Research & Learn

The Commerce Township Community Library provides access to the following subscription databases for online research. Most of these databases are accessible from outside of the library, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To gain remote access, you may need to provide your Commerce Township library card number when prompted.

Also, be sure to visit the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) for even more research databases and encyclopedias.

 

• Biography Reference Center - Coverage for several of the most popular and heavily-researched biographies and genres, including those contained within Biography Today and Biography.
• Brainfuse JobNow provides live interactive online help combined with online resources to guide you through the necessary tasks to get a job.
• ConsumerReports.org features ratings and recommendations on thousands of products and services in categories including appliances, cars, electronics and computers, home and garden, health and fitness, babies and kids, food, personal finance, and travel.
• Opposing Viewpoints in Context covers today's important social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. This database helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates.
• Birds of the World Birds of the World is a powerful resource that brings deep, scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology into a single platform where biologists and birders can find comprehensive life history information on birds. Every bird has a story. Discover them all with Birds of the World.

• Brainfuse HelpNow helps students reach their goals by connecting them with qualified eTutors and collaborate with peer-to-peer learning.
• Craft & Hobby - Unlock your creative potential with the largest resource of video-on-demand learning in the craft and hobby space. Learn at your own pace with step-by-step tutorials in 20 different creative interests.
• Creativebug.com has thousands of award-winning art & craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.
• Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization with the goal of creating a set of online tools that help educate students. Its website also includes supplementary practice exercises and materials for educators.
• Ebsco Learning Express - Interactive online learning platform of academic and licensing/certification practice tests including GED, SAT, and U. S. citizenship. A tutorial course series designed to help all learners succeed on the tests they must pass includes immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and an individualized analysis of practice test results.
• Mango Languages - Have you ever wanted to learn a new language for fun, travel, or business? Learn Spanish, German, French and many more languages that offered. The Mango learning system teaches practical conversation skills for real communication. It?s fast, easy, and an effective method to learn to speak a foreign language.
• Michigan Test for Teacher Certification - Official online study guides for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC).
• Seeking Michigan is the online platform for the Michigan Historical Center. It includes Archives of Michigan research guides and indexes, a blog, and educator resources – all from the Michigan Historical Center and Archives of Michigan staff.

• Ebscohost Newspaper Source Plus - Provides coverage from newspapers, newswires, and news magazines. TV, radio transcripts, and ongoing daily updates from popular news sources are also included. Primary full coverage newspapers are The Washington Post and USA Today.
• Library of Michigan - Michigan Newspapers - Contains links to Michigan Newspaper finding aids for news or obituaries by City and County, a list of newspaper holdings on microfilm, newspaper family histories and other newspaper resources
• Newspapers.com Michigan Collection - Search the archives of over 80 historical Michigan newspapers, spanning 1836–1998.
• Wall Street Journal: Access to The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ.com includes unlimited articles on WSJ.com, four-year archive & article search, and more!
• New York Times: Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning journalism, follow your favorite teams, enjoy a game of Wordle or try a new recipe! Create a free New York Times account and get subscription access to nytimes.com, New York Times Cooking, Games and The Athletic.
• The Athletic: The Athletic, a New York Times company, delivers in-depth sports coverage of your favorite teams and leagues.
• Washington Post: Unlimited digital access to The Washington Post. Expert reporting and analysis from Washington and around the world, including award-winning investigative coverage and editorial commentary.

• Ancestry Library Edition - With over 1.2 billion records in over 3,000 databases, Ancestry Library Edition is the most comprehensive online source of information for conducting genealogical and local history research available. Included in Ancestry Library Edition are the digitized images of the U.S. Federal Census from 1790 forward, the American Genealogical Biographical Index, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, and much more.
• MyHeritage Library Edition is one of the largest, most internationally diverse genealogy databases of its kind. Access to billions of historical documents, millions of historical photos and other resources in thousands of databases that span the past five centuries.

