Research tools | a - z

Find information, prepare for tests, build job skills, launch your business, and more with our variety of research resources.

ANCESTRY LIBRARY EDITION

Ancestry Library Edition contains collections with unparalleled coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom. Note: This is only available on computers at a Library location.

ABCMOUSE

Early learning games for math, phonics, science, and more for children ages 2-8.

Note: Only available on children’s computers in the all library locations.

BRAINFUSE HELPNOW TUTORING

Submit questions, interact with live tutors, take practice tests, send your papers to the writing lab, and more.

BUSINESS SOURCE COMPLETE

Full-text journals for business, including marketing, management, accounting, and economics, as well as detailed information on public and private companies.

CANDID GUIDESTAR PRO

GuideStar is Candid’s premier nonprofit research tool with the most complete, up-to-date nonprofit data available. Note: Only available on computers at Central Library.

CHILTON LIBRARY AUTO REPAIR

Find do-it-yourself repair and maintenance information for most domestic and imported vehicles.

CONSUMER REPORTS

Discover the full text of the popular Consumer Reports magazine through our Ebsco subscription service.

DATA AXLE REFERENCE SOLUTIONS

Reference Solutions has vital information on every business & consumer in the United States & Canada, helping researchers find valuable sales leads, conduct market research or competitive analysis, and do effective marketing and outreach.

DIGITAL PHOTO ARCHIVE

Explore Spokane’s history through historic images of the homes, buildings, streets, Indigenous Peoples, and activities in and around the region in the Inland Northwest Special Collection.

ETHNIC DIVERSITY SOURCE

This full-text database is a dedicated resource covering the culture, traditions, social treatment and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America.

EXPLORA MAGAZINES

A collection of the most popular full-text magazines, journals, and other highly-regarded sources from the world’s leading publishers.

EXPLORA PRIMARY

Designed for elementary school students, Primary Search is a full-text database providing popular children’s magazines, easy-to-read encyclopedic entries and a vast image collection.

FAMILYSEARCH

Access FamilySearch genealogical resources. You will not need your library card to login, but you will need to create your own personal FamilySearch account to access the database. Note: Only available on computers at any Library location.

FOUNDATION DIRECTORY PROFESSIONAL

A searchable directory of grantmakers, grants, and grant recipients by subjects and locations that can help nonprofits and government organizations find potential funding sources. Note: Only available on computers at Central Library.

GALE BUSINESS: DEMOGRAPHICS NOW

Searchable demographics and consumer and business statistics, with directory information and easy business startup reports.

GALE IN CONTEXT: ELEMENTARY

Find answers to your questions, practice research skills, and explore interests inside and outside the classroom, while accessing hundreds of age-appropriate eBooks.

GALE IN CONTEXT: OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS

Find articles, topic overviews, statistics, and primary documents that show pro and con arguments for controversial topics.

GALE IN CONTEXT: GLOBAL ISSUES

Discover international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, and current events.

GALE IN CONTEXT: SCIENCE

Find articles, images, videos, and experiments on a variety of scientific topics.

GALE LITERATURE: LITERARY SOURCES

Primary literary sources, critical articles, literary and cultural analysis, and biographies of world writers from all time periods.

GALE LITERATURE: LITFINDER

Find full-text literary works, including poems, short stories, novels, essays, speeches, and plays.

GALE PRESENTS: UDEMY

Learn and improve skills across business, tech, design, and more. Includes 6,000+ on-demand video courses in multiple languages.

GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS

A searchable directory of funding, grants, and scholarships offered to students, artists, researchers, and other individual grantseekers. Note: Only available on computers at Central Library

HOOPLA: EBOOKS & MORE

Stream up to eight eBooks, audiobooks, movies, shows, and more per month instantly. Download the hoopla app to stream on your device. Check out a Binge Pass for 7-day unlimited access by using only one streaming credit here.

IBISWORLD

700+ detailed market and industry reports for the United States including SWOT analyses, financial ratios, and more. Note: Only available on computers at Central Library.

KANOPY: FILMS

Stream eight videos a month from any computer, smart TV, or mobile device with 30,000 titles to choose from, or stream titles from our unlimited viewing packages without using credits. Supported by the Friends of the Library.

LEARNING EXPRESS

Find job search and workplace skills improvement; reading, writing, math, and basic science skill building; career certification and license exam prep; high school equivalency, college, and grad school entrance test prep.

LEGAL GPS

Legal GPS is a gamified platform that helps new and existing businesses “do legal” without having to hire a lawyer.

LIVEPLAN

LivePlan simplifies business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking for small businesses and startups. Just fill in the answers presented and LivePlan does the heavy lifting for you.

LINKEDIN LEARNING

Choose from thousands of online courses to learn in-demand skills from real-world industry experts. Get started for free with your library card.

LOTE4KIDS

LOTE4Kids is a selection of digital books in world languages, created for children to enjoy books and learn language through storytelling.

MORNINGSTAR

Investment information on companies, funds, and markets, along with newsletters, articles, and other educational information fund.

NEHGS AMERICAN ANCESTORS

Explore vital genealogical records in the U.S. with a focus on New England. Note: This service is only available at Central Library.

NORTHSTAR DIGITAL LITERACY

Learn digital literacy skills to navigate the internet and computer tech with ease.

NOVELIST K-8 PLUS

Find fiction and nonfiction books and audiobooks by title, plot, keyword, or author for beginning readers up to teens.

NOVELIST PLUS

Find fiction and nonfiction books and audiobooks by title, plot, keyword, or author, including “best of” lists, similar authors, and book discussion guides.

OVERDRIVE: CRAFTSY

Make something great with Craftsy through Libby/OverDrive! Access thousands of hours of content relating to crafting, art, and DIY.

