Information on online resources we subscribe to, which you can use free of charge.
Library online resources
If you're a library member, you can use most of these resources from home. Find out how to join the library.
We also subscribe to a range of online newspapers and magazines.
eBook and eAudio
For information on this service see our eBook and eAudio page.
Arrivals in English
Arrivals in English provides essential, everyday English to newcomers getting used to life in their local community.
To sign in visit Arrivals in English and enter your Bristol Libraries membership number beginning 08. You will then be able to sign in using your individual log in.
GoCitizen
GoCitizen.co.uk is an online study resource for candidates preparing for the Life in the UK test or British citizenship test.
It features hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test.
Additional interactive learning resources and teaching aids are included.
To sign in and create an account please visit GoCitizen.co.uk and search for Bristol Libraries.
You'll then need to create a login:
- Enter name
- Enter email address
- Enter your library card number, you'll only need to do this the first time after which you use the login you have created
- Enter a password of your choice
Access GoCitizen at library
To access GoCitizen from a library computer or library WiFi, you just need your name and email address, and not your library card number.
Driving Theory Test
This resource lets you take a mock UK driving theory test. It includes all the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency-licensed test questions, and an online version of the Highway Code.
To use this resource, you must first sign up and create a username and password.
To log in from home:
- you'll need your email address, password, and library card number
- enter your library ‘Membership card barcode number' into the box provided
- click Log in
The old ANP library card series is no longer in use for this resource, see staff for a replacement card.
To log in from a library, you'll need your email address and password.
Use Theory Test Pro.
Access to Research
This resource gives access to over 1.5 million academic articles and papers. You can only use the articles for personal research and study.
You can use this resource from home but will be restricted to viewing abstracts only and not the full text.
Read the Terms and Conditions before using the resource.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
This resource gives access to the IELTS, the English language test that assesses your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.
IELTS uses a one-on-one speaking test. You're assessed by having a conversation with a real person.
To log in from home:
- fill in the library membership number box with your library membership card number with no gaps
- select Register or Login
To use this resource in a library, click Register or Login.
Use IELTS Academic.
Tense Buster
This resource can help you build confidence and develop your English vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
It's suitable for all levels of ability.
You can create an account to keep track of your progress, or access it anonymously and just practise.
To sign in from home:
- enter your library membership card number
- select ‘Create an account' or ‘Sign in'
To sign in from a library, you'll need your email address and password. This can then be used to sign in from home.
Use Tense Buster.
Naxos: free streaming music
This resource gives access to Naxos Music Library, the world's largest classical music listening service.
To log in from home:
- enter your Bristol library card number into the 'Enter Passcode' box
- click Login
The old ANP library card series is no longer in use for this resource, see staff for a replacement card.
To use on a portable device (iPad, tablet etc):
- select Playlists, then 'Sign up'.
- enter your details and create a 'password'.
- select 'Register'
- an email should arrive shortly with an 'activation' link, Click on that link.
- click on the 'Click here' weblink.
- download and install either the Android or Apple app for your portable device.
- use your eMail and Password to log into Naxos.
Use Naxos.
BFI Replay
BFI Replay is a digital archive from the BFI (British Film Institute).
It's an online learning and research platform hosting thousands of digitised videos and television programmes from the collections of the BFI National Archive and partner UK Regions and Nations Film Archives.
It's a free resource for library users to browse and enjoy, or to research and study, with thousands of videos.
Access BFI Replay from any of our Bristol libraries.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
This resource gives access to 50,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from early history to 2004.
To log in from home:
- go to the Library card login box, enter the letters ANP followed by your complete library card number
- select Go
Use Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Oxford English Dictionary
This resource is the authority on how English language evolved over the last millennium.
It's a guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words.
To log in from home:
- go to the Library card login box, enter the letters ANP followed by your complete library card number
- select Go
Use OED from a library.
Use OED from home.
The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
To use this resource visit: Oxford Dictionary of Family Names.
To log in from home:
- go to the Library card login box
- enter the letters ANP followed by your complete library card number
- select Go
Who's Who and Who Was Who: 1897 to date
This resource gives access to over 33,000 short biographies of important and influential individuals who shaped the events of their time.
Use Who's Who and Who Was Who.
To log in from home:
- go to the Library card login box, enter the letters ANP followed by your complete library card number
- select Go
Family history resources
Visit our Family History page for information on, and how to access for free, AncestryInstitution.co.uk and Find my past.
Business resources
For access to our business resources, such as Cobra, see the Central Library Business Resources page.
NHS Health Libraries West
This resource offers authoritative information on health conditions, and Libraries West health information eResources.
You do not need to log in to use this resource, just visit NHS Health Libraries West website.