• Chilton Library provides exclusive photographs, diagnostics designed by instructors, step-by-step repair procedures, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) maintenance schedules, wiring diagrams, recalls and Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) for automobiles and light trucks in one easy-to-use web site.
• Auto Repair Source - Repair information and schedules, diagrams, parts and labor estimates, service alerts, and recalls. Covers thousands of domestic and imported vehicles.
• Kelley Blue Book.com - gives you everything you need to research a new, CPO or used car, compare cars, find cars for sale and make a well-informed decision. Kelley Blue Book is your guide for Everything Automotive, whether you're just checking your current car's value, actively looking for your next car, or ready to buy.
• Small Engine Repair Reference Center - Repair guides for small engines and routine maintenance (tune-ups, brake service, etc.). Also includes guides on extensive repairs such as engine and transmission disassembly. Coverage includes lawn mowers, motorcycles, tractors, and snowmobiles. More than 450 full text reference books with photos and illustrations, information on more than 25 years of engine models, and coverage of more than 90,000 repairs.

• Demographics Now - Researchers are provided with comprehensive business and demographic information valuable to assess; business viability, create sales leads, marketing mailing lists, complete location analyses, business plans, analyze population trends, information to find potential sponsors and much more.
• Morningstar - Research on stocks and mutual funds with today's trading information. Learn investing skills in the self-paced Investing Classroom and build sample portfolios. Included in Morningstar are analysts' independent opinions on 20,000 stocks and funds. Find a stock or fund to meet your needs and research current or prospective holdings.
• Data Axle (formerly ReferenceUSA) contains, in module format, detailed information on more than 12 million U.S. businesses; 102 million U.S. residents; 683,000 U.S. health care providers; 1 million Canadian businesses; and 11 million Canadian residents.
• Weiss Financial Ratings - Dedicated to offering unbiased, independent financial ratings and advisory information to empower consumers, professionals, and institutions in making informed decisions about banking, investments, and insurance.

• Consumer Health Complete - Provides content covering all key areas of health and wellness, from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary and holistic medicines.
• Merck Manuals provide current medical diagnosis and treatment information which is the product of a collaboration between hundreds of medical experts worldwide, an independent editorial board of peer reviewers, and a staff of physicians and professional medical writers.
• Michigan 2-1-1 is a free, confidential service that connects you with local community-based organizations and information and resources for all types of needs. 2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, has a translation service with over 180 languages available, covers 100% of Michigan's population and can be reached via landline, cell, or VOIP
• M Care Guides - This database includes videos, websites and handouts created by Michigan Medicine clinicians. It also includes materials from other organizations that were reviewed and approved by Michigan Medicine clinics and committee.
• Health in English - Detailed answers to the most-commonly-asked health questions. Answers are provided in evidence-based reports that feature graphics, illustrations, easy-to-read text and links to more information

Library of Michigan - Michigan Materials - Contains information about Michigan facts and links to the Michigan Collection including County Guides, Historical Research Collections, Michigan Imprints 1851-1876, Michigan Bibliographies and the Michigan Digital Collection

• Legal Information Reference Center - Designed to assist the general public in legal matters of all kinds. Coverage includes exclusive full text for many top consumer legal reference books, thousands of legal forms, and detailed how-to instructions.
• The Michigan Legal Help website was created to help people who have to handle simple civil legal problems without a lawyer. There are articles you can read to learn about a specific area of the law and toolkits to help you prepare to represent yourself in court.

• Books & Authors - This is an excellent tool to bring readers and literature together. Readers can use Books & Authors to enhance the experience of the book they are reading. Readers can dig deeper into themes or learn how the author's life and times contributed to the work
• Literary Reference Center - Covers broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes. Wide range of subjects covered including plot summaries, literary criticism, book reviews, classic and contemporary poems, short stories and novels, and author interviews.
• NoveList - your guide to deciding what to read next--an excellent source for reading suggestions. Try it out - search by author, title, series or plot. NoveList allows readers to use a favorite author or title to help locate other authors and titles that readers might enjoy.

• Merck Manual Veterinary Medicine - The Merck Veterinary Manual (MVM) provides veterinarians and other animal health professionals with concise and authoritative information on diseases and management of food-producing, companion, laboratory, and exotic animals
• Science Reference Center - Full-text science magazines, encyclopedias, reference books, and a collection of images.