We may have limited in-person services right now due to the recent storm damage but our Digital Resources are always open to our patrons! Access newspapers, employment tools, test prep, research databases, music, movies and television, eBooks, audiobooks, and more from the Resources page of our website. You can evan enroll to get a high school diploma! All you need is your HPL library card!
What Topics Do Our Resources Cover?
Digital Media & Reader’s Advisory
Some of our most popular Digital Resources, like Libby, hoopla, Freegal, Kanopy and Bookflix, offer access to eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, movies, television series, and music! Look for these services’ apps in your devices app store or access them from a computer.
For anyone looking for their next great fiction or nonfiction read or audiobook listen, also check out NoveList, a fun and interactive reader’s advisory tool. Visit NoveList to look up your favorite authors and genres and find read-alike options. NoveList asks you what you like about your favorite reads, then recommends new options based on your tastes.
Education & Test Prep
Adults can earn their high school diploma for FREE from Excel Adult High School. The Excel Adult High School program offers the opportunity for Massachusetts residents age 19+ to earn an accredited high school diploma, fully online! Students can access courses 24/7 and can finish the program in less time with transfer credits. Ongoing support from instructors and success coaches is available through an online tutoring program. Excel Adult High School is accessible through the Gale Online Learning Portal.
Do you have an important entrance exam or certification test to take? Or maybe you just want to learn more about what it’s like to work in a specific field? Peterson’s Test Prep and Peterson’s Career Prep offer free resume and job search help, career advice, career assessments, military crosswalk guidance, self-paced courses on vocation tests, and full-length practice tests. If you are already an educator, access ProQuest’s Teacher Reference Center to discover new continuing education and curriculum development resources.
Research & Genealogy Databases
Many people love researching and doing deep dives into interesting topics. Our patrons have access to several different types of research and genealogy databases from home. You can use Encyclopedia Britannica in English or Spanish as a great starting point for any research project. If you’re doing business research, you can do deep dives on industries and businesses on AtoZdatabases!
We also offer access to an extensive selection of high-quality research databases from Gale. You can do anything from general research in Gale’s databases to using one of their topic-specific databases for research on important people’s lives and contributions to the world, education, history, health and nursing topics, literary criticism, science, technology, and more! In addition to Gale’s databases, we also offer access to EBSCOhost’s GreenFile which covers all aspects of human impact on the environment.
If you enjoy doing family history and genealogy research, check out HeritageQuest Online from the comfort of your own home. This database offers a comprehensive treasury of American genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries with coverage dating back as early as the 1700s.
Consumer Resources & Legal Forms
Two popular resources for everyday consumers are Consumer Reports and Chilton Library. Consumer Reports is an invaluable publication featuring the latest quality reviews and safety research on cars, electronics, appliances, and more! This is a fantastic resource to consult before making ANY purchase for your home or work life.
For any vehicle owners out there, Chilton Library is one of the oldest and most reputable vehicle repair resources available. Through Chilton Library, you can get access to details on vehicle maintenance and repairs on any make and model of vehicle dating back to as old as 1929! They have extensive video and written tutorials on how to do basic and advanced repairs. You can even submit a question to an expert to get advice on a problem you’ve been having with your vehicle! For any aspiring mechanics, you can also access Automotive Service Excellence Technician certification exam practice tests.
If you are looking for legal form templates, explore Gale: Legal Forms Library. Find thousands of legal forms that you can customize to meet your needs. You can find legal definitions, tax forms, an attorney directory, LegalLife articles, and, of course, form templates! Their most popular form topics include divorce, wills & estates, real estate, bankruptcy, landlord tenant, power of attorney, name change, incorporation, paternity, attorneys, and corporations.
Career & Job Support for Veterans and Civilians
Whether you are a civilian or a veteran who has served our country, we have several digital resources that will support your employment ventures. If you are looking to do research on industries, check out AtoZdatabses. If you want information on specific career fields, scope out Gale Onefile’s Vocations and Careers database. For assistance with resumes and cover letters, try AtoZdatabases, Cypress Resume Creator, JobNow, VetNow, or Peterson’s Career Prep.
Veterans can use brainfuse’s VetNow to connect with expert help with VA benefits and community and employment resources. Use VetNow to access job tools, resume assistance, interview prep, feedback from a 24-hour writing lab, and live veteran navigators to help connect you with VA benefits and other community resources. VetNow also offers a language lab and support for Spanish-speaking vets.
Do you need to study for a certification or entrance exam for your specific career interest or field? Peterson’s Career Prep and Peterson’s Test Prep are where you want to go! Peterson’s resources can help you both to do a deep dive in any career field and prepare yourself for its entrance or certification exams.
Language Learning
For English speakers looking to learn another language or for English Language Learners, we have two Digital Resources for you! Transparent Languages Online for Libraries empowers anyone to learn 110+ languages anytime, anywhere, on any device. With one account for your family, you can have unlimited simultaneous usage for your entire household! Also check out Mango Languages which prepares language learners for realistic conversations and communication in over 70 of the world’s major languages.
Newspapers
If you miss coming to the library to read the daily newpapers, then you will definitely want to use our Boston Globe, New York Times, and US Newsstream Digital Resources from home. The Boston Globe service provides access to current, indexed issues of the newspaper and issues all the way back to 1980. You can access The New York Times and search by topic, subject guide, and even hunt through The New York Times Article Archive.
Use ProQuest’s US Newsstream to search current and extensive backfiles of US news content that features top newspapers, wires, broadcast transcripts, blogs, and news sites in full-text format. Through US Newsstream, you can access the follow backfiles through current date from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, Newsday, ProPublica, Huffington Post, CNN Newswires, and Politico.