Reference and research

Being a member of the library gives you access to nearly 30 online subscriptions free of charge.

Most of the resources will ask you to log in using your library card number, whilst some will ask you for your library pin. A few of the websites can only be access from computers in some libraries, if this is the case we have not provided an external link and you will need to contact your local library for more details.

Ancestry Library Edition

Access from public library and Kent Archives Search Room computers only. Start searching billions of records to help discover your family's story. Key sources include the UK collections of census records for England, Wales, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Scotland, 1841 to 1911. There are also sources on Ancestry Library Edition connected with births, marriages and deaths, immigration and travel, military services, wills, probate, land, taxes and crime. A simple search using an ancestor's first name and surname can produce some interesting results, which can be printed or emailed.

Contact your local library for more information.

Dictionary of National Biography

A national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century

Visit the Dictionary of National Biography website.

Find my Past - Community Edition

Access from public library and Kent Archives Search Room computers only.

View around 750 million records including birth, marriage and death records, the complete UK census collection (including the official 1911 and 1921 census returns and the 1939 Register), millions of parish records (including Kent parishes) dating as far back as 1538, a vast military records collection spanning 1656 to 1994, migration records, and Kent School Admission Registers and logbooks, 1870-1914.

Other subscriptions excludes memorial scrolls and the Living Relatives database. Our licence states that usage is for research into a user's own family history only, and not for any commercial or other purpose whatsoever and that accessing records on behalf of 3rd parties is not permitted.

Contact your local library for more information.

Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland

Search over 45,000 entries including current surnames with more than 100 bearers and those that had more than 20 bearers in the 1881 census. The entries give an explanation of the name’s origins, variations in spelling, and information about geographical distribution.

In order to access this resource, visit the Oxford Reference website and sign in with your library card. Then select from the menu 'Show Books in my subscription', then 'Name Studies' from the list of subjects.

Visit the Oxford Reference website.

Who's Who (with Who was Who) Online

Who's Who is the essential directory of the noteworthy and influential in the UK and worldwide. Who Was Who includes over 100,000 entries from the archives of Who's Who dating back to 1898.

Visit the Who's Who website.

Free websites

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The "Debt of Honour Register" database lists the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during the 2 world wars and the 23,000 cemeteries, memorials and other locations worldwide where they are commemorated. You can also search the register for details of the 67,000 Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action in the Second World War.

Visit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

Family Search

Family Search is a non profit service sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The site provides access to "the largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world".

Visit the Family Search website.

FreeBMD

Access to partial indexes for 1837 to 1992 civil records of births, marriages and deaths.

Visit the FreeBMD website.

Historic Environment Record

The Historic Environment Record provides free access to 1000s of local history resources including images, transcribed wills and documents and town trails. The Kent section includes transcribed wills, a history of the papermaking industry, a history of people and work in the Lower Medway Valley is being prepared. You can also access ordnance survey maps from between 1860 - 1930. Using the Map Search- Heritage Maps facility, you can also access historic ordnance survey maps of Kent as well as aerial photographs of Kent from 1946, 1990 and 2008.

Search the Historic Environment Record website.

Kent Archives

Our service provides you with the opportunity to learn, explore and develop your knowledge of Kent's history. Find out more about our collections, research services, conservation work, parish registers and events.

Visit the Kent archives and Local History website.

Medway Archives Centre

The Medway Archive Centre preserves and makes available for research the archives of the Medway area of Kent and also the parish records of north-west Kent.

Visit the Medway Archives Online Catalogue.

British Library Newspapers

Find influential national and regional newspapers representing different political and cultural segments of British society. This collection illuminates diverse and distinct regional attitudes, cultures, and vernaculars, providing an alternative viewpoint to the London-centric national press over a period of more than 200 years.

Kent newspapers are not included in this collection, but are included in the British Newspaper Archive available in libraries (see below about how to access this archive).

Sign into our collection of Gale Databases to access British Library Newspapers from 1800 to 1950.

British Newspaper Archive - Community Edition (all libraries, no remote access)

A partnership between the British Library and Brightsolid online publishing to digitise up to 40 million newspaper pages from the British Library's vast collection over the next 10 years.

So far it includes over 50 Kent titles, with new content added every week.

See the full list including Kent titles.

Contact Ask a Kent Librarian for more information.

Free access is restricted to library computers and you will need to register for an individual account. We have a limited number of concurrent licences across the county; to enable a maximum of people to benefit, the product will log you out following 10 minutes of inactivity.

Gale News Vault

Use the news vault to search the following resources individually, or all in one go:

  • British Library Newspapers
  • Illustrated London News Historical Archive 1842-2003
  • Times Digital Archive 1785-2019

Sign into our collection of Gale Databases to access the Gale News Vault.

