Reference resources
If you're a student or are doing some independent research, these reference tools can help you find what you need.
Access to Research
Discover a world of published academic research. Explore full text academic research articles and journals, ordinarily only available with a subscription. Includes free access to the findings of publicly funded research.
Free access onsite at your local Bromley Library.
Free access onsite at your local Bromley Library.
Britannica online
As a library member, you can access the adult, junior or student edition of Britannica Online for free.
Oxford reference
Browse a range of Oxford's reference titles at your fingertips including the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford dictionaries
Access digital versions of Oxford's language dictionaries in English, Spanish, French and more, plus thesaurus and usage guides.
BFI replay
BFI replay is a free archive of videos and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive. (Please note: this can only be accessed in the library.)
COBRA
The Complete Business Reference Adviser, information on how to start and run a business, write a business plan and find grants etc.
Available at home via your library card or within Bromley Libraries.
Available at home via your library card or within Bromley Libraries.
Oxford English Dictionary
Guide to the meaning, history and pronunciation of 600,000 words past and present.
Which?
Test reports and other consumer news and information. Available by visiting any Bromley Library, please ask staff for access.
Historical collections
Dive into the past with our range of historical archives and ancestry tools.
Ancestry
Discover your family history and build a family tree with the world's largest genealogy website, free on site at your local Bromley Library.
Find My Past
Trace your ancestry and build a family tree by researching extensive birth records, census data, obituaries and more, exclusively on site at your local library.
John Johnson Collection
Access thousands of pictures and prints about daily life in Britain over the last 300 years providing an insight into society over time. Available at your local library.
Who's Who and Who Was Who
This website is home to thousands of biographies on significant British people past and present since 1897.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Biographies of the people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond.
Newspaper archives
Whether you're studying or researching a topic you're interested in, find what you need with these digital newspaper records.
The Times Digital Archive 1785 - 2013
The Times of London is widely considered to be the world's 'newspaper of record'. The Times Digital Archive allows users to search over 200 years of this invaluable historical source. Type your library card number to log on.
British Newspaper Archive
Explore over 200 years of history with these digital records. Only available free in the library when using one our public computers.
Newsbank
This searchable news database gives access to The Times and Sunday Times as well as local, historic, and regional newspapers and special reports.
Pressreader
With this online tool, library members can get instant access to over 4000 newspapers from 100 countries in 60 languages.
The Times and Sunday Times from Newsbank
Full access to current and back issues of The Times, Sunday Times and Sunday Times magazine from 2020, powered by Newsbank.
Discover Digital
Explore our large and growing collection of eBooks, eMagazines and eNewspapers, Audiobooks, and Music, available free with your library card. With hundreds of thousands of titles from all major publishers and authors, there is always something new to discover.
