CALS Research Tools

• American History – analyzes the politics, economics, and changing culture from the colonial era to the nation’s rise as a global superpower.
• African American Experience – student learning modules on important biographies, scholarly articles, and historical images (includes primary sources).

A resource exclusively devoted to African American family history research. Includes such records as draft cards from World Wars I and II, the Freedman’s Bank, and the US Census, as well as help finding other information sources.

APS publishes journals that embody the society’s mission to advance the knowledge of physics. Databases listed in bold are available to CALS patrons inside the library only.

• Physical Review Letters – brief important papers, all topics in physics.
• Physical Review A – atomic, molecular, and optical physics.
• Physical Review B – condensed matter and materials physics.
• Physical Review C – nuclear physics.
• Physical Review D – particles, fields, gravitation and cosmology.
• Physical Review E – statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.
• Physics – highlighting significant papers from APS journals.
• PROLA, the Physical Review Online Archive – archive of APS journals back to 1893.
• Reviews of Modern Physics – in-depth articles, all topics in physics.

News content from local, regional, and international sources. Search various local newspapers or explore specific social issues and events. Includes Arkansas-Democrat Gazette Collection, USA Today and many more. There is a 30-day embargo on the image edition of the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette for remote access.

Includes census, church, court and immigration records, as well as historical maps and many other genealogy resources, from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other areas. Due to license restrictions, this research tool is available only to patrons when visiting a CALS location.

The complete list of over 100,000 Accelerated Reader titles.

Research Little Rock history through the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Historical Archive Collection. Study trends, issues, events, advertisements, companies and more through historical and current full newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.

ASLdeafined is for everyone! Whether you know someone who is deaf, are deaf yourself, or just want to learn ASL language, this content is for you. The lesson plans are tailored to fit your specific needs. After you enter your library card barcode, you must customize (replace) the default username with one you make up and then create a password. Then each time you log in, you will be able to continue your lessons where you left off.

AtoZ Food America is a single-source digital library reference that covers regional (6), state (50), and ethnic (35) cuisines for the entire country. AtoZ Food America also contains large-scale historical, ingredient, and reference modules of great use to cooks, culinary students, and historians.

AtoZ World Food is a comprehensive database of recipes and food culture articles for 174 countries. Think of it as a world cookbook for 147 countries, although it’s much more. Country information since 1993.

Includes a comprehensive run of this acclaimed television series from 2009-2023. The BBC Horizon television program makes science accessible and engaging to students and reveals the science behind a broad range of topics including astronomy, physics, math, and the environment.

Includes access to ground-breaking HD nature series such as Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Big Cats, and Dynasties.

This collection features expertly selected open primary source documents. Visitors will find historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more from specific time periods in U.S. history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom.

An online literacy resource that pairs classic video storybooks from Weston Woods with related nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic to build a love of reading and learning. Intended for use by PreK to 3rd grade students.

Brainfuse CollegeNow offers expert resources for college admissions success. Get help with applications, financial aid, and admissions interviews. Online counselors are available to help students navigate the college admissions process, including developing a list of target schools, crafting a compelling personal statement, acing admissions interviews, and offering guidance on financial aid and scholarships. Live help available online Monday through Thursday, 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM Central Time.

Brainfuse HelpNow provides on demand, anytime, anywhere eLearning for all ages and levels. HelpNow offers personalized homework help in core subjects (math, reading, writing, science and social studies) including SAT preparation. The Adult Learning Center is included in the HelpNow suite. In 2026, HelpNow has expanded live online tutoring to 24/7 availability!

Brainfuse JobNow offers a variety of resources to assist in the job search. This includes interview practice, a resume lab, and general career resources. Live help available online each day from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM Central Time.

Brainfuse VetNow offers tailored support for veterans and their families. Navigate VA benefits. Check eligibility for local, state, and federal programs. Smooth the transition into civilian employment. Get assistance with restructuring resumes and interview practice. Brush up on academic skills and prepare for college. Live help is available online Monday through Friday, 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM Central Time.

Candid search combines decades of trusted data from both Foundation Directory and GuideStar. Get the information you need to make strategic decisions about who to support, who to collaborate with, and how to make a difference in your community.

Includes repair and maintenance information for many popular vehicles.

A collection of historical newspapers containing extensive local and national coverage of American culture, politics, and society from the Antebellum through the Reconstruction periods. Due to license restrictions, this research tool is available only to patrons when visiting a CALS location.

Find ratings and reviews on products from household goods to electronics to cars with this free access to ConsumerReports.org.

Thousands of award-winning art & craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. Enter your library card number to log in. Register for a Creativebug account by entering your work email and making up a password. Check your email inbox for a message to complete registration. If you have already registered, look for this message: “Success! Please create an account to proceed or log in now,” and proceed to log in.

