High Life Highland delivers community learning and leisure services including library and information services on behalf of The Highland Council.
Articles and Databases
Access up-to-date local, national and international information for FREE. Use the subject links below to find authoritative information and articles on a range of subjects and disciplines.
Smartcard users - e.g. Young Scot and National Entitlement Card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access your account
UHI Direct Access Online Resources
Click here for a list of free direct access on-line resources shared by the University of the Highlands and Islands.
| Arts and Culture | Biography | Business and Funding | Education and Encyclopaedias |
| Language acquisition | Newspapers | Consumer advice | Test preparation |
| Other Useful Links |
Ask Scotland - ask a Librarian a question
An online information service provided by Scotland’s libraries that lets you get real answers from real people direct from your desktop.
Your questions will go to a librarian who will research your query and email you a customised response. You can email a question using the online form or "Chat with a Librarian" using our instant messaging service, which is available 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.
Arts and Culture
Am Baile - Find Archival Materials and multimedia from across the Highlands. Discover the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands and Islands through digitised books, pamphlets, photographs, illustrations and audio-visual resources.
Oxford Grove Dictionary of Art
- An innovative new gateway that offers users the ability to access and search the vast content of Grove Art Online and Oxford art reference in one location.
Please note: access to Oxford Art Online requires the letters "high" before your library number in 'Library Barcode Login' box.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource.
Oxford Grove Music Online & Oxford Encyclopeadia of Popular Music
- A wealth of information on music, musicians and instruments. Click on the "library barcode user" option, then type in the barcode number on your card.
Please note: access to Oxford Music Online requires the letters "high" before your library number in 'Library Barcode Login' box.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
SCRAN - part of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Scran aims to provide educational access to digital materials representing our material culture and history.
Accessible at your local Library only. Please ask Library staff for access. 
Europeana - explore the digital resources of Europe's museums, libraries, archives and audio-visual collections.
National Museums of Scotland - access information about current exhibitions and collections at the National Museum of Scotland website, National War Museum, National Museum of Costume, National Museum of Rural Life, National Museum of Flight and the National Museums Collection Centre.
Museums & Art Galleries - access a list of local and national museums and art gallery websites for the latest exhibitions, collections and resources on Highland Libraries Delicious social bookmarking page.
Biography
DNB - the new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- An illustrated collection of more than 57,000 specially written biographies of the men and women from around the world who shaped all aspects of Britain's past.
Please note: Remote access to Oxford DNB requires the letters "high" before your library number.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Who’s Who
- the essential directory of the noteworthy and influential in all walks of life, in the UK and worldwide. Plus Who Was Who: over 100,000 entries from the archives of Who’s Who dating back to 1898. NB: to access this site you need to enter the letters "high" before your library card number into the library card number field.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Who Else Writes Like?
Designed to help readers who enjoy fiction to discover new writers and related titles. It is designed to answer the perennial question "I've read all the books by my favourite authors, who shall I read next? Remote access requires log-on using your library barcode number.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Scottish Authors - Gateway to Scottish Authors
An online version of the Scottish Library Association publication "Discovering Scottish Writers". It contains biographies of 79 Scottish authors included in the original publication, with appropriate hyperlinked cross-references.
Scottish Writers
Explore the depth and breadth of Scottish writing, hear authors' own views, see their work brought to life and learn about the authors through reviews and biographies.
Business and Funding
SCOTBIS (Scottish Business Information Service)
Provides a free research service for businesses across Scotland. Based on the vast resources of the National Library of Scotland. At NLS, you can access market research reports, business databases, international directories, and business and trade journals.
Turn2us - to access benefits and grants
Free on-line resource to help people access the money available to them – through benefits, grants and other financial help. The website is designed to help people find appropriate sources of financial support, quickly and easily, based on their particular needs and circumstances.
