Discover a comprehensive collection of authoritative periodicals and scholarly journals
 
 

The Chelmsford Public Library is proud to partner with the Massachusetts Trial Court to offer access to virtual court services through the Access to Justice Library Initiative. For more information about the virtual services that are available through the Trial Court, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-access-to-justice.

Collection of 40+ weekly, monthly, and quarterly magazines on a variety of topics, from news to outdoors to parenting to science.

In-Library Access: http://www.americanancestors.org/search/advanced-search/

The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest genealogical society in the country. For over 150 years, NEHGS has helped new and experienced researchers trace their heritage in New England and around the world. Their databases contain a wide assortment of genealogical information, some overlapping what Ancestry Library provides.

Contains the U.S. Census Collection; U.S. Data Collection; U.K. and Ireland Collection; Birth, Marriage, and Death Records; Immigration Collection; Military Collection; Family and Local History Records; Court, Land, and Probate Records; and more.

AtoZ Food America is a United States focused database with recipes and food culture from all 50 states. It also includes historical recipes and information about regional cuisines.

AtoZ Maps Online provides a wide variety of city, state, and country maps – both current and historical. You can find climate, ecology, and topographic maps. There are historical maps and maps about empires and exploration. It even includes a section about world flags!

Recipes and food culture from around the world. AtoZ World Food covers the cuisine of more than 200 different countries, including beverages!

Find a job, find a person, find a business! A job search, white pages, and mailing list database that searches more than 30 million businesses and executives, 7 million jobs, 220 million residents, and 7.9 million healthcare professionals. Ideal for sales leads, mailing lists, market research, employment opportunities, finding friends and relatives, and much more!

Sign up to be notified by text or email when books, movies, and music from your favorite authors and artists are added to the catalog. Log in with your phone number or email address, create as many alerts as you like, and edit or delete them at any time.

Ask at Reference Desk for login
In-Library Access: https://id.barrons.com/access/pages/barrons/us/login_standalone.html

Provides in-depth analysis and commentary on the markets, updated every business day online. Print edition available in the Newspaper Room.

Biographies from respected Gale Group sources with related full-text articles from hundreds of periodicals, as well as tens of thousands of images and links to hand-picked web sites. Search for people, both current and historic from all eras and fields of endeavor. Who’s Who provides access to quick biographical reference information on more than 1 million additional people.

Short videos of Library staff reviewing new and great books. Produced in association with Chelmsford Telemedia.

This nonprofit website rates local service firms and provides unbiased consumer rating and information on local auto repair shops, home repair services, health care providers, and more.
At Home Patrons: After typing in your library card number, you’ll be prompted to create an account with Consumer Checkbook. You’ll only need to do this once, and it enables to you write reviews for the companies and services listed on their website.

1980-current. Full-text content of local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community.

Searchable archive of the Selectmen Meeting minutes for the Town of Chelmsford from 1898 to present. The reports are full-text searchable, and you can read them online or download them in a variety of formats. This archive was funded by a Boston Public Library grant and hosted by the Internet Archive, scanned from the collections of the Chelmsford Town Clerk. See all Chelmsford documents on the Internet Archive.

A spreadsheet indexing all of the names of people buried in Chelmsford cemeteries, from 1900- 2008. This file, which can be opened in programs like Microsoft Excel, covers Fairview, Forefathers, Heart Pond, Pine Ridge, and Riverside cemeteries. For an up-to-date list, please contact the Chelmsford Cemetery Department at 978-250-5245.
Note: This file requires spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel to open. If you have trouble using it, please contact the Reference Desk at askus@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521.

Downloadable PDF scans of CHS yearbooks. Thanks to the Historical Society and the Chelmsford High School Alumni Association for sharing their collections with the library, and Fred Merriam for scanning the entire set at the Historical Society.

Note: Publication merged with Westford and Littleton papers May 2019, continues as Eagle-Inpdependent.

Full-text content of weekly newspaper of Chelmsford, Massachusetts (published every Thursday). Paid advertisements are excluded. [12/8/2005-5/30/2019]

Chelmsford newspapers available on microfilm: Chelmsford Independent 1986-present; Chelmsford Newsweekly 1940-1993

Series of programs focused on learning a new skill or talent, such as bike repair, playing the ukulele, and more – see the notes, videos, photos, and other resources from each program.

A PDF index to the obituaries listed in the Chelmsford Newsweekly (6/20/1940 – 8/26/1993) and the Chelmsford Independent (1/2/1986 – present). When you locate the correct obituary, you can use the newspaper name, date, and page number to look up the obituary text on our microfilm records, or contact the Reference Desk at askus@chelmsfordlibrary.org or 978-256-5521 x1211 (with the obituary citation information) and we can email you the obituary.

