Solihull start page - Solihull Libraries

Essentials

Remember this is a public place and others could access unattended computers.

For your safety

Anything saved or downloaded on our computers is wiped when you log off. You should save anything you may need again on a USB memory stick.

Virus check USB memory sticks

Please ask staff to do this before using USB memory sticks – viruses could cause problems for other users.

Log out of websites and apps

that you have logged into before you end your session. Other people could view your content.

End your session after use

by clicking End Session on the desktop. Please don’t turn the computer off.

Please follow the rules

you agreed to when you logged on. Please also note that computer sessions will end 15 minutes before library closing time.

Free eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines

Our free service offers several thousand eBooks and eAudiobooks, and over 4000 eMagazines, which you can download and read from your own tablet, smartphone or computer wherever you are, or in the library.

Borrowbox provides the eBooks and eAudiobooks service for Solihull, use the Borrowbox app or the Borrowbox website to listen to these.

Visit BorrowBox

Libby contains over 4000 eMagazines, with over 400 UK titles, you can use the Libby app or the Libby website to view these.

Visit Libby.

eMagazine and eNewspaper migration to Borrowbox

From May 20th Solihull will be moving all eMagazine and most eNews to ePress from Bolinda, available through the Borrowbox app.
This means that all of your eAudiobook, eBook, eMagazine and most eNews content will now be available through one single app/ website, making it easier to find the content you’re interested in.
Solihull will also continue to offer the Newsbank UK service which includes most UK newspaper titles, and an archive of newspapers.
Until June 30th, Libby and PressReader will continue to run in parallel, but access to these will be turned off after then.
For more information see the FAQ page and the instructions How to Use ePress
You can sign in with your library account number and PIN, and see the eBooks, eAudiobooks, and ePress for eMagazines and eNewspapers
There will be several carousels of titles by subject and you can also view titles in A-Z format or do a title.

Online Resources

Dictionaries

Oxford Dictionaries Premium

Oxford Dictionaries Premium is a comprehensive language resource providing access to online dictionaries in nine major world languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
With up-to-date online dictionaries, thesauruses, and language reference content based on the largest language research program in the world, Oxford Dictionaries Premium is an extensive integrated, smart-linked language resource.

Visit Oxford Dictionaries Premium

Family History Sources

Ancestry Library Edition

Free access from all library PCs to one of the most useful websites for UK and International resources to help you trace your family tree.
Ancestry includes: census returns 1841-1901 for England, Wales, Scotland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; indexes to births, marriages and deaths in England & Wales 1837-2005; First World War service records, pension records and medal rolls; lists of ships' passengers arriving in the UK 1890-1960; indexes to wills 1861-1941.

Visit Ancestry Library Edition

Find My Past

Free access from PCs in all Solihull Libraries to records including: 1911 census for England & Wales; overseas indexes to births, marriages and deaths 1961-1994; lists of ships' passengers leaving the UK 1890-1960.
Please note that our Community Edition of Find My Past does not include access to the 'Living Relatives' records.

Visit Find My Past

Oxford Dictionary of Family Names

This huge dictionary is the ultimate reference work on family names of the UK, covering 45,000 English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, and immigrant surnames.
It includes every surname that currently has more than 100 bearers, and those that had more than 20 bearers in the 1881 census.

Each entry contains lists of variant spellings of the name, an explanation of its origins (including the etymology), lists of early bearers and maps showing the distribution of the surname in the 1881 Census.

Visit the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names

The Genealogist

The Genealogist is a specialist family history site, which has unique records not available on Ancestry or Find My Past. The unique records include tithe maps, some occupational records and many non-conformist registers.

Visit The Genealogist

Learning to Drive

Theory Test Pro

A highly realistic online simulation of the UK's driving theory test, for cars, motorcycles, large goods vehicles, and passenger carrying vehicles. It contains the entire official test question bank, hazard perception video clips and an online version of the Highway Code. All this material is licensed from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the people who set the tests. When you first use Theory Test Pro, you will need to register with your name, email address and password. There is no charge for this. This information allows Theory Test Pro to save your test scores so you can follow your progress as you practise for the test. You will need a valid email address to sign up for Theory Test Pro. Full access is available with a Solihull library card - it's free to join!

Visit Theory Test Pro

Newspapers

British Newspaper Archive

The British Newspaper Archive is a collection of millions of pages from hundreds of British newspapers from the 1700s to the 1970s.

There are local papers from all parts of the country available in fulltext, and thousands of new pages are being added each week at the British Library.

National titles include the Illustrated London News, and many suffragette titles

For this area, the Birmingham Daily Post, Birmingham Mail, Aris's Birmingham Gazette, Coventry Telegraph and Warwick & Warwickshire Advertiser are available.

Visit the British Newspaper Archive

PressReader

View full copies of over 7000 newspapers from over 100 countries in over 60 languages, from national and local papers to magazines, including the Daily Mail, Express, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, I and Independent, and their Sunday equivalents. The Birmingham Mail, Birmingham Post, and Sunday Mercury and Solihull News are also included. Magazine titles include Country Walking, TES, Grazia, Closer, Empire, Autosport, Angling Times, Bike and many more. You can view the titles for up to 90 days.

Visit PressReader

Newsbank Global Edition

This archive of world newspapers, including most UK national papers and also local papers such as the Birmingham Mail and Sunday Mercury. In addition current issues of many papers including most UK ones are available as they are published in full image form – this includes the Times and Sunday Times which are not available on our enewspapers service PressReader. You can also explore diverse perspectives and stay informed on local, national and global topics, people and events by searching sources across more than 200 countries.

Visit Newsbank Global Edition

Which?

Which Online

The website of Which? magazine. As well as a two-year archive of reports, the site contains up-to-the-minute buying guides which make it more up-to-date than the magazines themselves. Available to use on computers at every library - just ask staff for assistance.

Visit Which Online

	Search the catalogue
	Reserve items online
	Renew your loans online
	Check your account
	Solihull Local Information Directory
	Online Planning Applications
	Solihull Community Housing
	Solihull Tourist Information
	Research local history
	Research family history