InfoIslington - Islington Reference Library

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

The just-published latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has been updated, to include articles on famous people who died in 2008.

The latest entries include playwright and director Harold Pinter, science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, jazz trumpeter and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttleton, film director Anthony Minghella and popular artist Beryl Cook.

A total of 217 new biographies in the latest update mean that the Oxford DNB now includes a total of 53,084 articles and tells the life stories of 58,094 individuals. The print version runs to 60 volumes and a total of 63m words, while the online version available here from Islington Libraries is updated three times per year, in January, May and September. Biographies in the online version now include people who died in or before 2008. No living person is included and individuals who have died in the past three years will be added in subsequent updates and periodic printed supplements.

Online Resources in London Public Libraries

This is an A-Z list by title of the online databases made available by London public libraries. The list includes both remote-access and in-library resources – for the latter you will need to visit the library and use computers there.

To use the remote-access resources, you will need to be a member of the providing library, and to have your library membership card number and password handy.

London Government Directory

The London Government Directory online, administered by London Councils, lists thousands of names, addresses and contact numbers for councillors and officers in the 33 London borough councils. You can search the directory using the search panel on the right-hand side of the screen, and they have also put together a brief guide to the structure of the councils in London which you may find informative.

Free Online Information Resources

An incredible amount of information is available for free on the Internet but not all. Islington libraries subscribe to a number of quality online resources you can use for free through the Council website. These range from music to biography; from business to law and to the Times newspaper going back to its very first edition.  Most of these can be accessed from home or your work place although a few can only be used at a library. Check here to find out what is on offer and how to get on to them.

Newsbank

Newsbank gives full text content of UK and Irish national and regional newspapers with most backfiles going back to 1998 and The Times going back to 1985. Free through the library pages of the Council website you need to be a member of the library to access. Scroll down the Online Resources page until you come to the Newspapers and Journals section.

Life in Great Britain

The Life in the United Kingdom test is a computer-based test for individuals seeking  Leave to Remain in the UK or naturalisation as a British citizen and is a requirement under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. Life in Great Britain is an online self-learning course that will prepare you for the test. It includes the full official course material, tips and background information and practice tests and is free through the Library website although you do need to be a member of the library to use it which you can join for free.

Business Information Online – MINT

MINTUK is now available to access free in all Islington libraries. You can access :

Companies: Covers over 3.5 million companies throughout the UK, including all active companies and half a million unincorporated businesses. Includes up to 10 years’ of financial data per company. Mailing lists can be created using a range of criteria such as location, number of employees, turnover, or industry sector. These can be saved onto a memory stick or e-mailed (a maximum of 500 companies can be downloaded per person per day).

Market research: Over 160 UK industry profiles from Datamonitor, presented in a consistent format and including information on the market, its size, companies’ market share, the competitive landscape and forecasts for the sector.

Directors: Information on both current and previous directors of UK businesses, including home address, date of birth and nationality. Biographical information for directors of listed companies.

Oxford English Dictionary

The OED is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, past and present. To access the OED free from your home or office computer using your Islington library card, just click on the link above and fill in your library membership number where indicated.

Complete Business Reference Adviser (COBRA)

COBRA is an online database the library subcribes to and can be viewed for free in any Islington library and at home or at work if you are a member of the library. It is useful if you are thinking of starting up or currently running a small business. COBRA gives  practical information on setting up and running a business, details of sources of support and finance, and a legal library covering laws and regulations affecting small businesses. UK market synopses cover key trends and future developments across more than 60 market sectors.