Note: Obituaries not in this archive may have appeared in the Lowell Sun newspaper, which is available on microfilm at Lowell’s Pollard Memorial Library. You can also contact the Lowell Sun’s obituary department at obituaries@lowellsun.com or 978-970-4652.

Digitized scans of List of men and women alphabetical and by streets : town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts (volumes from 1930s – 1960s) and The Lowell suburban directory for Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westford : containing an alphabetical list of the inhabitants and business firms, streets, town offices, societies, churches and other miscellaneous matter (volumes from 1890s through 1930s). The documents are full-text searchable, and you can read them online or download them in a variety of formats. This archive was funded by a Boston Public Library grant and hosted by the Internet Archive, scanned from the collections of the Chelmsford Historical Society, Chelmsford Library, and private collections. See all Library documents on the Internet Archive.

Searchable archive of the Annual Reports for the Town of Chelmsford from 1874 to present. The reports are full-text searchable, and you can read them online or download them in a variety of formats. This archive was funded by a Boston Public Library grant and hosted by the Internet Archive, scanned from the collections of both the Chelmsford Historical Society and Chelmsford Library. See all Library documents on the Internet Archive.

This guide to resources related to helping the environment and combating climate change can help you get more informed and involved. Learn how you can influence climate change and our natural environment in a positive way.

This guide to immigration and citizenship related resources can help you get more informed and involved in this important topic. Find recommended reading, local and national organizations, health resources, and English language learning.

This guide to LGBTQ+ related resources can help you get informed and involved in fighting for equality. Find out more using our recommended readings, then consider joining a local organization or meetup or volunteering.

This guide to food banks and related resources can help you get more informed and involved in helping feed others. Use this guide to help find food, or to get involved with helping others suffering from food insecurity.

This guide to racial justice related resources can help you get more informed and involved in this important topic. Find recommended reading and local and national organizations that support racial and social justice topics. Get involved today!

Learn about candidates running for office, where to go to become a poll worker, and how to contact your representatives. This guide to voting related resources will help you become a more informed and engaged voter!

A catalog showing the holdings of most libraries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This catalog is free to any MA library cardholder to use to request items be sent to your local library (provided the item is not available in your local library system). Please contact the Reference Staff for help locating or requesting an item.

Provides ratings, buying guides, product reviews and consumer information from the experts at Consumer Reports magazine and Consumers Union.

Librarian-selected book recommendations, with documented selection criteria and four recommendation levels. Individual lists cover Children’s books, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Middle & Junior High reading, and Nonfiction titles.

Learn a new skill or hobby with 1,000+ award-winning art & craft video classes, taught by recognized design experts and artists. You can also see a list of project videos before logging in.

Free RMV permit practice tests, including 11 car practice tests, 6 motorcycle practice tests, 3 CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) practice tests, 3 online driver’s manuals (car, motorcycle, CDL), and an FAQ section with detailed answers to 100+ DMV-related questions.

Please Note: Driving-Test.org is not affiliated with or evaluated by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. The official RMV Driver’s Manual is available on their website, along with additional driver’s education information.

Full-text content of weekly newspaper of Chelmsford, Westford, and Littleton, Massachusetts (published every Thursday). Paid advertisements are excluded. Preceded by Chelmsford Independent. [5/30/2019-Current]

Chelmsford newspapers available on microfilm: Chelmsford Independent 1986-present; Chelmsford Newsweekly 1940-1993

Explore the updated online encyclopedia from Encyclopaedia Britannica with hundreds of thousands of articles, biographies, videos, images, and Web sites.

Online access to Salem Press’ Encyclopedia of American Immigration, covering the various cultures and significant individuals that immigrated to the US, and their impact after arriving. The Salem History database also searches Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society, Great Lives from History: Inventors and Inventions, and Milestone Documents in World History.

Online access to Salem Press’ Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society, exploring how mathematics affects our daily lives in sociological, economic, and historical perspectives. The Salem History database also searches Encyclopedia of American Immigration, Great Lives from History: Inventors and Inventions, and Milestone Documents in World History.

Gale In Context: Environmental Studies provides comprehensive information via case studies, news, reference materials, academic journals, and videos so learners can critically analyze and understand important environmental issues that affect people around the world. Explore topics including water privatization, ecotourism, pollution, green economy, and more.

Lists popular series books in order, and is searchable by character, location, subject, author, and title, to make it easy to find books based on whatever you know about the series.

Collection of scholarly journals and general interest titles that covers everything from art and literature to economics and the sciences.
 

The Chelmsford Library is an Affiliate Library of the Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This affiliate status allows patrons to view restricted online records when in the Library. Start your search at the FamilySearch catalog. For more information, please contact the Reference Desk at askus@chelmsfordlibrary.org or 978-256-5521 x1211.