OVERDRIVE: EBOOKS & AUDIOBOOKS

Find the Library’s collection of eBooks and audiobooks for all ages using OverDrive or the Libby app. Discover popular titles, new books, diverse collections, and more.

OVERDRIVE: MAGAZINES

Read the Library’s collection of digital magazines for all ages using OverDrive or the Libby app. Choose from popular magazines like Rolling Stone, National Geographic, Highlights, Minecraft World, and many more.

PITCHBOOK

Research and analyze companies, deals, funds, investors and service providers across the entire private investment lifecycle.

PROCITIZEN

Take an online course to help prepare for the U.S Citizenship Naturalization Test.

PRONUNCIATOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

Learn over 150 languages, including English for foreign language speakers, with special courses for children and health care workers.

PROQUEST ABI/INFORM TRADE & INDUSTRY

In-depth coverage of companies, products, executives, trends, and other business research topics.

PROQUEST CULTUREGRAMS

Explore cultural and geographic fact sheets on countries, states, and Canadian provinces.

PROQUEST eLIBRARY

A magazine and newspaper database with images, audiovisual materials, and television news transcripts.

PROQUEST HEALTH DATABASE

Designed to give you introductory information support groups on topics that may be important to you covering health, finance, and personal growth.

PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS

Discover digital versions Spokane’s historic newspapers, including The Spokesman-Review from 1883 to 2009, and the Spokane Chronicle from 1890 to 1992.

PROQUEST HISTORY STUDY CENTER

A curated collection of full-text journals and popular magazines on a wide range of global historical topics and themes.

PROQUEST LEARNING: LITERATURE

Texts and information students need for advancing their study of English literature.

PROQUEST RECENT NEWSPAPERS

A collection of digitized newspapers providing genealogists, researchers, and scholars with cover-to-cover access to recent newspaper content, including The Spokesman Review since 2010.

PROQUEST RESEARCH LIBRARY

Provides one-stop access to thousands of full-text periodicals from one of the broadest and most inclusive general reference databases available.

PROQUEST SIRS DISCOVERER

Get answers on a variety of topics such as animals, countries, social issues, or famous people with topic overviews and eBooks for elementary and middle school students.

PROQUEST U.S. NEWSSTREAM

Search the most recent U.S. news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s, including the Spokane Journal of Business, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal.

STATISTA

Statistics and market reports on over 80,000 topics arranged by business market sector. Note: Only available on computers at Central Library.

RMA STATEMENT STUDIES

Access to financial benchmarking figures including standards for balance sheet and income statement line items, as well as numerous industry average ratios.

TEEN FINANCE & HEALTH SERIES

Searchable ebooks for teens that provide introductory information and support resources on health, finance, and personal growth.

TUMBLEBOOKS: CHILDREN'S EBOOKS

TumbleBook Library includes children’s fiction, non-fiction, and foreign language titles, math stories, read-alongs, videos, TumbleTV (pre-set playlists of a sequence of books), puzzles, and games.

WASHINGTON STATE LEGAL FORMS

Official Washington State and federal business, personal, real estate, and general legal forms.

VALUE LINE LIBRARY RESEARCH CENTER

Value Line’s comprehensive research center not only evaluates U.S. stocks, this expanded version also features mutual funds, options, and weekly investment and economic reports.

WORLD BOOK KIDS

With thousands of articles, multimedia content, and a collection of biographies, World Book Kids is designed to encourage young learners to be curious.

WORLD BOOK STUDENT

Find the full text of The World Book Encyclopedia along with daily current events, assessment tools for educators, and dedicated resource guides to provide blueprints for advanced learning and college and career readiness.

WORLD BOOK TIMELINES

Explore the history of the world through World Book’s Timelines, including creating your own personalized timeline.

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Get Started

Downloads & Streaming

Can't Find it?

Language

Locations

Kiosks

Other Access

Closures

Upcoming Events

Events by Age

Ongoing Events

Trending Now

Services

Local History & Genealogy

Language

Career & Economic Success

Creating & Making

Research & Learn

Homework Help

Online Courses

Open Data

Kids & Teens

Homework Help

Teachers

Library Information

Partners

Library Organization

Support the Library

Connect with Us

Research tools | a - z

ANCESTRY LIBRARY EDITION

ABCMOUSE

BRAINFUSE HELPNOW TUTORING

BUSINESS SOURCE COMPLETE

CANDID GUIDESTAR PRO

CHILTON LIBRARY AUTO REPAIR

CONSUMER REPORTS

DATA AXLE REFERENCE SOLUTIONS

DIGITAL PHOTO ARCHIVE

ETHNIC DIVERSITY SOURCE

EXPLORA MAGAZINES

EXPLORA PRIMARY

FAMILYSEARCH

FOUNDATION DIRECTORY PROFESSIONAL

GALE BUSINESS: DEMOGRAPHICS NOW

GALE IN CONTEXT: ELEMENTARY

GALE IN CONTEXT: OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS

GALE IN CONTEXT: GLOBAL ISSUES

GALE IN CONTEXT: SCIENCE

GALE LITERATURE: LITERARY SOURCES

GALE LITERATURE: LITFINDER

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Search the catalog
Get a card
Download apps
Explore all digital
Suggest a purchase
Research tools A-to-Z
Obituaries
Book a meeting room
Children’s playspaces

About Us
Library news
The Blog
Diversity, equity, & inclusion
Sign Up for Newsletters
Leadership
Employment
Policies
Help & FAQs

Central
Shadle Park
Liberty Park
The Hive ™
South Hill
Indian Trail
Hillyard
All Locations