources on copyright law; issues and policy; education; and how to find a copyright attorney, creator services, or a copyright owner, as well as news and events.
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Coursera Coursera helps individuals build the skills they need for in-demand jobs by providing learners with access to more than 5,000 courses and certifications. 1) Sign up as a learner by registering with Santa Cruz Public Libraries. 2) Verify your email address by clicking the link sent to your Inbox. 3) Once you have created your Coursera account, sign in using this link and register for courses.
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CultureGrams A leading reference for concise, reliable, and up-to-date cultural information on countries across the globe. It includes four editions: the World Edition (for junior high school students and up) and the Kids, U.S. States, and Canadian Provinces editions (for upper elementary school students)
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David Rumsey Map Collection Historical maps, including Santa Cruz and Central California.
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Digital Learn A collection of self-directed tutorials for people new to computers and gadgets.
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Downloadable and Streaming Books, Movies, Music, & Magazines A wide range of entertaining media you can access 24/7 with your library card.
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Ebscohost Masterfile Elite Full-text magazines and reference books covering many subject areas; extensive image collection
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Ed Ready EdReady™ lets you assess your readiness for college math, see study options, and get a personalized study path to fill in knowledge gaps.
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Ed-Data California education data for school, district, and statewide levels
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eLibrary (ProQuest) General reference aggregation of periodical and digital media content with editorial guidance for novice researchers. (Grades 6+)
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Environmental Studies in Context (Gale) Content supports students and researchers interested in environmental and sustainability issues across science, social studies, and the humanities.
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EP Guides Episode lists for TV shows.
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ERIC Education Resources Information Center--scholarly and general articles
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EWG Tap Water Database The Environmental Working Group Tap Water Database is currently the only free online consumer resource that analyzes tap water quality purely with respect to human health. Users can search by zip code to find their water utility, see the detected contaminants in their water, and learn how the levels of contaminants in their water compare to state and national averages and health guidelines.
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Explora A multidisciplinary database of articles providing full text of thousands of general reference publications covering virtually every subject area of general interest.
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FactCheck.org Monitoring the accuracy of what's said by US politicians in the media.
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FamilyDoctor.org From the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Scientifically accurate information from a family medicine perspective in language designed for patients and family members. Printable fact sheets in English and Spanish.
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Gale Interactive: Science A highly visual online learning tool that takes visual-spatial learning to the next level by bringing the lab to the classroom. High-value, rich-media digital content selected from authoritative classroom resources is paired with interactive 3D models to deliver a virtual laboratory simulation experience for students in middle school and high school grades.
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Gale PowerSearch Discover a great collection of articles from thousands of Gale resources--magazines, journals, newspapers and books along with videos, images and podcast content. PowerSearch allows you to search all our Gale resources at once.
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GCF AprendeLibre GCFLearnFree.org is a free online educational website focusing on technology, job training, reading, ESL and math skills. Available in English and Spanish.
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Get Human How to contact more than 8,000 companies in 45 countries.
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Getty Research Institute Images, research guides and bibliographies, lexicon of art terminology.
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GreenFile Information on environmental concerns.
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HeritageQuest Online Family and local history books, census records, genealogy and local history articles. Courtesy of the Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County.
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HippoCampus HippoCampus.org is a free, core academic web site that delivers rich multimedia content--videos, animations, and simulations--on general education subjects to middle-school and high-school teachers and college professors, and their students, free of charge. Part of the NROC Project.
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Historic Topographic Maps of California - Monterey Bay Region From the Earth Sciences and Map Library, UCB. Shows digital quadrangles for selected years. Searchable by name of quadrangle and by place.
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hoopla hoopla is a digital media service where you can check out movies, television, audiobooks, and music. Items are available for streaming or temporary download on your computer, smart phone or tablet. Thousands of titles are available. Sign up with your email address, then use your library card number and pin to check them out.
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IMDB- The Internet Movie Database Comprehensive information on movies and TV shows.
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IMSLP Petrucci Music Library Public domain music scores, recordings, and information about musical works from the International Music Score Library Project.
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Job Resources for the Formerly Incarcerated from Library of Congress Online and print resources providing information and services aimed at assisting formerly incarcerated individuals with locating employment.
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JobNow A unique service that features expert resume assistance, live interview preparation and career coaching. Users can draw from a carefully-selected library of interview tips, resume templates, career assessments, and other valuable resources.
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Kanopy Streaming Video Kanopy provides access to one of the most unique collections of films in the world – including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases – on every topic imaginable. Users can view 8 films per month with their account. Mobile apps and a Roku channel are available.
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Kelley Blue Book Trade-in and private party value for used vehicles. Price new cars and compare used and new cars.
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LawHelpCA.org LawHelpCA is California's official and free legal resource with information about common legal issues, written by reputable sources on 16 general topics and over 140 specific subtopics. LawHelpCA contains an updated directory of legitimate and pre-screened organizations that offer free or low-cost legal advice and representation.
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LinkedIn Learning LinkedIn Learning has thousands of professional online business, creative, and tech courses that build in-demand skills.
