Online library resources

Online resources available to everyone

search our catalogue online - see what books we hold (join the library to start borrowing)
discover our reading lists - lists of books on a range of popular and topical subject areas plus details of new books coming soon
explore our lists of useful information websites - carefully-chosen links from the wider web to save you time searching for reputable information and inspire reading

Online resources for library members

We subscribe to a wide range of apps, news, information and research sites which allow free access to library members.

Audiobooks and ebooks

BorrowBox - audiobooks and eBooks

The BorrowBox app gives you the best collection of eBooks and Audiobooks for mobile devices.

To get the app, install BorrowBox from Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (Apple).

To start borrowing immediately, choose Cheshire East and Cheshire West libraries in the app and enter your library card bar code number (no spaces) and PIN.

You can borrow up to 5 eBooks and 3 eAudiobooks at any one time, and place holds on items that are out on loan.

Titles automatically expire at the end of the 3-week lending period and there are no late fees. You can renew once.

Consumer help

Which Online

Online subscriber edition of Which? magazine. Only available using a library computer.

Test preparation

Driving Theory Test Pro

Access Theory Test Pro - a realistic simulation of the UK's driving theory test. It contains the entire official test question bank, hazard perception video clips and an online version of the Highway Code. You will need to create an account so you can track your progress.

GoCitizen (citizenship)

GoCitizen is an online study resource for candidates preparing for the "Life in the UK" or "British Citizenship" test. It covers everything you need to prepare for the test and includes hundreds of practice questions in the official test format. You will need to create an account so you can track your progress.

GoCitizen

Homework and academic research

Issues (social issues)

Issues covers a wide range of topics on contemporary social issues.

Access anywhere, log in with your library card bar code number (no spaces).

Issues

Access to Research (academic articles)

Find over 1.5 million academic articles from over 8,400 journals for free online. Only available using a library computer. Copies of articles are available for a small charge.

Get in-depth information on topics such as art, business, engineering, history, languages, politics, mathematics and the sciences from academic journals and conference proceedings.

Access to Research

Family history

Explore census records, births, marriages and deaths, military records, historic directories, immigration and emigration records and much more.

Ancestry

Full access to Ancestry Institution. Only available using a library computer. Log in at Ancestry.

Find my Past

Full access to FindmyPast.co.uk including the 1921 Census records and the Cheshire Collection of local records dating back to 1538. Only available using a library computer.

Newspapers and magazines

Newsbank (today's newspapers plus archive)

Read today's news and find articles from over 11,000 newspapers, key business publications and online news sources. Articles date back up to 25 years (depending on the publication).

Access anywhere - log in with your library card bar code number (no spaces).

Newsbank – UK and Ireland News

British Newspaper Archive

Access millions of fully searchable pages of UK and Irish newspapers from the 1700s to the 1950s.

The British Newspaper Archive archive is an ongoing project to digitise the British Library's newspaper collection. Includes news articles, family notices, letters, obituaries and adverts, giving fascinating insights into both world events and day-to-day life. New pages and publications are added regularly.

Search is only available using a library computer, but you can access saved searches from any device. Log in with your library card bar code number (no spaces).

British Newspaper Archive (BNA)

Libby - magazines

Enjoy over 3000 popular magazine titles with Libby. You can install the Libby app on a mobile device from Google Play Store (Android) or from the App Store (Apple). You can also use the service on any device or computer through the Cheshire Libraries OverDrive website.
Read online or download for offline use.

The collection includes magazines in languages other than English.

Titles automatically expire at the end of the 3 week lending period. There are no late fees.

To borrow a magazine, enter your library card bar code number (no spaces) and PIN.