For tax preparation info, please call 919-695-7548. More info >
All library locations and services will be closed on Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30, for the spring holiday.
Behind-the-scenes software update - you can now log in to the online catalog, view your account, and place holds. Phone renewals are not available yet - for now, you can renew online or by contacting us.

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.

All online resources

Filter the list

Black Life in America

Category: Biography, History, Magazines, newspapers, and journals
Audience: Adults, Teens
Access: Library card + PIN

African American people, events, and achievements from 1704 to today, with access to 19,000+ sources including 400 African American newspapers.

Help and more info for Black Life in America

Digital Library on American Slavery

Category: Genealogy, History
Audience: Adults, Teens
Access: No card required

A searchable database focused on bringing to light the names of enslaved individuals from court petitions, historical newspapers, and deed records held by Register of Deeds offices across North Carolina.

Provided by NC LIVE

Digital Sanborn Maps (1867-1970) for North Carolina

Category: Data and statistics, History
Audience: Adults
Access: Library card + PIN

Large-scale maps of North Carolina towns and cities, created from 1867-1970.

Provided by NC LIVE

DigitalNC

Category: Art and images, History
Audience: Adults, Teens
Access: No card required

Explore the history and culture of North Carolina through digitized materials from libraries and museums across the state. Includes yearbooks, newspapers, images, and more.

Documenting the American South

Category: Genealogy, History
Audience: Adults
Access: No card required

Books, oral histories, diaries, and letters related to Southern history, culture, and literature.

Films on Demand

Category: History
Audience: Adults
Access: Library card + PIN

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

Greenwood Digital Collection

Category: Books and poetry, History
Audience: Adults, Teens
Access: Library card + PIN

The full text of many books from all time periods in the United States and Europe.

Provided by NC LIVE

Hispanic Life in America

Category: Biography, History, Magazines, newspapers, and journals
Audience: Adults, Teens
Access: Library card + PIN

Coverage of the experience and impact of Hispanic Americans, 1704 to today, as featured in more than 17,000 publications including 700 Spanish language newspapers and periodicals.

Help and more info for Hispanic Life in America

North American Women’s Letters and Diaries

Category: History
Audience: Adults
Access: Library card + PIN

Over 150,000 pages of published letters and diaries depicting the personal experiences of hundreds of women from colonial times to 1950.

Provided by NC LIVE