Resources

From the New England Historical Genealogical Society, AmericanAncestors.org provides access to 1.4 billion+ searchable records, plus subscriptions to American Ancestors magazine and the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, two of genealogy’s leading print publications.

Access is only available on public computers in Handley Regional Library branches

AtoZ Maps is the world’s largest collection of downloadable, royalty-free maps, available for students and library patrons. With over 100,000 maps in 48 categories, users can explore world, regional, country, and state maps, along with specialized maps covering environmental, climate, and historical themes. Educators can also access a wide range of teaching tools, including lesson plans.

AtoZ World Culture offers an in-depth educational resource with 121 topics across 175 countries. Begin with a country snapshot and cultural overview, then explore topics such as climate, cuisine, history, language, maps, currency, and more.

AtoZ World Travel offers comprehensive travel guides for 202 cities across the globe, featuring 67 essential topics to help you prepare for your journey. Explore vital information on pre-trip planning, points of interest, local excursions, neighborhoods, dining options, nightlife, health and safety tips, and much more. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or planning your first international trip, AtoZ World Travel is your go-to resource for all things travel.

Access highly respected ratings and reviews for thousands of consumer products, ensuring you make informed purchasing decisions. Benefit from expert analysis and real consumer feedback across a wide range of categories, from electronics to household items.

Encyclopedia Virginia (EV) is an authoritative and user-friendly resource on the history and culture of Virginia. A project of Virginia Humanities in partnership with the Library of Virginia,  EV publishes topical and biographical entries written by scholars, edited to be accessible to a general audience, and vigorously fact-checked. 

EBSCO’s Explora offers a user-friendly interface tailored to meet the diverse needs of its users. Designed to support both student research and classroom instruction, Explora efficiently searches across a variety of resources, including Newspaper Source, Read It!, and MasterFile. All content within Explora is appropriate for students in grades 6 and up.

Find It Virginia offers a carefully curated selection of trusted databases, online learning tools, and digital reading resources—including both e-books and audiobooks—designed for Virginians of all ages. Explore options like MasterFile and Read It! for reliable information and engaging content.

To develop a clear and compelling perspective on today’s most debated political and social issues, it’s essential to access credible facts and insights. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints streamlines this process, offering thousands of authoritative articles, research reports, videos, and statistics—all in one place. This database helps you avoid unreliable online content and enables you to form well-informed opinions on topics like global warming, minimum wage, and many other current debates.

The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, its archival agency, and the reference library at the seat of government. Library of Virginia online houses the most comprehensive resource in the world for the study of Virginia history, culture, and government.