Online Resources

Use our free online resources for consumer research, online classes, language learning, newspaper reading and more.

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  • Research

    OPL Mobile

    All catalogue features are available via OPL's free apps:

    • Search for items and use geo-locator to find the closest location
    • Manage your account, renew items, place holds and view what you have checked out
    • Browse recent arrivals and read what others are saying
    Content Language
    Bilingual
    Available Apps
    Apple
    Google
  • Read

    Ottawa Citizen

    A searchable archive of 30 days which is part of the database Library PressDisplay.  Articles can be translated into German, Greek, Spanish or French. The viewer can also listen to individual articles in any of these languages. To access articles published more than 30 days ago, search the Canadian Newsstand database.

    Content Language
    English
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Research

    Ottawa Citizen - ProQuest Historical Newspapers (1845 - 2010)

    This digitized full-images archives of the Ottawa Citizen provides genealogists, researchers and general public with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.

    This will allow Ottawans to digitally travel back through the centuries to become eyewitnesses to our local history.

    Coverage is from 1845 to 2010, but you can access more recent full text content from September 1985 until now from Canadian Major Dailies ProQuest (Formerly Canadian Newsstand).

    Content Language
    English
  • Read

    Overdrive Magazines (Formerly RBDigital Unlimited Magazines -Zinio)

    A package of over 3,000 popular titles (including Canadian Living, National Geographic, The New Yorker, and many more) with varieties of languages and up to three years of back issues are now available for unlimited simultaneous access with no circulation caps.

    Our online eMagazine provider OverDrive couldn’t make an agreement with The Economist. As a result, all editions of the Economist, as well as all back issues, are no longer available to clients effective February 1, 2023.

    We apologize for the inconvenience and invite you to check out the print edition of The Economist that is available at some of our OPL branches. Please search for “The Economist” from our online catalog for more information.

    Full-text remote access to The Economist is available from the following two databases:

    • Gale Academic OneFile, and
    • Gale OneFiile: Business
    Content Language
    English
    Help Guide(s)
    Visit Libby Help
    How to use Libby for Magazines
    Winding down the legacy OverDrive app on February 23, 2022 & FAQs
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms & Conditions
  • Research

    Oxford English Dictionary

    600,000 words … 3.5 million quotations … over 1000 years of English

    The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is widely acknowledged to be the most authoritative and comprehensive record of the English language in the world. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.

    As a historical dictionary, the OED is very different from dictionaries of current English, in which the focus is on present-day meanings. You’ll not only find present-day meanings in the OED, but also you’ll find the history of individual words, and of the language—traced through 3.5 million quotations, over 100 years of English.

    Every three months the OED Online database is updated.

    Content Language
    English
    Help Guide(s)
    How to use the OED
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Research

    PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique)

    Database containing a directory of civil status records (baptisms, marriages and burials) in Quebec (1621-1799), a genealogical dictionary of families (1621-1765) and a directory of couples and descendants. 

    Please log in to Genealogy Quebec separately if you would like to use materials linked to both databases.

    Content Language
    Bilingual
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Terms of Use
  • Read

    PressReader

    Provides access to today’s newspapers and magazines from all over the world. Advanced features allow automated translation as well the ability to listen to articles. Canadian newspaper titles include the Ottawa Citizen, the Globe and Mail, National Post, Le Devoir, Le Journal de Montréal, and Toronto Star. Internationally you can read USA Today, The Wall Street Journal (USA), The Guardian (United Kingdom), Le Figaro (France), Izvestia (Russia) and Der Tagesspiegel (Germany). Popular magazines include Canadian Geographic, Maximum PC and Canada’s Style at Home.

    • Please be advised that there will be no August 2 issue for The Economist as per the publisher's notice. Regular uploads/issues will resume on August 9.
    • The PressReader App is not granting paid access to OPL customers at the moment. We hope to have the issue fixed as soon as possible. PressReader access via the website is still working normally.
    • You don’t need to create a separate PressReader account, without a PressReader account, you can still access any of the titles offered by Ottawa Public Library on PressReader.
    • All you need is a library card and a pin to sign in via a login page on the OPL website or PressReader App. That’s it!
    • Customers logged in through App need to re-authenticate after 30 days while Customers logged in through EzProxy (via library website) need to re-authenticate after 2 days
    • For the download storage, customers have the option to choose how long they wanted to keep the downloaded back issues.
    • The Wall Street Journal is now available from PressReader.,
    • Access to The Globe and Mail is limited to customers using PressReader in a library branch due to restrictions imposed by the publisher.
    • Full-text remote access for Globe & Mail is available from the following three databases: Canadian Major Dailies_ProQuest, Gale Academic Onefile & Gale  OneFiile: Business
    • The Washington Post is no longer available from the PressReader platform as per the publisher's request. However, full-text access for The Washington Post is available from our other two databases: Academic OneFile and Gale OneFile: Business. (delayed 1 day).
    • Los Angeles Times is no longer available from the PressReader platform as per the publisher's request.
    • PressReader stopped the distribution of Russian content, due to the decision of its upper management.

    • Libraries generally have 90 days of back issues. (Such as Toronto Star). There are, however, restrictions that are set by specific publishers on how far back issues are available.  In this case, the available back issue is different for each publication. Such as  The Globe and Mail only allows a maximum of 7 days back issues, while Ottawa Citizen and National Post allow up to 30 days. Other popular titles that are similar are The Guardian which only allows 14-day back issues and The Wall Street Journal only allows 2 days back issues

       

     

    Content Language
    English
    French
    Help Guide(s)
    How Do I Update My Library Card Number in Pressreader?
    PressReader App Guide
    List of Available Newspapers and Magazines
    PressReader Help Center
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Learn

    Pronunciator

    Pronunciator is unique in offering personalized courses in any of 163 languages, and instruction in any of 144 home languages, ESL courses, audio lessons, American and Mexican Sign Languages. Pronunciator also includes ProCitizen, comprehensive preparation for the Canadian citizenship test. Users have unlimited, simultaneous, remote access.

    Note:

    Through the “Learning Guides and More” section in American English or Canadian English, respectively to access ProCitizen : US or ProCitizen: Canada

    • ProCitizen: Canada! With over 100 instructional videos, and over 500 practice questions, this course provides a comprehensive preparation for the Canadian Citizenship Test. Topics include Rights and Responsibilities; Canada's History; How Canadians Govern Themselves; Federal Elections; the Justice System; Canadian Symbols; Canada's Economy; Canada's Regions; and the Oath of Citizenship.

    Go Mobile The Pronunciator app is written in responsive HTML5, and can be used in any browser — even the browser in your mobile device.

    Content Language
    English
    Help Guide(s)
    Pronunciator Help Center
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