CultureGrams provide concise, reliable, and up-to-date cultural information on countries, US states, and Canadian provinces.

Cypress Resume is perfect for people who do not have a typewriter or word processor but do just need to type and print or save decent basic resumes and cover letters. No user account is mandatory, but one can be created optionally for saving resumes, cover letters and references inside Cypress Express easily for future use.

Includes directory listings for over 12 million businesses and 120 million households in the United States.

The Central Arkansas Library System has partnered with Driving-Tests.org to provide access to manuals and practice tests for the Arkansas Driver’s Test. The site includes practice tests for car and motorcycle licenses, as well as for the CDL.

A free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. The Encyclopedia contains more than 6,000 entries and pieces of media related to Arkansas with new material being added weekly.

The Educational Resources Information Center database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to provide extensive access to education-related literature.

Fiero Code is an award winning learn-to-code platform that’s designed to be used in after-school programs at libraries, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, community non-profits as well as public, private, charter, and home school settings. You don’t have to know how to code to use Fiero in your after-school or in-class program.

An online digital collection of color fire insurance maps, real estate atlases, and similar land use maps for the state of Arkansas. Includes publications by Sanborn, Perris, Hexamer, Whipple, Baist, Bromley, Hopkins, and others.

A collection of over 60 million pages of historical documents and personal histories, including millions of records available from the National Archives and other institutions. Please note: certain features of Fold3 require the use of an Adobe Flash plugin unavailable on some mobile and tablet browsers.

Gale Business: Plan Builder is a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s intuitive dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration to develop a business plan focused on long-term success.

Gale eBooks is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These reference materials once were available only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7.

GetSetUp is a powerful learning platform designed specifically for older adults. It offers thousands of live and on-demand classes that promote digital literacy, wellness, creativity, and social connection taught by older adults, for older adults. Classes are paced and designed specifically for learners 55+

Explore your family history with a collection of U.S. obituaries and funeral home notices for genealogical research from 1704-present. HeritageHub helps you identify relatives and uncover new information about your family tree. Includes deep coverage from all 50 U.S. states; hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7 on any device.

Includes searchable images of U.S. Federal Census records, digitized family and local history books, an index to genealogical and local history periodicals, and other genealogy resources.

A browser-based resource for movement, mindfulness, fitness and keeping active for all ages. Includes over 2000 two-minute videos covering details of many sports and physical activities. Avoid gym memberships. Use for homeschooling. Indoors/outdoors. Link your children’s body literacy with their mind literacy with the Reading Hive. Learn about proper nutrition, too. Includes Español.

iVOX Books is a children’s book app which uses storytelling technology to delight and engage curious young minds. Ages 3 through 8 can follow along with a story while interacting with its characters and scenes, immersing them in narrative like never before. Residents of Pulaski and Perry Counties can access these exciting new “books that move!” for free.

Primary and critical text database for literary research at all levels. The collection includes full text of more than 350,000 works of poetry, drama, and prose stretching back to the 8th century through the present day.

An interactive database with practice tests and tutorials for many standardized academic and licensing tests, such as the GED, SAT, Nursing, Real Estate, etc. To access, sign in as new user and create personal account using your library card number as your user name; thereafter sign in as a returning user.

Choose from thousands of online courses to learn in-demand skills from real-world industry experts. Get started with your library card.

The complete collections of Contemporary Literary Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, and Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism in one easily searchable resource.

A daily newspaper serving Conway and Faulkner County and some surrounding areas.

Provides access to over 1,400 essential publications in full text covering topics across all areas of the medical sciences. The content is diverse enough to support the needs of medical students, faculty, and clinicians.

Abstracts of authoritative information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and more from the National Library of Medicine.

Go beyond the ABCs when preparing for kindergarten proficiency with 100s of guided lessons using videos, music, eBooks, tutorials, and more. Online/offline curriculum is balanced 60/40 to help make the move from gross to fine motor skills (e.g., using scissors).

Discover the daily state of the markets at the Morningstar Investing Center home page. Move on to their research tools and screeners to locate and compare various stocks, mutual funds, ETFs and 529 College Savings Plans. Need to know more? Utilize their topical articles, newsletters, videos and classroom of self-study courses on investing and retirement. Click the circled question mark to view the introductory tutorials and guides. Note: number users who can access simultaneously is limited Use of Morningstar Investing Center through the CALS web site is not intended to be an endorsement by CALS of any advice or recommendations provided by its research. Investments are volatile and may lose value.

Find newspaper articles, births, deaths, and more. Powerful search tools to help you find exactly who or what you are looking for.

New subscription link: CALS provides access to digital page images from the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Democrat and other regional newspapers from the mid-1800s up through the mid-1900s at Newspapers.com. Available at your preferred CALS branch. 