Language acquisition
Byki -Online language learning - A powerful language learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases. It is the fastest possible way to lock foreign words and phrases in your long-term memory. New User? Click here to sign up with your library barcode
Please note: you are required to create an account to use this resource. Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Language Packs - Browse Highland Libraries collection of language learning packs. To browse a specific language, add the name of the language after the text in the search box. (e.g. loantype:"Langauge Packs" French)
BBC Languages
Learn languages in your own time and have fun.
Newspapers
UK Newsstand
Access all the News – Local, National and International. Search Over 1,300 current newspapers, with over 1,000 in full text format with coverage from 1977-present. Click here to access UK Newsstand.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
The Scotsman (1817-1950)
Search historical newspaper articles from The Scotsman archives between 1817 and 1950. You can refine your search by date, and email and save articles as PDF documents for ease of use. To access this database click here and enter your library barcode.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Education and Encyclopaedias
TES Teaching Resources - space for teachers to share free learning materials including lesson plans, activities, games, teaching ideas and worksheets.
Encyclopedia Britannica - a resource with more than 120,000 articles, daily features, regular updates and links to news reports. Now also available in different versions aimed at children and young people of school age. Please choose from Britannica Online, Britannica Student and Britannica Junior by clicking on the relevant tabs.
Britannica age 18 + Student age 12 to 18 Junior age group 5 to 11
OED - Oxford English Dictionary
- The definitive record of the English language and is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past.
Please note: Remote access to OED requires the letters "high" before your library number.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
ORO – Oxford Reference Online Premium Collection
- The Premium Collection includes a superb range of Oxford titles, updated regularly with an expanding range of key titles in the acclaimed Oxford Companions and Oxford Dictionaries series, bilingual dictionaries, plus the Visual English Dictionary, the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and new heavily illustrated natural history titles such as the Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Please note: Remote access to Oxford Reference requires the letters "high" before your library number.
Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Statistical Accounts of Scotland - 1791-1845
Essential sources of study of Scottish life from the 18th and 19th centuries. Based largely on information supplied by each parish church minister, they provide a rich record of a wide variety of topics.
Click here for access to non-subsribers and browse scanned pages.
For full access to the enhanced service for research purposes, please ask your librarian for login access to Highland Libraries subscription.
BBC Country Profiles - This site supplies information on the history, economy, and politics of countries and territories.
Internet Public Library (IPL) - Information you can trust
- a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment, providing access to collections of high quality Internet resources, newspapers, magazines and special collections for a range of age groups.
Consumer advice
Which? Online - Highland Libraries can now offer access to Which? Online, Accessible at Inverness Library only. This site provides expert, unbiased information to help you make the right choice, whatever you’re buying. Access is by subscriber login. Please ask Inverness Library staff to enter the username and password.
Consumer Focus Scotland - The new statutory organisation campaigning for a fair deal for consumers in Scotland. We are the voice of the consumer, and work to secure a fair deal on their behalf. Find consumer related news, the leatest policy and research, publications and links.
Consumer Direct - Government-funded telephone and online service offering clear and practical information and advice on consumer issues.
Test preparation
Careers and employement - Browse available titles on careers advice and interview preparation on Highland Libraries catalogue.
Life in Great Britain – Your Guide to British Life, Culture and Customs
This website provides preparation material for the "Life in the UK" test. The course material has been reproduced from Chapters of the “Life in the United Kingdom: A journey into Citizenship -Second Edition 2007” handbook published by the Home Office. The online material features split paragraphs and illustrations, making the text easier to digest.
Please note: you are required to create an account to use this resource. Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Theory Test Pro - practice for your driving theory test.
A highly realistic online simulation of the UK's driving theory test. It contains the entire official test questions licensed from the DSA, the people who set the tests. You are required to create a free user account and password to access Theory Test Pro.
Please note: you are required to create an account to use this resource. Smartcard & NEC card users - please enter the first 14 digits of your card number only, leaving off the last 2 digits to access this resource
Other Useful Links
Library Catalogue
High-Societies - Community information directory
Highland Virtual Learning Community
Google
Google Books
Google Scholar
Yahoo
BBC Website
Health in My Language
Alison - Free online learning resources for the wrokplace
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