Databases, A-Z

Explore and stay informed on local, national and international 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 from around the world to around the corner. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.

Search a variety of genealogical resources specific to New England including: Massachusetts Vital Records through 1910, New York Probate Records (1787-1835), Social Security Death Index, church records, census, tax, and voter lists, diaries and journals, land records, military records, and published genealogies and biographies.

This extensive genealogy database includes over 1.5 billion names. Search records from the U.S. census, military records, court, land, and probate records, vital and church records, passenger lists, and more!

The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media.

Looking for your next great read? Find it at “BookBrowse” your guide to exceptional books! Search for book information by theme, read-alikes, book club resources, articles and reviews, and much more! This exciting new database can be accessed from the library or from home with your Westford Library card number.

Search the full text of The Boston Globe from 1980 to the present. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Includes full-text and article images from 1872-1991. To search the full text of the Boston Globe from 1980 to the present, please scroll down and log onto “Massachusetts Newspapers- Proquest”.

Search 1000+ ratings, reviews, expert buying advice, product comparisons, consumer user reviews, and product video clips on everything from baby gear to SUVs.

CultureGrams provides up to date reports on over 200 countries, every U.S. state, and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. Access information on history, culture, population, politics, and more. The database is organized into four sections “World Edition”, “Kids Edition” (kid’s eye-view of daily life in countries around the world), “States Edition”, and a “Provinces Edition”.

Starting in June 2019, the Chelmsford Independent, the Littleton Independent and the Westford Eagle combined to become the Eagle-Independent. Search the full text of the Eagle-Independent from 6/7/2019 to 5/6/2022. For Westford Eagle articles, click on this link.

Explore the updated online encyclopedia with hundreds of thousands of articles, biographies, videos, images, and web sites. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

The Encyclopedia Britannica in Spanish.

“Freegal® Music is a free music service from your library.  Freegal offers 3 hours of streaming per day and 5 downloads per week. The catalog includes 16 million+ songs, millions of albums, hundreds of curated playlists, thousands of audio books and thousands of music videos.  In total the collection is comprised of music from over 40,000+ labels with music that originates in over 100 countries. Free apps are available at the App Store and Google Play.

From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology. This database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers, many with full text images. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

A full listing of all of the Gale Databases provided by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the J.V. Fletcher Library. Access databases in a wide range of topic areas including business, education, health, history, nursing, science, and many more!

A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics. Updated daily. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Search the full text of nursing and allied health journals, newspapers, medical reference books, and health pamphlets. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Search a full range of health-related issues, from current disease and disorder information to alternative medical practices.

Academic articles, videos, case studies, and more on topics in environmental studies.

Search biographical information for literary figures, science, multicultural studies, business, entertainment, politics, sports, government, history, current events, and the arts. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

This database is geared toward students in kindergarten through grade 5. It features a visually graphic interface, a subject-based topic tree, and age-appropriate journal and newspaper articles. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Global Issues in Context offers international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, and current events. Featured are hundreds of continuously updated issue and country portals that bring together a variety of sources for analysis of social, political, military, economic, environmental, health, and cultural issues. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Geared towards students in grades 6-8, this database covers the most-studied topics in literature, science, social studies, and U.S. and world history, as well as the social issues most relevant to this age group. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Find overviews, news, and opinions on hundreds of today’s important social issues.

Find information on hundreds of today’s most significant science topics. Search full text magazines, academic journals, newspapers, and more. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Contents include U.S. historical topics from pre-colonial times to the present. Search a broad collection of U.S. facts, primary documents, full text journals, and articles from a variety of reference works. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Contents include information on hundreds of the most significant people, events and topics in World History. Search articles, reference books, primary source documents, newspapers, etc. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Examine scientifically accurate 3D models along with activities and supplemental material.

Search for articles on leadership and management.

A repository of legal forms tailored for Massachusetts.

Find up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Access current and authoritative periodical content covering agriculture and its related fields.

Use this database to search nearly 4,000 leading business & trade publications including content from Predicasts Overview of Markets & Technology (PROMT), as well as international company profiles and all business and management topics. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Comprehensive periodical content for researchers studying law, law enforcement, forensic science, terrorism, and more.

Find a variety of information from major cooking and nutrition magazines as well as key reference titles.

Access a range of periodical content to explore cultural differences, contributions, and influences in the global community.

Discover content useful for starting a business, marketing a product, developing policy, analyzing trends, and more.

Discover balanced coverage of topics related to gender studies, family and marital issues, and more.

This database is geared towards high school students with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, people, government, history, sports, and more. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Search home improvement topics such as architectural techniques, tool and material selection, zoning requirements, and more.

