Reference & Research

"Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Our goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government. We are firmly committed to neutrality in our content." 

The nation's leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public's health. 

Information on company organizational structure, marketing research, U.S. standard residential and business directories, job/internship postings, consumer lifestyle research and more.

Click here for in-library use. 

An independent index of over 17,000 peer-reviewed, open access journals covering all areas of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts and humanities. Includes journals from around the world and in a variety of languages. 

Provides millions of articles from thousands of scholarly journals and other authoritative sources. With extensive coverage across academic disciplines you’ll find accurate information and articles to support your studies. Discover peer-reviewed articles to inspire research and validate your findings with Gale Academic OneFile’s extensive collection of academic journals.

Tutorial: Gale Academic OneFile

Access a collection of full-text eBooks covering a variety of topics,Gale eBooks enables you to comb through collections in a single search. You can translate content into over 40 different languages and easily download files. 

Tutorial: Gale eBooks: Browsing Titles and Gale eBooks: Searching for Information

Gale General OneFile provides millions of articles from thousands of magazines, journals, newspapers, and other authoritative sources. With intuitive search features, and extensive coverage across wide-ranging topics, you’ll find accurate information and articles to support your interests. Discover full text results to fuel exploration and gain understanding through the vast selection of periodicals in Gale General OneFile.

Tutorial: Gale General OneFile

Over 600,000 biographical entries covering a range of historically significant people and present-day newsmakers. 

Tutorial: Topic Pages and Downloading & Sending to Google Drive and OneDrive

Offers content that reinforces the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Learners can access news content including newspapers and periodicals like The Economist, The New York Times, National Geographic, Newsweek, Popular Science, Smithsonian, and more.

Users will find a vast array of resources for papers, projects, and presentations that bolster the development of critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication skills including line notes, critical essays, related topics, critical thinking questions, viewpoints, primary sources, and more. 

Tutorial: Gale in Context: Elementary

Makes it easy to explore class topics and find sources for your assignments. Videos, articles from premium publications, encyclopedia entries, primary sources, and more allow you investigate everything from social studies and science to literature and history in one easy-to-use resource. 

Tutorial: Gale in Context: High School

Connects you to the quality information you need for assignments in social studies, science, language arts, and more. You’ll find videos, news articles, encyclopedia entries, and more in an easy-to-use tool that helps you finish your homework in record time. 

Tutorial: Gale in Context: Middle School

Here you'll find resources for researching social issues like environmentalism, ethics, politics, and more. 

Tutorial: Topic Pages and Downloading and Sending to Google Drive and OneDrive

Gain insight on issues in administration, funding, and policy. Best for educators, administrators, and education students.

Tutorial: Topic Finder and  Downloading and Sending to Google Drive and OneDrive

Search magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference on a range of topics. Best for middle- and high-school students. 

Tutorial: Topic Finder and Downloading and Sending to Google Drive and OneDrive

Informe Académico provee acceso a más de 9.8 millones de artículos de carácter científico, académico y de interés general, provenientes de más de 1,000 publicaciones de 18 países. La mayor parte de este contenido ha sido arbitrado por expertos y se encuentra disponible en texto completo, libre de embargo, en español o portugués. Por su cobertura multidisciplinaria, Gale OneFile: Informe Académico abarca una amplia variedad de temas tales como política, historia, economía, ciencias de la salud, filosofía, ciencias exactas, tecnología y más. 

Explore amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space. Best for children aged 6–14. 

Here you'll find articles on Texas history, geography, culture, and more.

The Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library is a public library that serves the legal information needs of self-represented litigants, legal professionals, the judiciary, and county and other governmental officials. Public access to legal information is a critical component of open and equal access to the justice system. The Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library’s mission is to provide all of its patrons access to relevant, current, accurate, and practical legal information in the most appropriate and cost-effective formats possible and to provide educational opportunities designed to enhance patrons’ understanding of legal information and how it is accessed.

Access to the Texas Almanac, including the Texas Towns database. Covers Texas history, politics, culture and more.

Catalog of items owned by libraries around Texas for use in requesting an interlibrary loan. Click here for a guide on how to place an Interlibrary Loan Request. 

"The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy."

Tutorial: An Introduction to Census Data

"Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) in October of 2006, VOTE411.org is a "one-stop-shop" for election related information. It provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on the following aspects of the election process:

• Absentee ballot information
• Ballot measure information (where applicable)
• Early voting options (where applicable)
• Election dates
• Factual data on candidates in various federal, state and local races
• General information on such topics as how to watch debates with a critical eye
• ID requirements
• Polling place locations
• Registration deadlines
• Voter qualifications
• Voter registration forms
• Voting machines

Information on world entities provided by the CIA--history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, transnational issues--in compact entries. Maps, flags, and country comparisons are included.

A master catalog of items owned by libraries around the world.