Illustrated London News Historical Archive 1842 to 2003

The world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, it allowed readers to not only read about British and world events but to actually see them. From war and disasters to politics and the arts, it provided a vivid view of the people, places and events that, until then, most of its readers could only imagine.

Sign into our collection of Gale Databases to access the Illustrated London News Historical Archive 1842 to 2003.

NewsBank

NewsBank provides a comprehensive collection of reliable news sources covering a wide array of topics and issues. Articles are taken from print and online-only newspapers, blogs, newswires, journals, broadcast transcripts and videos. Includes today's edition of The Times.

Visit the Global Access Newsbank website.

PressReader

Access over 7,000 newspapers and magazines on your phone, tablet or on a computer. Read the current edition and recent past copies. You can create an account with your library card to browse through the available titles by country, category or publication type.

Find out more about PressReader on our eBook pages.

The PressReader app is available for download on mobile devices. Please search for it on your app store.

Visit the PressReader website for more information.

Times Digital Archives 1785 to 2019

Search through the digital edition of The Times (London) 1785 to 2019 using keyword or date searches to retrieve full facsimile images of either a specific article or a complete page. The entire newspaper is captured, with all notices, obituaries, advertisements and illustrations/photos divided into categories to facilitate searching.

Sign into our collection of Gale Databases to access the Times Digital Archives 1785 to 2019.

Free websites

DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)

DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. Contains access to over 12,000 journals and 3.4million articles from 128 countries.

Visit the DOAJ website.

Easy News

The first newspaper designed to be accessible for people with learning disabilities. It will be published every two months and is available in print and online. An audio version will also be available on CD and online.

Visit the Easy News website.

Travellers' Times

Travellers' Times Online brings the latest news, pictures, video, opinion and resources from within the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Visit the Travellers' Times.

Home learning resources

You can find recommended titles, learn how to search our library catalogue for specific titles and subjects, check to see what's available to borrow and find links to our favourite online resources.

View our home learning resources.

Homework clubs

Some of our libraries have homework clubs where you can get extra help from volunteer helpers.

Find out more about homework clubs.

Oxford Reference

Oxford Reference brings together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s dictionaries, companions and encyclopaedias spanning around 25 different subject areas.

Visit the Oxford Reference website.

Free websites

BBC Bitesize

Learning resources for school and home for key stages 1 to 3 and GCSE level students.

Visit the BBC Bitesize website.

BBC Tiny Happy People

BBC's Tiny Happy People offers online resources for families with babies and preschoolers.

Visit the BBC Tiny Happy People website.

BookTrust

Families can enjoy storytime with free online books and videos, play games, win prizes, test their knowledge in book-themed quizzes, or even learn how to draw some of your favourite characters on the BookTrust website.

Visit the BookTrust website.

Britannica

Explore the fact-checked online encyclopedia with hundreds of thousands of objective articles, biographies, videos and more.

Visit the Britannica website.

Kent's Children's University

Kent Children's University has been working with partners to create a sizeable resource of home learning activities, challenge materials and ideas to support children and help young people to keep creative, entertained, active and busy during these unpredictable times.

Visit the Kent Children's University website.

National Archives Education

Award winning suite of online resources for students and teachers on various periods of history from medieval times to today via the Victorians and the world wars. Includes podcasts, lesson plans linked to downloadable documents and video-assisted tours of various resources.

Visit the National Archives Education website.

Oxford Owl

An award-winning website packed with expert advice, top tips, eBooks and activities to help you support your child's reading and maths at home. Free registration.

Visit the Oxford Owl website.

Primary Homework Help

A site packed full of homework help resources and games suitable for primary school age children.

Visit the Primary Homework Help website.

Productivity tools

The University of Kent has pulled together a list of useful apps and software to help with work and study. Resources include support for file storage, text to speech and voice recognition and most of the tools are free to use

Visit the University of Kent website.

Puffin publishers

Publishers of children’s books such as Puffin, provide activity packs, craft ideas and recordings of authors reading their own books.

Visit the Puffin website.

The Department of Education

The Department for Education have brought together a list of online educational resources to help children to learn at home. These websites have been identified by some of the country’s leading educational experts and offer a wide range of support and resources for pupils of all ages.

Visit the Department of Education's website.

The Literacy Trust

The Literacy Trust’s Family Zone has ideas and guidance for fun, simple activities that will engage children at home, while also benefiting their reading, writing and language development, which are all broken down into different age groups.

Visit the Literacy Trust website.

