Online resources
Online research, learning, and entertainment, all available (and free!) with your Durham County Library card.
Our resources are provided by a variety of vendors. Please see our privacy policy for more about how they and we handle your account data.
Discover it online
You’ve got things to do. We can help!
All online resources
Durham Open Data
A great source for local data and statistics.
Durham’s Partnership for Children
Organization serving Durham's young children and their families with programs promoting healthy development and learning.
Ebooks from NC LIVE
Even more ebooks. Most of the sources here focus on reference, scholarly, professional, and other nonfiction titles.
Provided by NC LIVE 
Education Database
Research on primary, secondary, and higher education, as well as special education, home schooling, adult education, and hundreds of related topics.
Provided by NC LIVE
eLibrary
Curated info on common and trending research topics. Geared toward a wide range of users including middle and high school students, college-prep and college-level researchers, and professional educators. Educators can search for resources that correlate to state and national standards, including Common Core State Standards.
Provided by NC LIVE
Energystar.gov
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site that gives information about going green. Features an excellent Kids section.
English Poetry
Poems from 600 to 1900, including Thomas Percy, Walter Scott, Robert Dodsley, Francis Turner Palgrave, and more.
Provided by NC LIVE
Entrepreneurship Database
Info for entrepreneurs and researchers. Includes business start-up plans, video clips, journals, business cases, and more.
Provided by NC LIVE
Faber Poetry Library
A collection of some of the most influential poets of the twentieth century.
Provided by NC LIVE
FAFSA
Apply for federal student financial aid online.
Federal Student Aid
Info from the U.S. Department of Education about grants, loans, and work-study programs available through the federal Student Financial Assistance Programs. The Student Guide explains the programs and how to apply for them.
Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center
Explore industries and careers, plan your education, and research best practices for resumes, cover letters, interviewing, networking, and salaries/benefits. Includes articles, career advice blogs, and streaming video.
Help and more info for Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center
Provided by NC LIVE
Films on Demand
Thousands of videos on a wide variety of topics. Includes Oscar, Emmy, and Peabody award winning documentaries, interviews, instructional and vocational training videos, historical speeches, newsreels, and more.
Provided by NC LIVE
Foundation Directory Essentials
Candid is no longer offering access to Foundation Directory Essential through Foundation Information Network partners. Main Library continues to provide free, unlimited access to Candid’s Foundation Directory Online (Professional) and Grants to Individuals databases within the building. For information on extended access to Foundation Directory Essential, Candid invites nonprofits whose annual revenue or expenses are less than $1,000,000 to participate in its “Go for the Gold” program. For details, go to https://help.guidestar.org/en/articles/5541393-go-for-the-gold
Foundation Directory Professional
Access at Main Library only
One of the primary resources for grant seekers. It includes detailed searchable information about grant funders, grantees, and individual grants. It is geared to grant seekers who are affiliated with non-profit entities. There is a Pathways feature that helps you look for funding leads. For help, check these Foundation Directory how-to videos.
Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
Access at Main Library only
Search for fellowships, scholarships and grants to individuals. There is a also a list of current RFP’s (Requests for Proposals) from grantmakers.
Gale Business: Entrepreneurship
Covers all major areas of starting and operating a business, including accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, tax, and more. Entrepreneurs and business students can find helpful information for any point in the life cycle of a business.
Gale Business: Plan Builder
Step-by-step online planning tools for starting, managing, and optimizing a business or nonprofit. You can create a personal account, enter information about your business idea, and receive customized information to help launch your business. Save all of your information in one place and make modifications to your business plan as it grows and changes.
Gale Courses
Six-week online courses to let you learn a new skill or enhance your existing ones. Covers fields like business, computer applications, health care, and many more. You'll be able to interact with your expert instructor and with fellow students in online discussions. Lessons take roughly two to four hours each week.
Gale Ebooks
Full-text reference books for the arts, education, environment, medicine, religion, science, social sciences, and more. Includes a translation tool that lets you translate any article from English into Spanish, French, Japanese, simplified Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, or Korean.