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MEDLINE PubMed Citations and abstracts from MEDLINE, the world's largest database of clinical medical literature. Links to full-text articles.
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MedlinePlus From the National Library of Medicine. Information about diseases, conditions, and wellness. In English and Spanish
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Merck Manuals The Merck Manuals are some of the most widely used comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers, offering information on medical topics, symptoms, emergencies, and drug information.
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Morningstar Investing Center Investment information on stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
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NADA Guides Price guides for cars, RVs, boats, motorcycles, and classic cars.
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National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health Scientific evidence on the effectiveness of alternative and holistic therapies.
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National Gardening Association An active community of gardeners who gather to share ideas, information, and pictures about the plants they love. Includes How-To videos and projects.
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National Geographic Kids (Nat Geo Kids) Collection includes all magazine issues from 2009 to the present, as well as books, videos including Amazing Animals, images, and colorful photos. High-quality informational texts, fun features, and weird and wacky facts are available for primary, upper elementary, and middle school English Language Arts, social studies, and science classrooms.
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NationMaster Data for 305 countries.
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New York Public Library Digital Collections Images from NYPL's collections including streaming video.
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New York Times Full access to the New York times online from any Library branch. You must first register for an account or log in with an existing account. For remote access, use this link and follow these instructions.
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Newspapers.com World Collection Provides online access to 3,000+ historical newspapers dating from the early 1700s to the early 2000s, with full runs and portions of runs of well-known, regional and state titles to small local newspapers in the United States and other countries. Includes Santa Cruz papers.
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NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Comprehensive information on oceans, atmosphere, climate, and weather.
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NoveList Assists readers in finding new authors and titles. Find the order of titles written in a series.
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NoveList K-8 Children's book resource, providing read alikes for both fiction and nonfiction. Find the order of titles in a series, find book recommendations by grade level, and that meet curricular standards.
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OpenSecrets.org Following the money in politics.
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OverDrive Service includes a wide variety of magazines that can be checked out and read on your computer or mobile device
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Peace Corps Language Courses The Live Lingua Project is one of the largest repositories of free language learning materials.
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Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection Current and historical maps.
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Pests in the Home University of California's official guidelines for pest monitoring techniques, pesticides, and non-pesticide alternatives
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Physics Central Physics news and commentary, links to research, podcasts, and experiments to try at home.
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Poetry Foundation Poems, information on poets, audio and video recordings.
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Politifact Is what we're hearing from from the media and politicians fact, fiction, or something in between?
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Project Gutenberg Free ebooks to download or read online.
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RAND The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.
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Recreation.gov Trip planning and reservations for U.S. outdoor activities.
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Research Companion (ProQuest) Information literacy tools and tutorials to help develop critical thinking. (Grades 8+)
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Santa Cruz Sentinel Archives Digital collections of Evening Sentinel, Santa Cruz Evening News, Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel, and Santa Cruz Sentinel, 1896-2005. Available only from within the library.
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Santa Cruz Sentinel Collection (NewsBank) Explore Santa Cruz history through local news, events and people with the Santa Cruz Sentinel Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages (2019-Current), full-text articles (1999-Current) and content only published online. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.
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SantaCruzJobs.com Local job listings.
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School & Educators Complete eBook subscription database (over 12,000 titles) to support multiple subject areas (English Language Arts, Science, Math, Social Studies, Health, Physical Education, Information Literacy and Technology). (Grades 9+, possibly some content for Middle School, also includes professional development content for faculty)
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Science.gov Authoritative science information.
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SFPL Online Song Indexes and Scanned Sheet Music Collections Sheet music resources from the San Francisco Public Library.
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SIRS Discoverer Selected content for novice researchers, especially elementary and middle school students and educators. (Grades 3-9)
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SIRS Issues Researcher Curriculum-aligned database of content organized by complex issues, ideally for middle and high school students and educators. (Grades 6+)
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Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Comprehensive philosophy resource
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TeachingBooks Find book trailers, movies with authors, audio performances, discussion questions, and more. Designed to serve the PreK-12 school community and their families, as well as pre-service educators in colleges and universities.
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TechBoomers Excellent tool for learning about basic internet and computing, social media, and other online applications. Geared towards older adults.
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The Lesbian Herstory Archives The Lesbian Herstory Archives is dedicated to collecting and preserving history pertaining to the lesbian communityand is one of the oldest and largest archives dedicated to the history of lesbians.
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Tumblebook Library An online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love.
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U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets Formerly called Background Notes. Outlines U.S. relations with other countries.
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USA Learns USA Learns is a free website that helps adults learn English online.
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USA.gov U.S. Government's web portal
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USCIS en español U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States.
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USGS Education A U.S. Geological Service that supports educators in the sciences with curricula resources for K-college.
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USGS.gov Live earthquake maps, water resources, ecosystems and environment, climate change, and topographical maps.
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Value Line Investment research on companies, industries, and markets.
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VetNow Get personalized assistance from a VA navigator to discover eligible benefits. Find resources for veterans in education, employment, housing, and healthcare.
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Virtual Privacy Lab From San Jose Public Library. Learn about privacy topics and generate a custom privacy toolkit geared towards your online needs.