Library Databases

The following online databases provide a wealth of information in a variety of formats. Some of the databases may require a password, available at the library, or access may be limited to in-library use.
BadgerLink offers Wisconsin residents access to business, health, literature, magazine and newspaper resources, and many are available in full-text.  The following databases are among the many resources available through Badgerlink:

• Auto Repair Reference Center – Repair manuals for most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles, with repair information for most vintage makes starting as far back as 1954.
• Consumer Health Complete – Includes more than 200 health and wellness reference books and encyclopedias, thousands of health reports, drug evaluation sheets, videos, pamphlets and other documents.
• Creativebug –Enjoy thousands of award-winning art and craft video classes taught by experts and artists with Creativebug.Watch classes on your computer or download the free Creativebug app to use on your mobile device. It’s included with your library card!
• HeritageQuest – Research ancestors and historical sources dating back to the 1700s.
• Kanopy – Stream thousands of films for free, with your library card.
• MasterFILE Premier– A general reference database with nearly 1,700 publications with full text information dating as far back as 1975. Accessed in BadgerLink’s Database List.
• New York Times
  • Access NYT while you are outside of the library here.
  • Access NYT while you are inside the library here.
• New York Times Cooking – 19,000+ recipes, training videos, techniques and tips! 
  • Access NYT Cooking while you are inside the library here 
  • or for 24 hours while you are outside of the library here.
• NoveList – A readers’ advisory database with over 150,000 fiction titles, and over 4000 custom created articles and lists. Access Feature Articles, BookTalks, and Book Discussion Guides along with Author Read-alikes, Readers’ Advisory training content and a variety of other reader materials.
• NoveList K-8 – A readers’ advisory database for grades K-8 with collection of titles, BookTalks, Recommended Reads book lists and more.
• TeachingBooks.net – Thousands of resources for k-12 multimedia fiction and nonfiction reading activities for educators, librarians, students and families supporting language arts, book clubs, art educators, social studies and much more.
• Transparent Language Online – 100+ languages at your fingertips. Learn ASL, Ojibwe, Spanish, ESL, and more. Create an account with your library card number!
• EBSCOhost – A rich eBook collection of books, journals, and database content. Select the EBSCO Database List, then select the eBook Collection. Sign in at the top of the page.

*BadgerLink is a project of the Department of Public Instruction’s Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning for the citizens of Wisconsin. Funding is provided through the Public Service Commission Universal Service Fund.

Library Catalogs

NORTHERN WATERS LIBRARY NETWORK (NWLN)
NWLN is the regional shared catalog of NWLS member libraries. With a library card patrons can directly request, renew, and can check the status of items either checked out or on hold.
WISCAT
WisCat is the Wisconsin library catalog and can be used to search for items outside the local system. To fill out a WisCat request, use Spooner Library’s ILL Request Form.
WORLDCAT
WORLDCAT is a worldwide catalog of library collections. A user-friendly search page is available for patrons searching the catalog from home.

Government Information Links

City of Spooner: http://www.cityofspooner.gov Washburn County: http://www.co.washburn.wi.us/
State of Wisconsin: http://www.wisconsin.gov/
Wisconsin Statutes:  http://legis.wisconsin.gov/
Wisconsin Tourism: http://www.travelwisconsin.com/
Federal Government: http://www.usa.gov/
State Taxes: http://www.revenue.wi.gov/
Federal Taxes: http://www.irs.gov/
Social Security: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.va.gov/

Newspapers

Burnett County Sentinel: ​The Burnett County Sentinel was the county’s first newspaper when Matthew Westcott began publishing on Feb. 19, 1875. The Sentinel continued weekly until its building and presses were destroyed by fire in 1909. The business was sold to its competitor. The Journal changed its name to “Journal and Sentinel”, but later reverted to the Journal of Burnett County. When the Journal folded in 1962, Wilbur A. Nelson revived the Burnett County Sentinel. Following his death in 1975, his wife, Marjorie Nelson and son, Gary Nelson operated it until Feb. 1, 1994, when it was purchased by Mainstream Publications. It was then purchased by Eugene Johnson on Dec. 1, 1999 (website). The office is located at 114 W. Madison Ave., Grantsburg, WI 54840 and is open from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday – Friday.

Spooner Advocate: The Spooner Advocate, founded in 1901, is Washburn County’s leading source of advertising, news, and other information. Located at 251 E. Maple Street, the Spooner Advocate and its companion Total Market Coverage (TMC) product, The Weekender, serve all of Washburn County and parts of Burnett County, with a combined circulation of nearly 20,000 and a penetration rate of 99 percent of households in the area (Pulse Research Survey).
The Spooner Advocate office, located at 251 E. Maple St., Spooner is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Archive of Wisconsin Newspapers

Full-text daily and weekly Wisconsin newspapers from 2005 to 90 days ago, plus newspapers from the 1800s and 1900s. For student and adult researchers.

New York Times

• Access NYT while you are outside of the library here.
• Access NYT while you are inside the library here.

Newspapers.com

Historical newspapers archive from the 1700s-2000s containing thousands of well-known regional, state, and small local newspapers in the United States and other countries.