20 Digital Resources

A resource for family history researchers.

Enter names and places where your ancestors might have lived. View images of documents such as census records. Visit the Central Library and Community Libraries.

The link will only work if you use a library computer or a device connected through the library wi-fi.

A great starting point for anybody researching notable figures in history.

Biography In Context offers authoritative reference content alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images. Covering a vast array of people from historically significant figures to present-day newsmakers, it’s continuously updated to ensure students have access to the latest information.

The online home for deep analysis of the big issues facing New Zealand today: housing, inequality, climate change, child poverty, the environment, migration, financial crisis, and more.

One authoritative resource of life on these islands, from earliest beginnings to present day. Comprising 90+ titles from over 30 years of history and biography publishing from Bridget Williams Books.

This popular encyclopedia is available for library customers to use online.

Britannica provides timely, relevant and trustworthy information. Choose your level and get started.

Articles on women’s issues including social, environmental, educational, and family concerns with an international focus.

Previously GREENR (Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources).

This database focuses on the physical and social aspects of environmental issues. Users can search the information to learn about diverse subjects such as climate change, food security, land and water use, populations and tourism.

A family history and genealogy website containing over 550 million family history records.

A constantly updated family history and genealogy website containing over 550 million family history records. Available at the Central Library's second floor.

The link will only work if you use a library computer.

This collection includes eBooks on getting started with and methods of researching your family history.

Genealogy Connect features a wide range of genealogy eBook resources grouped together in a fully cross-searchable platform to assist genealogists and family history enthusiasts in their research.

Unfortunately from 31 March 2020, the vendor is no longer providing this database.

Integrates news, global viewpoints, reference materials, country information, primary source documents, videos, statistics, and more in a single search.

This database supports awareness and provides perspective on global issues, while tying together a wealth of authoritative content, empowering learners to critically analyse and understand the most important issues of the modern world.

A great resource for curious travelers and serious researchers.

This special collection allows for focused study of all areas of the hospitality industry, including the cultural aspects of travel and leisure activities, the economic impact of tourism and more. It provides unparalleled coverage of both the historical and current state of affairs in the hospitality and tourism field.

The National Library of New Zealand's searchable database that contains abstracts and descriptions of articles from over 1000 New Zealand periodicals and newspapers.

The National Library of New Zealand's searchable database that contains abstracts and descriptions of articles from about 1000 New Zealand periodicals and newspapers, including some from earlier in the 20th century to the current day.

Information on literary figures from all time periods writing in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more.

Find up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism, and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world.

Manawatū Heritage is an online repository where you can search, share and download thousands of photographs and other items about the Manawatū region.

Manawatū Heritage is a living heritage tool which encourages active participation from the community by accepting digital uploads and written articles from the public. By creating a log-in, you can upload your own stories and photographs to the repository as well as comment on individual items, share your findings via email and social media, and download low or high resolution copies of out of copyright materials.

Explore the Manawatū, New Zealand through themed heritage tours. Created by the Heritage Team at Palmerston North City Library, these fun, interactive tours allows the whole family to explore Palmerston North and beyond like you never have before.

Manawatū Heritage Tours App brings together community-initiated research, images and content from the award-winning Manawatū Heritage digital repository and mobile technology to help people to explore Palmerston North's rich and often unknown history. Current tours include Women's Places, Military Tour (Walking), and Military Tour (Driving).

Need to look at one or both sides of a controversial social issue? This clarifies the facts of each topic as well as the arguments for and against.

Opposing Viewpoints is a premier online resource covering today’s hottest social issues. This cross-curricular research tool supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Its informed, differing views present each side of an issue and help students develop information literacy, critical thinking skills, and the confidence to draw their own valid conclusions.

Archives Central is a fully-searchable catalogue of Council Archives, including a growing collection of digitised archives, sourced from participating New Zealand local authorities.
The purpose of Archives Central is to make Council archives more accessible for the community and easier to use.
Click on the logos above to view your chosen council’s homepage and search their listings; or use the search box at the top right of this page to search over the whole site.

This database lists the Community Archives and Research Files that are available for research purposes in the Ian Matheson City Archives.  The Community Archives are records of local organisations, businesses, individuals and their families, and are generally primary documents. Research files are an amalgamation of resources around frequently requested topics. They may contain references to primary information, as well as notes, newspaper articles and secondary sources of information. 

This database provides instant access to 7000 plus newspapers and magazines, from 120 countries in 60 languages.

From November 1st, Stuff Ltd will be restricting access to their magazine and newspaper titles through PressReader.

Their titles which include the Dominion Post and the Manawatu Standard will no longer be available to be read from home via the PressReader app or website. Stuff titles will only be accessible through the PressReader website at one of our Libraries.

Magazines and newspapers not published by Stuff are unaffected.

A resource that helps students understand the world around them, from antiquity to the present.

World History provides an overview of world history covering the most-studied events, periods, cultures, civilizations, religions, conflicts, wars, ideologies, cultural movements, and people.