Download five DRM-free songs per week, and keep them forever! These mp3 files never expire or need to be returned, and Freegal includes almost all artists released on a Sony label and many international labels.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Freegal is allowing unlimited streaming!

Our largest general-interest periodical resource allows you to find the information you want quickly, with intuitive searching that ensures you tap into quality sources.

Integrates news, global viewpoints, reference materials, country information, primary source documents, videos, statistics, and more in a single search with a global perspective.

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the 175+ countries around the world. Useful for business travelers, tourists, and students. Topics for each country include society and culture, travel essentials, business culture, communications, traditions, and even includes recipes for ethnic dishes.

Online access to Salem Press’ Great Lives from History: Inventors and Inventions, offering in-depth biographical essays on important men and women inventors of all time, from around the world. The Salem History database also searches Encyclopedia of American Immigration, Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society, and Milestone Documents in World History.

Comprehensive consumer health resource that provides authoritative information on the full range of health-related issues, from current disease and disorder information to in-depth coverage of alternative medical practices, and includes full-text medical journals, magazines, reference works, multimedia, and much more.

Full text of nursing and allied health journals, plus the wide variety of personal health information sources, intended for informational purposes only.
 
 

Over 20,000 Family and Local Histories; 1790-1930 U.S. Federal Census; Periodical Source Index (PERSI); Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; Freedman’s Bank Records; and more.

A list of 45+ online courses for homeschool students. Each course is self-paced and available 24/7 through Universal Class. Courses range from ABCs of Algebra to Ancient Civilizations 101 to Birdwatching 101, and also includes course for homeschool teachers such as Autism Spectrum Disorders for Teachers and Applied Behavior Analysis Strategies for Teachers. Create an account with your library card to log in on future visits.

Stream or download popular movies, television shows, musical albums, audiobooks, ebooks, or comic books! You can check out videos (movies & TV) for 3 days, music for 1 week, and audiobooks, ebooks, and comics for 3 weeks.

Full-text newspaper article search by title, headline, date, author, newspaper section, or other fields, to more than 2,300 major U.S. regional, national, and local newspapers, as well as leading titles from around the world

Periodicals database is designed for high-school students with access to a variety of indexed and full-text magazines, newspapers and reference books.
 

Gale Interactive: Science is a highly visual online learning tool that takes visual-spatial learning to the next level by bringing the science lab online. High-value, multi-media digital content selected from authoritative classroom resources is paired with interactive 3D models to deliver a virtual laboratory simulation experience for students in middle school and high school grades.

Streaming film service that offers thousands of films, documentaries, and shorts from producers in the U.S. and around the world. Highlights include films from The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, and PBS, as well as thousands of independent filmmakers.

Create a free account, then add your library card to start watching. You can check out up to three films per month. If you run out of play credits for the current month, save films to a watchlist (+MyList) for the future.

Covering 75 full-text curriculum-related magazines and 7 reference books, InfoBits targets the research needs of K- 5 students.
 

Gale OneFile: Leadership and Management Provides access to authoritative periodical content covering topics as diverse as 21st century skills, learning disorders, standardized testing, home schooling and more. Updated daily, this resource is useful for researchers or any professional educators interested in professional development.

Legacy.com is a well-respected source for online obituaries. Although some of the services they provide require payment, their obituary search is free and searches obituaries from across the country back to 2001. Local significant newspapers include the Chelmsford Independent, Lowell Sun, and Boston Globe.

eAudiobooks, eBooks, Magazines, and more that you can download and listen to on your computer, your mobile device, or tablet.

Lingo LITE offers basic vocabulary training in 30 different languages, perfect for travelers and beginning language learners. Users can choose both the interface language and the language of study, and the instructional video and audio is presented by native speakers. You can also access Lingo LITE through their app, available in your smart device’s app store for free.

Find up-to-date biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism and reviews on nearly 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods and from around the world The optional MLA International Bibliography module adds citations for hundreds of thousands of books, articles and dissertations from 1926 to the present, linked to full text where available.

Complete full-text content of local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community. Paid advertisements are excluded. [10/14/2001 – Current]

Online access to Salem Press’ Magill’s Medical Guide. It is an up-to-date and easy-to-use compendium of medical information for student researchers, patients and caregivers, covering diseases, disorders, treatments, procedures, specialties, anatomy, biology, and issues in an A-Z format.

The Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange exists to help “find youth permanent families so that they have the support system they need to live safely and to become their best selves. We believe no child should leave the foster care system without permanent connections, support, and stability.” The website features access to adoption support resources, ways to get involved, and a continually-updated database of profiles of foster children in Massachusetts waiting to find the right home.

Gale LegalForms: Massachusetts Legal Forms Library offers a wide selection of essential state-specific (and multi-state) legal forms that may be customized for the most common legal procedures. These forms are used by attorneys and law firms. Includes real estate contracts, wills, premarital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlord tenant, and many others.

