History, Law & Culture

The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today.

The Toledo Lucas County Public Library joined the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) back in 1884. That’s more than 135 years of serving the public with government information. This provides the community with a range of local and Federal government services.

Online version of the popular encyclopedia. Great for general information or for school projects. Includes non-fiction eBooks for students and WorldBook in Spanish and French.

School information
Grade Levels: middle school and high school
Subjects: art/music, geography, history/government, science, social studies and technology

Supports classroom instruction and library reading initiatives with over 2,500 titles, including World Book exclusive content and classic literature. 24/7 unlimited, simultaneous access. World Book eBooks also feature a free downloadable app compatible with Apple, Windows, and Android devices.

School information
Grade Levels: elementary school, middle school and high school
Subjects: art/music, English/language arts, health, history/government, science, social studies and technology

AppStore | Google Play

Search Ohio and Michigan court cases and statutes as well as Federal 6th Circuit materials and the United States Supreme Court cases.

Available only inside Library Locations.

Provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government. Provides full content of Presidential Executive Orders, Congressional Bills, Statues, Supreme Court decisions and many more Federal government documents.

Learn more than 100 languages at your own pace with easy-to-use online lessons, vocabulary exercises, practice activities and more.

School information
Grade Levels: high school
Subjects: foreign language

News regarding law and attorney related information in the Toledo area with up to date articles on current events.

An index of the obituaries that appeared in the Toledo Blade from 1837 to present. Users can request a copy of an obituary.

Search for newspaper articles in The New York Times (1851-2013), Chicago Tribune (1849-1993), Washington Post (1889-2000), Wall Street Journal (1889-1993).

Committed to helping seniors access information and resources. Includes a collection of pamphlets, legal forms and directories to either print out or complete online. Covers topics such as power of attorney, wills, medical directives, expungement eligibility and more!

Open Culture boasts that is has the “best free cultural & educational media on the web”. It’s course catalog has a variety of offerings ranging from audiobooks, online courses, certificate courses, movies, languages, textbooks and even eBooks.

Understandable explanation of rights laws and best practices, and form letters empowering victims to exercise their rights.

Ohio Legal Help is the only legal resource that addresses Ohio’s complicated legal landscape. Forms and resources are location specific, so patrons can be confident that what they submit to the court will be accepted, and they’ll know where to go if they need further assistance. Ohio Legal Help provides authoritative legal information to low-income Ohioans, which is vetted by attorneys. The project is guided by trusted organizations like the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, the Ohio State Bar Foundation, and the Ohio Library Council. Patron information is not retained or shared by Ohio Legal Help, as attorneys, like librarians, are concerned about privacy.

An online encyclopedia that provides information about Ohio’s natural history, prehistory, history and evolution through time.

Access the complete archive of National Geographic Magazine (1888-Current) – along with a cross-searchable collection of National Geographic books, maps, images and videos including National Geographic: People, Animals and the World.

School information
Grade Levels: high school
Subjects: history/government, science and social studies

Mango for Libraries uses native speakers, repetition and voice comparison to help you quickly and easily learn a new language. Choose from more than 70 languages including 20 English as a second language options. It’s conversational-based learning.

*First time users must create a profile in order to access the resource.

To use the app you will first need to create a Mango profile online through the library, then use that profile to activate the App.

Terms and Conditions

App Store | Google Play

Through our Local History Department, we are pleased to partner with Ohio Memory to present our growing digital archive which includes collections featuring historical documents, maps and atlases, photographs and more!

Legal GPS is a gamified platform that helps new & existing businesses “do legal” without having to hire a lawyer.

Over 16 million files – text, video, audio, software and images. Use the live music archive to listen to favorite artists. Watch news coverage or entertainment programs. Search various books published before 1923 in American and Canadian libraries.

Trace family history including over 25,000 family and local histories as well as censuses from 1790-1940, city directories, slave schedules, Indian Census rolls and more.

Provides a wide selection of state-specific (and multi-state) legal forms across the most popular areas. Includes real estate contracts, wills, pre-marital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlord tenant and many others. Also includes a comprehensive attorney state directory and a dictionary of legal definitions explained in laymen’s language.

Offers convenient access to military records, including the stories, photos and personal documents of the men and women who served.

A product of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, FamilySearch is the largest genealogy library in the world. FamilySearch maintains a collection of records, resources and services designed to help people learn more about their family history, including millions of genealogy records, many with digital images.

Contains primary-source reports on 209 countries and territories—including every United Nations member state—focusing on 25 cultural categories, including language, personal appearance, greetings, and more. A States and Provinces edition includes maps, flags and symbols, as well as sections on history, economy, geography, population, indigenous peoples and recipes.

School information
Grade Levels: elementary school, middle school and high school
Subjects: history/government, geography and social studies

Comprehensive coverage of the African American experience from earliest times to today. Sourced from nearly 19,000 American and global newspapers from 1704 to the present, including over 400 African American newspapers. Provides full-text searching as well as access to content by Topic, Event, and Eras in African American History. Updated daily.

Provides biographies, obituaries and photographs of thousands of individuals – both living and deceased. Updated monthly.

School information
Grade Levels: middle school and high school
Subjects: art/music, history/government and social studies

Reference source including photos, descriptions and prices provided from sales records from United States auction houses.

Requires library card sign in to access.

From the well known research website Ancestry.com comes the Library edition with a database of more than 2 billion names. Search United States, United Kingdom and Canadian census records, military records, wills and more.

Discover your family by searching more than 300 databases with over 400 million searchable names primarily covering New England and the surrounding region.

Only available at Main Library.

Quickly find your ancestors in over 300 years of historical newspapers, books, pamphlets and government reports including The Social Security Death Index. Search over 1,000 different newspapers.

A great resource for African-American genealogical and biographical research. Search essential historical records including federal census, slave and freed person registers, marriage and military records and more. Connect with others using AfriGeneas, a social networking website.

School Information
Grade Levels: middle school and high school
Subjects: history/government, social studies