Public library access to The New York Times offers many key features including breaking news coverage, video and multimedia access, international news coverage, mobile phone and tablet apps and of course the book review that you can access any day of the week without waiting until Sunday for the print copy. Access requires an active account with the New York Times. Create your account by choosing an option provided or entering your email. If you already have an account, choose “log in” at the bottom of the page.

Includes subject headings, reviews, summaries and more for over 135,000 fiction titles. Use Novelist to find other books by a favorite author, or similar books to a title you’ve already read.

Includes information on many titles popular with students in grades K-8, arranged by instructional unit, theme or topic. Teachers can find appropriate fiction to complement classroom instruction.

The first major reference work to investigate the history and vast scope of beer, The Oxford Companion to Beer features A-Z entries written by 166 of the world’s most prominent beer experts.

More than fourteen hundred named cheeses from around the world are examined — on the farm, under the microscope, in the shop, and on the plate.

Combines serious food history, culinary expertise, and an entertaining and exhaustive catalogue of food and food culture.

With entries ranging from Manhattan and mixology to sloe gin and stills, the Companion combines coverage of the range of spirit-based drinks around the world with clear explanations of production processes, and the history and culture of their consumption.

A collection of entries on all things sweet, written by 265 expert contributors, its coverage begins with the human proclivity for sweetness and continues across many thousands of years and around the globe, affording glimpses deep into the brain as well as stratospheric flights into the world of sugar-crafted fantasies.

A uniquely comprehensive and in-depth A-Z reference book on every aspect of wine, covering topics from history through geography, geology, soil science, viticulture, winemaking, packaging, labelling, academia, technology, and regulations to people and places, tasting, writing, and the language of wine.

From Antarctica to the North Pole, The Oxford Companion to World Exploration offers information on all topics of exploration worldwide, including advances in navigation, the discovery of the New World, polar expeditions, and the space age.

With more than 5,000 entries by an international group of eminent historians, this is the standard research tool on 1,100 years of Byzantine history.

This dictionary provides rich detail on all aspects of the Renaissance in 14th to 17th century Europe.

This volume contains over 2,000 biographical profiles of important American authors (with information regarding their style, subjects, and major works) and influential foreign writers as well as other figures who have been important in the nation’s social and cultural history.

Featuring 600 original articles written by leading scholars, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt goes far beyond the records of archaeology to make available what we know about the full social, political, religious, cultural and artistic legacy of this 5,000-year civilization.

The Encyclopedia provides comprehensive coverage of literature from the Abbey Theatre to Israel Zangwill, covering the entire history of literature in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in the major literary languages (Anglo-Saxon, English, Welsh, Scots, Irish, and Latin).

Written by an international roster of more than 300 authors, the Encyclopedia comprehensively documents and interprets the books read by children throughout the world.

International in scope and spanning all time periods of human history, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History includes 900 original articles by noted scholars from more than thirty-five countries.

A comprehensive guide to the essentials of evolutionary biology, these entries by leading experts survey essential concepts and theories, present methods, models and findings, and discuss both the history of the field and current controversies.

In 700 original, intriguing articles—from “Apple Pie” to “Zombie”— The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America covers the significant events, inventions, and social movements in American history that have affected the way Americans view, prepare, and consume food and drink.

Encompassing tsunamis, elephant conservation, ocean pollution, mining regulation, and permafrost melt, the 300 authoritative articles in this unique and wide-ranging encyclopedia investigate all types of phenomena that change life on Earth.

This landmark scholarly work offers comprehensive, reliable, and accessible information about the fastest growing minority population in the United States. With an unprecedented scope and cutting-edge scholarship, the Encyclopedia draws together the diverse historical and contemporary experiences in the United States of Latinos and Latinas from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The Encyclopedia covers the entire history of seafaring, from ancient Egyptian shipbuilders to the nuclear submarines and supertankers of today.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Culture is the first comprehensive reference source to chronicle Pre-Hispanic, colonial, and modern Mesoamerica, defined as the lands stretching from Mexico to the southern tip of Central America.

The Encyclopedia of Rhetoric is a comprehensive survey of one of the Western world’s oldest disciplines. Its 150 entries, written by leading scholars, bring together expertise in classical studies, philosophy, literature, literary theory, cultural studies, speech, and communications in a comprehensive treatment of the art of persuasion.

This encyclopedia provides authoritative and up-to-date information about theatre and performance from ancient Greek theatre to the latest developments in London, Paris, New York, and around the globe.