A statewide listing of municipalities by county, state and regional contact information for a variety of government departments and services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Includes addresses and contacts for elected and appointed officials from the local level to the U.S. Congress.

Online access to Salem Press’ Milestone Documents in World History, which combines in-depth analysis with over 125 iconic primary source documents from ancient times to the present and from virtually every geographical region.

Full-text articles for The New York Times, including The New York Times Book Review, and The New York Times Magazine. (2000 to current).
 

Tutorials created by staff in Chelmsford and libraries across the country, focusing on educational topics across a variety of subjects: business, finance, evaluating online information, health, research skills, and more. Click into any tutorial for a step-by-step guide, with text, graphic, and video instructions. We also take suggestions for new tutorials!

Tutorials created by staff in Chelmsford and libraries across the country that teach you how to use the library’s online resources, such as Overdrive. Click into any tutorial for a step-by-step guide, with text, graphic, and video instructions.

Tutorials created by staff in Chelmsford and libraries across the country, focusing on technology and research topics. Click into any tutorial for a step-by-step guide, with text, graphic, and video instructions, on topics such as using Microsoft Word, using Instragram, researching your family’s genealogy, buying a new computer, and more. We also take suggestions for new tutorials!

A database of both fiction and non-fiction books that provides reviews, annotations, you-might-also-like suggestions, author read-alikes, What We’re Reading, book discussion Guides, booktalks, and annotated book lists.

Provides coverage of topics in today’s news from multiple points of view, to help researchers evaluate topics from different angles. Find information in reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, and more.

Full-color and full-page layout access to popular magazines, just as if you were holding them. These magazines have no wait lists or holds and do not count towards checkout limits.

PebbleGo is a collection of curriculum-based resources for students to research through and learn from. There are two modules: Animals and Biographies. Both are specifically aimed at K-3 with easily navigable guidance.

Raise your scores and increase your chances of admission with all-inclusive test prep for over 185 exams, including SAT, ACT, and AP tests.

Discover which careers suit you best, research potential career options, and explore the requirements and outlooks for the occupations you’re interested in.

Online access to Salem Press’ Psychology & Mental Health, covering notable theories, people, social issues, life stages, the physiology and anatomy of the nervous system, and diagnoses, disorders, treatments, tests, for various mental illnesses or conditions, all in a simple, easy to use A-Z format.

Presents a multi-faceted method (video, audio, games, quizzes, etc) for learning conversational language skills, including grammar and culture lessons, with both online and downloadable learning options. Languages include: French, German, Italian, Spanish (Latin American), Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Arabic, English (from Spanish), American Sign Language.

College-level science research including 7.3 million full text articles from over 1,600 sources. In full-text format, researchers have access to all the charts, diagrams, graphs, tables, photos, and other graphical elements so vital to scientific and engineering literature.

Contextual information on hundreds of today’s most significant science topics, with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, experiments, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.

This guide to senior services and resources related to health and wellness lists local and national organizations that provide health care support, local programs, housing and more. It also lists helpful titles in the library collection regarding healthy senior living.

This guide to resources related to housing and in-home care lists local and national organizations that offer senior housing, assisted living, and more. It also lists helpful titles in the library collection regarding securing housing.

This guide to resources related to legal assistance can help you get more information and referrals on a full range of legal concerns. It also lists helpful titles in the library collection regarding legal aid.

This guide to resources related to transportation support for seniors in the Chelmsford area lists free and low-cost ride programs and information on the LRTA.

Ask at Reference Desk for login
In-Library Access: http://www.socialaw.com/account/librarylogin

Collection of Massachusetts court and state agency decisions from the Social Law Library’s legal research databases; provided by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Transparent Language Online provides a fun, effective, and engaging experience for online language learners of all levels—and it’s all free and easy to use with a library card. It provides unlimited access to more than 120 languages, including ESL for speakers of over 26 languages, and 12+ Indigenous languages. Lessons and course materials are designed to build listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Transparent Language Online is als available as an app for iOS and Android.

TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they’ll love. TumbleBooks are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book, which can also be read to you.

Contextual information on hundreds of significant people, events and topics in U.S. History, from full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.

Vital Records of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849. Alphabetical indexes to the manuscript records of the town, supplemented by information from church registers, cemetery inscriptions and other sources.

Resources for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers looking for help with online learning, entertaining kids and supplementing classroom instruction at home. Sign up for an account to access World Book’s online resources free!
Please Note: This resource is provided free by the publisher during the COVID-19 crisis.

Information on hundreds of the most significant people, events and topics in World History, from full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.

A catalog showing most of the items held in libraries around the world. To request items in WorldCat (but not in Chelmsford’s catalog or the Commonwealth Catalog, please contact the Reference Desk.