Looking to find your roots?  Search genealogical records for Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., including census, vital statistics, church, court and immigration records.

Getting Started Guide

Historical announcements and articles from Barrie news sources from 1847-1979.
Some gaps in online coverage exist due to missing or damaged original pages.

Historical newspapers from elsewhere in Ontario can be found at: Ontario Community Newspaper Portal.

Find newspapers, magazines, academic and trade journals from across Barrie Public Library's online resources (excludes PressReader, cloudLibrary NewsStand and Libby Magazines).

Once you have found a journal title, click the link to its home database near the bottom of the page.

Getting Started and 'how-to' guides for online library resources.
Features tips and troubleshooting for eBooks, getting started with online databases like SimplyAnalytics or Ancestry and tutorials on common tools like Email and Zoom.

For personalized Tech Coach sessions register in our online events calendar.

Getting Started Guide

Find images and transcriptions of headstones from Canadian cemeteries. Records are all hosted and stored exclusively in Canada.

Analyses of current issues in the news. Includes essays, radio transcripts, and magazine and newspaper articles that present both sides of the issue.

Comprehensive health and wellness information for patients and non-experts.
Search or browse by topic and get full-text articles, fact sheets and reports from a range of medical and alternative sources. Also features a directory of drugs, herbal and nutritional supplements.

Getting Started Guide

Local and customized data covering social & demographic information from the census, immigration data and real-time data on shelter utilization & system flow.

A great resource for research on who and how people are living in Barrie and Simcoe County .

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography/Dictionnaire biographique du Canada (DCB/DBC) contains 8,500 biographies. This includes the complete contents of volumes I to XV, revealing the life stories of Canadians covering the years 1000 to 1930.

Full-text articles from magazines, journal articles, news, biographies and other sources. Explore current events, history, health and more.

Explora searches across multiple databases including MasterFILE Premier (including Consumer Reports & Consumer Reports Buying Guide), Canadian Points of View, Canadian Reference Centre, Consumer Health Complete and Primary Search.

Getting Started Guide

For students and adults alike, the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia database indexes over 25,000 records, covering an array of topics. Find images, brief biographies and information in a variety of subject areas.

Getting Started Guide

Handbooks, encyclopedias and other publications covering popular subjects. From Who Discovered DNA to Folktales, Fairy Tales and Encyclopedia of World Biography. You’ll find a variety of interesting reads.

Formerly named Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL).

Getting Started Guide

Full-text encyclopedia articles to help younger students with research and homework assignments.

Discover biographies, reviews, criticisms, and overviews. Search modern novelists, poems, and short stories.

This resource incorporates Literature Criticism Online and Something About the Author.

Discover a collection of scholarly journals, newspapers and reference content. Use the Topic Finder to explore new topics or keywords related to your search.

Searches across multiple databases including Academic OneFile, Popular Magazines and Gale e-Books.

Full page images of the Globe and Mail from 1844 - four years from the present date. Easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.

Getting Started Guide

Canadian web content collected and preserved by Library and Archives Canada. This includes Government of Canada information published on the web since 2005, such as old versions of departmental websites. You can also find the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Web Archive and official COVID-19 pandemic websites.

Find full-text content from leading home improvement magazines and reference books, plus a collection of helpful images.

Includes information about non-profit agencies, government offices, health services, clubs and special interest organizations, volunteer opportunities, daycare services, support groups and listings for many private counsellors and counselling services in the Barrie area.

Also includes sub-sections for local community food programs and volunteer opportunities.

Getting Started Guides

Learn a new skill online, on your time. Over 16,000 video courses in Business, Technology and Creative Skills taught by industry experts.

Mobile App Users: You will be asked for a Library ID (barrielibrary) or email when you log into the mobile app.
Our Library ID is barrielibrary. Enter this as a response to either request.

Getting Started Guide | Printable Guides

Reference titles from Oxford University Press. Includes the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Oxford Companions to Canadian Literature, Children's Literature, Shakespeare, the Bible and American Politics. You can also read the Grove Encyclopedia series focusing on art, music and architecture.

Video Guide

Full-colour, full-page images of over 6,000 magazines and newspapers from 120 countries in 60 languages the day they hit the newsstands.  Magazines include popular titles as well as business and current affairs.  Archives of up to 60 days are available as well as today's papers.  Advanced features include automated translation and the ability to listen to articles. 

Includes the Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, and many more Canadian and international titles.

Note:  Globe & Mail is only accessible through PressReader at the Library.  The publisher does not permit remote access to this title.

Getting Started Guide | Printable Guide

Online access to more than 70 popular elementary school magazines along with the American Heritage Children's Dictionary and an image collection.

Simcoe.com provides news and information to the communities in Simcoe County and Grey-Bruce.  Simcoe.com includes content from the Barrie Advance as well as other area newspapers. The search on this website also includes articles from the Barrie Examiner from approximately 2012 until its closure in November 2017.

If you are looking for Canadian obituaries, you can search by city and date at yourlifemoments.ca.

Create professional maps and reports using demographic, business and marketing data. SimpyAnalytics has the data you need to answer key research questions, make sound business decisions and understand the socio-demographic and economic conditions of any area in Canada. Now includes COVID-19 Outbreak - Canada 2020 data.

Getting Started Guide | Printable Guides

Note:  The Publisher has provided temporary 24/7 remote access due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. We recommend a laptop or computer to access this database. 

Clear, simple, step-by-step answers to common legal problems for Ontarians. You can find free legal clinics and definitions of legal terms. Live chat and email support is also available.

Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) and other legal groups in Ontario contribute to this resource.

For local legal services check the Information Barrie Community Database.

Full page images of the Toronto Star from 1894 - three years from the present date. Easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.

Getting Started Guide