Listed below are all the databases and electronic resources the library provides. Be sure to note any restrictions for access:
Icon Key
- Available online from any location (does not require a Pasadena Public Library card)
- Requires a valid Pasadena Public Library card
- Available inside the Library only
For early learners 2-7 years old
ABCMouse - With 5,000+ interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities, ABCmouse’s award-winning online curriculum is an invaluable resource for young learners (ages 2-7+). From Age of Learning, Inc.
Alexander Street Performing Arts Collections provide access to leading content in Dance, Music, and Theatre
The California K12 Online Content Project has chosen a truly remarkable and diverse collection of Music, Dance and Theatre content, covering hundreds of genres and a wide range of content types, from instruction to performance. Leading content providers include the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Qwest TV, Smithsonian, L.A. Theatre Works, Broadway On-Demand, and many more.
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
Looking for historic City Directories from Pasadena? Find some digitized Pasadena City Directories in Ancestry! Here is a brief tutorial on how to find historic Pasadena directories dating between 1902 and 1970: https://cityofpasadena.libwizard.com/f/city_directories
Consumer Reports and Consumer Reports Buying Guide in Flipster
Looking for ratings on appliances, automobiles and more? Read the latest issue of Consumer Reports and the annual edition of Consumer Reports Buying Guide in digital form using Flipster. Flipster is a digital magazine platform that allows you to read, download for offline reading, and print out pages from your favorite magazines.
Here is a brief tutorial on using Flipster to find and navigate Consumer Reports titles: https://cityofpasadena.libwizard.com/f/HowToConsumer
Find articles and primary sources on LGBTQ+ history, culture and activism
Archives of Sexuality & Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940 covers topics including LGBTQ activism and the HIV/AIDS crisis. It provides researchers with the documents necessary to delve deep into the Gay Rights Movement with resources that may otherwise go undiscovered. This collection brings together approximately 1.5 million pages of primary sources on social, political, health, and legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities around the world. Rare and unique content from newsletters, papers, government documents, manuscripts, pamphlets, and other types of primary sources sheds light on the gay rights movement, activism, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and more. Truly global in scope, it features historical documents published in over 35 countries, with more than 15 languages represented. Repositories for this collection include: Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation; Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives; Women's Energy Bank; GLBT Historical Society; National Library of Medicine; New York Public Library; among other archives.
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
Find articles in newspapers and magazines. Includes peer-reviewed academic journals and full-text is available for many sources
A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. Updated daily.
Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA) provides information on over 14 million U.S. companies, including address, telephone number, key contact, number of employees and sales figures.
This commercial database also includes 214 million U.S. households
Looking for Consumer Reports monthly magazine or Consumer Reports Buying Guide? Both titles are available in digital form in Flipster. If you'd like to find out how to use Flipster or how to search for issues that cover products you are researching, please visit our brief how-to at https://cityofpasadena.libwizard.com/f/HowToConsumer
Databases are services that offer access to articles and other valuable information. The library pays for subscriptions to these services and makes them available to the public and library cardholders. The kind of information you find in a database is usually more reliable than what you might find doing a search on a regular web search engine like Google. These are good resources to use when conducting research for school, or even personal use; the information in them is authoritative, and if you are using for a formal research project, many will provide information on how to cite/format in a bibliography.
Most of the resources in the "A to Z List of Databases" below are available remotely with your library card barcode or with a temporary self-registration barcode. Databases only available inside library buildings are noted with the 
icon.
eMedia is streaming content and digital materials like eBooks, audiobooks, film, music and digital magazines. Most of our eMedia is not available with a self-registration temporary barcode. Please visit a Pasadena Public Library location with photo ID to open a permanent library card account, and get access to all our content, services, and materials!
Chromebooks and Hotspots!
Most of these resources are available outside our library buildings from anywhere, and you can access them on a smart device like a phone or a tablet, as well as a laptop or desktop computer. Did you know the library has Chromebooks and hotspots for checkout? If you need a device to access one of these resources, or you need wifi (or maybe both), find information about how to check out Chromebooks or hotspots to take with you.
