Research and Resources

Find what you need with free, online research resources offered by your library and the Bridges Library System. With accurate information and accessible 24/7 from the library or from your home, you only need your library card to get started.

Business & Consumer Information

Auto Repair Source: Authoritative and up-to-date service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles. Available through BadgerLink.

Business Source Premier: Full-text journal and peer-reviewed articles covering all disciplines of business including marketing, management, accounting, finance, and economics. Available through BadgerLink.

Consumer Reports: Access to product reviews and ratings on cars, appliances, electronics, and more.

Free Business Sources: Find a full list of local and national free business resources on this curated list.

Morningstar Investment Research Center: Find quality investment information on stocks or mutual funds, and research current or prospective holdings.

Small Engine Repair Source: Detailed, user-friendly repair guides for all manner of small engines. Available through Badgerlink.

Genealogy, History, & Newspapers

AncestryLibrary: Comprehensive online source of information for conducting genealogical and local history research.

Archive of Wisconsin Newspapers: Access to 235 daily and weekly Wisconsin newspapers. Content includes historical newspapers as well as recent papers. Includes Waukesha Freeman, Daily Jefferson County Union, Cambridge News, Lake Mills Leader, Oconomowoc Enterprise, Palmyra Enterprise, Waterloo Courier, Watertown Daily Times, and Whitewater Register. Available through BadgerLink.

Ebscohost: Magazines, journals, newspapers, images and reference resources covering education, health, business, science, history and general areas of interest. Available through BadgerLink.

HeritageQuest: U.S. federal census information, family genealogies, local histories, genealogical and local history serials, and more. Available through BadgerLink.

History Reference Center: Full text reference books, encyclopedias, periodicals, and non-fiction books. Also includes historical documents; biographies of historical figures; historical photos and maps; and more than 80 hours of historical videos. Available through BadgerLink.

Newspapers.com: Historical newspapers archive from the 1700s – 2000s containing thousands of well-known regional, state, and small local newspapers in the United States and other countries. Available through BadgerLink.

Newspapers Source Plus: Includes 1,570 full-text newspapers, providing more than 27 million full-text articles. In addition, the database features more than 583,100 television and radio news transcripts, videos & podcasts. Available through BadgerLink.

U.S. Newsstream: Search the most recent premium U.S. news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s, featuring newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites in active full-text format. Coverage: 1980 – current. Available through BadgerLink.

Health & Science

Consumer Health Complete: Content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to complementary, holistic and integrated medicine. Available through BadgerLink.

Science Reference Center: Full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and other sources. Available through BadgerLink.

Homework Help

Book Connections: Enriching every child’s reading experience. Includes author interviews, lesson plans & interactive activities, discussion guides, and more to support literacy instruction

Britannica Online- Elementary School: Level-appropriate reference articles, journals and magazines, the websites, multimedia, and curriculum content. Available through BadgerLink.

Britannica Online- Middle School: Level-appropriate reference articles, journals and magazines, the websites, multimedia, and curriculum content. Available through BadgerLink.

Britannica Online- High School: Level-appropriate reference articles, journals and magazines, the websites, multimedia, and curriculum content. Available through BadgerLink.

Explora: Magazines, journals, newspapers, images and reference resources covering education, health, business, science, history and general areas of interest. Available through BadgerLink.

LearningExpress: Practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, and information needed to achieve results—at school, at work, or in life. Available through BadgerLink.

LearningExpress Library Grades 4-8 Educator Resources: For elementary and middle school teachers to supplement classroom instruction with curriculum-aligned materials in math, reading, writing and social studies.

LearningExpress Library High School Students: Resources for high school students to help build classroom and homework skills in math, English language arts, social studies, science and technology.

NoveList K-8: Reading recommendations that helps kids find books that are just right for their reading level and interests. Parents, teachers, and librarians can also find tools to teach with books and engage young readers. Available through BadgerLink.

TeachingBooks.net: Includes in-studio movies of authors and illustrators, audio excerpts of book readings, guides to thousands of titles and multimedia resources on children’s and young adult literature. Available through BadgerLink.

Job Search Help

Cypress Resume: Online resume builder that lets you create professional-quality resumes in three quick and simple steps.

LearningExpress: Looking to land a job? An entire Learning Center is dedicated to help job seekers.  Practice tests include SAT and ACT. The Computer Skills Learning Center includes interactive courses on Microsoft Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. Available through BadgerLink.

Udemy: Gale Presents: Udemy offers on-demand online video learning courses that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Learn programming, marketing, business skills, design, and more. Each library has their own unique URL to access Udemy. Below are each library’s individual links.

Online Classes

Udemy: Gale Presents: Udemy offers on-demand online video learning courses that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Learn programming, marketing, business skills, personal hobbies, and more. Each library has their own unique URL to access Udemy. Below are each library’s individual links.

LearningExpress: The Computer Skills Learning Center includes interactive courses on Microsoft Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. Available through BadgerLink.

Reading & Entertainment

Libby / Wisconsin’s Digital Library: Check out and read ebooks and digital audiobooks on your computer or device. The Libby app makes reading on-the-go even easier. Click and enjoy!

Hoopla: Digital media service that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV!

NoveList K-8: Reading recommendations that helps kids find books that are just right for their reading level and interests. Parents, teachers, and librarians can also find tools to teach with books and engage young readers. Available through BadgerLink.

NoveListPlus: Book recommendations for over 200,000 fiction and readable nonfiction titles, plus lists of award-winning books, book discussion guides, book talks, recommended reads and more.

TeachingBooks.net: Includes in-studio movies of authors and illustrators, audio excerpts of book readings, guides to thousands of titles and multimedia resources on children’s and young adult literature. Available through BadgerLink.

WISCAT: Search for library materials in Wisconsin libraries outside of the Bridges Library System.

Wisconsin’s Digital Library / Libby: Check out and read ebooks, digital audiobooks and magazines on your computer or device. The Libby app makes reading on-the-go even easier. Click and enjoy!

Bridges Library System – Serving the libraries of Waukesha & Jefferson Counties