Provides information about major world developments from 1750 to the present, with close attention to social, economic, cultural, and political topics.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation is the definitive source for information about the entire range of religious and social changes that altered the face of Europe in the sixteenth century, encompassing not only issues of church polity and theology but also developments in politics, economics, demographics, art and literature.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, edited by Bonnie G. Smith, captures the experiences of women throughout history in a far-reaching, four-volume work. Although there has been extensive research on women in history by region, no other text or reference work has comprehensively covered the role women have played throughout world history.

Oxford Essential Quotations ensures coverage of the most popular and widely used quotations by combining the text of the acclaimed Oxford Dictionary of Quotations with the Oxford English Corpus and enhances these with a selection of equally memorable contemporary sayings.

Provides expanded coverage of the achievements and contributions of African American women.

Revised and expanded Dictionary of American Family Names contains more than 80,000 of the most commonly occurring surnames in the United States.

Documents the African American experience from the arrival of the first slave ship to the death of Frederick Douglass-and shows how American culture, history, and national identity have been influenced by the experience of African Americans.

Traces the transition from the Reconstruction Era to the age of Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, up to and including the 2008 election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.

Covering the “long” Enlightenment, from the rise of Descartes’ disciples in 1670 to the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1815, these 700 articles by leading scholars range from discussions of mercantilism and democracy to the battlefield to the dissemination of ideas in salons and coffeehouses.

A collaborative work of over 600 scholars from more than forty countries, the Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages provides 3,000 concise and detailed articles on all aspects of the period from the fifth to the fifteenth century.

When Bryan Garner published the first edition in 1999, the book quickly became one of the most influential style guides ever written for the English language. Garner explains nuances of grammar and vocabulary and blunders to which modern writers and speakers are prone, whether in word choice, syntax, phrasing, punctuation, or pronunciation.

This resource provides fascinating and authoritative art, historical, and cultural information about art forms, artists, rulers, philosophers, architecture, renowned works of art, archaeological sites and stylistic developments.

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts contains over 3,000 entries covering thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western cultures.

With nearly 2,000 articles written by scholars from fifty countries, the Encyclopedia covers the full spectrum of dance—theatrical, ritual, dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance.

The Encyclopedia encompasses the full range of topics in linguistics, including such areas as historical, comparative, formal, mathematical, functional, philosophical, and sociolinguistics.

Pronunciator provides language learning experiences with step-by-step lesson plans for 163 languages, ESL courses for 146 native languages, American Sign Language courses, and classes for children. First time users are encouraged to create a profile in order to best use this resource.

A general research database featuring a diverse mix of content including scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, reports and videos.

This newly upgraded platform combines several ProQuest products, such as Entrepreneurship and Business Market Research collections, and adds JPMORGAN, Business eBooks, and Business Video. One Business is designed to support the unique needs of business professionals including entrepreneurs, accountants, tax professionals, and academic faculty and students.

Developed to help students do more effective research and to assist educators in teaching the basics of the core information literacy principles of finding, evaluating, and using information.

30,000 printable educational materials for grades pre-K through 8 (ages 4-13). Supplement any subject or skill. Learning activities, quizzes, and more. Build skills at home or in school with printable activity sheets for kids, parents and teachers.

The Watch and Learn Library is an early literacy program in English and Spanish for ages 4 to 8. It includes over 230 videos with real-world footage. It features science and social studies with closed captioning to support beginning readers and ELL. There are also short, fun quizzes to gauge comprehension and a vocabulary builder too.

Provides expertly researched content on core science subjects and in-depth overview essays on key science topic. Includes more than 1600 resources including images, videos, experiments and self-paced learning objects.

General reference database for elementary and middle school learners, researchers, and educators covering curriculum areas and content sets such as reading, language arts, current events, science, social studies, history, health, and technology. SIRS Discoverer provides editorially-selected, indexed, and curated materials from over 2,100 newspapers, magazines, and websites offering guided research for young researchers.

Background and analysis on 350+ leading issues, providing pros and cons on social, scientific, health, historic, economic, political, and global issues.

The complete run of Gale’s Something About the Author reference set, including thousands of illustrated biographical profiles of children’s authors and illustrators.

Science news database for K–12 schools, colleges and universities, and public libraries that gives in-depth explanations of important advances.

¡Disfruta este gran viaje por el mundo de la imaginación! Enjoy this great journey through the world of imagination!

Access more than 500 lifelong learning courses in over 30 subject areas, many of which offer continuing education units (CEUs). All classes are designed and led by professional instructors and include videos, assignments, quizzes, tests, and options for social media interaction with other learners. Patrons may take multiple classes and learn at their own pace.

Value Line Library Elite is a research tool with searchable stocks, investment research, and investment education. Reports are updated weekly. This research tool is limited to 5 simultaneous users. Please log out when you are finished.

The Wall Street Journal delivers breaking business news, investment insight, and original market analysis that people rely on to make smarter professional and personal financial decisions.