Provides access to more than 2,300 major U.S. regional, national, and local newspapers, as well as leading titles from around the world. It also includes thousands of images, radio and TV broadcasts and transcripts. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Provides access to academic journals and other reference content covering all aspects of the nursing profession, from direct patient care to health care administration. The database offers current and authoritative content for professionals already working in the field as well as students pursuing a nursing-focused curriculum. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

A collection of career guides and industry journals. This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commisioners.

Practice and study for college and career based standardized tests.

This genealogy database includes the U.S. federal census, family genealogies, local histories, tax lists, vital records, city directories, land and probate records, genealogical and local history serials and more! This database is funded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.

Stream thousands of classic movies, documentaries, independent films, The Great Courses, The Criterion Collection, and access the Kanopy Kids film and TV collection.

Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from your local library for free! Libby is the newer library reading app by OverDrive, loved by millions of readers worldwide.

Search the full text of The Lowell Sun from 2001 to the present.

Biographical and critical essays on the men and women who made an impact on music from 1901 to 2000. Once you are in the database, click on BOOKS to see the full listing of resources included in the database.

Browse the New York Times digital newspaper from your home. Access lasts for 24 hours. The code is auto-filled in the text box. Simply click “redeem” to access the content.

Create an account using your email to be granted access to the New York Times digital newspaper from within the library.

An inspiring cooking guide, innovative and interactive kitchen tool, and diverse recipe collection that helps home cooks of every level discover, save and organize the world’s best recipes, while also helping them become better, more competent cooks. Access from home for 24 hours per redemption code. The code is auto-filled in the text box. Simply click “redeem” to access the content.

Contains links to Access World News, a comprehensive news collection ideal for exploring issues and events at the local, regional, national and international level as well as Black life and Hispanic life in America as recorded by news media.

Contains the full text of historical Massachusetts newspapers, including the Lowell Sun from 1879-2010 and the Boston Globe from 1784-1977.

A reader’s advisory database which helps readers find lists of works by a particular author, helps identify similar authors and titles, series lists, and selected book discussion guides. Funded by the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, and free to all MVLC library cardholders.

A reader’s advisory database that includes children’s literature and helps readers find lists of works by a particular author, helps identify similar authors and titles, series lists, and selected book discussion guides. Funded by the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, and free to all MVLC library cardholders. Connect from home

Unlimited access to 50K+ titles (including O’Reilly books in early release), 30K+ hours of video, case studies from top companies, learning paths, expert playlists, and more—with nearly 1,000 topics to explore in technology and business. Includes content formats tailored to all levels. Funded by the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, and free to all MVLC library cardholders. Please Note:  The database provider alerted us that remote access can sometimes be unstable, especially on a mobile device.  For best results, access this database through a desktop computer and connectivity seems to be more stable with the Google Chrome browser.

Discover animals and learn about new people (biographies).

This database is available to Westford card holders. Learn a new language with Rosetta Stone’s proven immersion method which integrates listening, reading, and speaking. There are 30 different languages to choose from. You will be asked to enter a Library ID, enter your Westford Library card number without spaces. You will then be prompted for your e-mail and to create a password so that your lessons will be saved. New- advanced learning levels for each of the languages are now available to Westford patrons!

The Rustic was a newspaper that included local news from Westford and surrounding towns for the year 1885.

An A to Z encyclopedia for patients, with information about 835 topics in cancer. Coverage includes diseases, conditions, medications, procedures, specialists, social issues, personal coping tips, print and online academic resources, and support

Search the full text of the Salem Reference sets: The Fifities, Sixties, Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties in America, Historical Encyclopedia of American Business, Milestone Documents in American History (inlcudes primary documents), Milestone Documents of American Leaders (includes primary documents), and Musicians and Composers of the Twentieth Century.

Learn dozens of languages in your web browser or on your mobile device.

U.S. Newsstream lets you search current U.S. news content, plus archives back into the 1980s. It features top newspapers, wires, broadcast transcripts, blogs and news sites in full-text format. Access it in the library, or from home with your Westford library card number.

Value Line Investment Survey and Small and Mid Cap Edition Database – The Weekly Value Line Investment Survey is one of the most widely used independent investment information services in the world. Its up-to-date issues are a comprehensive reference that has useful information for virtually every investor. Every week, about 135 stocks in seven or eight industries are covered. The Small and Mid-Cap Edition features consensus earnings estimates for many companies, a business description of each company, including recent corporate developments, and Value Line’s Performance Ranks, designed to predict relative price performance over the next six to 12 months.

Search the full text of the Westford Eagle from 8/11/2005 to 5/31/2019. For more recent Westford news, click on this Eagle-Independent link.

Search the full text of the Westford Eagle from 1977 to 1994. This resource can only be accessed within the library.

Search the full text of the Westford Eagle from 1970 to 1976 from home or at the library.

Search the catalogs of libraries worldwide! This database is funded by the Massachusetts Library System.