The Reading Agency

The Reading Agency Hub has free activities and resources for all ages and abilities, with more being added all the time.

Visit the Reading Agency website.

The School Library Association

The School Library Association’s website brings together a wealth of resources that have been made freely available. It also includes information about upcoming events and plans in reaction to the closure of schools.

Visit the School Library Association.

COBRA

The Complete Online Business Reference Advisor (COBRA) is an encyclopaedia of practical information for anyone involved in setting up, running or managing a business enterprise.

As a Kent library card holder, you can download or print documents for your own personal use, to help research, start up or run a business. No part of the product can be transmitted, promoted, referred to or linked to by any other means, including by email or on the internet, without written permission from COBRA. Remote access is restricted to 12 business information briefings, 12 business opportunities profiles, and 6 UK market synopsis a year. You can access the COBRA website in any Kent library or at home.

Visit the COBRA website.

Institute of Accountants and Bookkeepers

We have teamed up with the Institute of Accountants and Bookkeepers to provide a free 1 hour course on managing your finances, which covers:

  • setting a household budget
  • understanding your payslip
  • reducing your cost-of-living expenses
  • understanding loan repayments
  • accessing financial support.

You can enrol online or by logging in to any library computer.

On completion, you will receive a certificate of learning which will be invaluable when applying for jobs, volunteering roles, housing or accessing further qualifications.

Theory Test Pro

Theory Test Pro is a highly realistic online simulation of the UK's driving theory test. 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. This information allows Theory Test Pro to save your test scores so you can follow your progress as you practise for the test. If you sign up from anywhere other than a library, you will also need your library card number.

Visit the Theory Test Pro website.

Free computer courses

Learn My Way

Step-by-step online basic computer courses. Customers can learn to use a keyboard and mouse, create an email account, search the internet and much more (e.g. job hunting and shopping online).

Please note: you will need your library branch's UK Online centre code to register for a full account.

Contact your local library for more information or visit the Learn My Way website.

Cisco online courses

We are working in partnership with Cisco NetAcad to provide a range of free online courses designed to help progress your career in IT.

The introductory courses are self-paced so you can enrol and complete each one in your own time. At the end of each course you have the option to take a final assessment, or you may choose to complete a knowledge quiz to check your understanding. Cisco courses are industry recognised qualifications.

Free websites

CXK

CXK is a charity that delivers a range of services to empower young people and adults across the south-east to build the skills and confidence they need to move into sustainable education, employment or training.

Visit the CXK website.

Find a Job

You can search and apply for jobs free via Find a Job from the Department for Work and Pensions. You don't need to be registered to search for jobs but setting up an account will help match job opportunities to your skills and enable you to use the CV builder.

Visit the Find a Job website.

FutureLearn

FutureLearn is a private company owned by the Open University that offers a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. The courses are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life. Many of the online courses can be accessed for free for the duration of the course plus fourteen days.

Visit the FutureLearn website.

Kent Adult Education

Kent Adult Education provides an extensive programme of courses aiming to meet the varied needs and interests of Kent communities.

Visit the Kent Adult Education website.

Learndirect

Guidance and advice on careers and courses, as well as details of their online courses.

Visit the Learndirect website.

National Careers Service

The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work.

Visit the National Careers Service website.

UCAS

The University and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) is an independent charity providing information, advice, and admissions services to guide prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students (plus parents and advisers) along the right route, giving them the support and advice they need to make an informed decision about their future.

Visit the UCAS website.

BFI Replay

It is the result of one of the UK’s largest mass digitisation programmes and includes stories from across the UK, its history and its people. The platform provides access to thousands of digitised videos and TV programmes from the collection of the BFI (British Film Institute) and regional archives, covering 60 years of film.

Free access to BFI Replay is restricted to library computers. Please contact Ask a Kent Librarian for more information.

Cambridge Histories Online

Containing over 300 volumes published since 1960, this covers over 15 different academic subjects including literature and performing arts, providing a diverse, up to date and authoritative collection that is a must for anyone researching or studying a subject that has an historical element.

Remote access requires a login and password. Please contact Ask a Kent Librarian and give your library card number.

Visit the Cambridge Histories Online website.

Dictionary of National Biography

Tells the stories of more than 60,000 people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond. It also includes more than 11,000 portrait illustrations, essays, reference lists and groups. The DNB online contains the complete text of the original 33-volumes of the first edition of the Dictionary of National Biography, updated and expanded with new and revised entries.

Visit the Dictionary of National Biography website.

Gale News Vault

Use the News Vault to search the following resources individually, or all in one go:

  • British Library Newspapers
  • Illustrated London News Historical Archive 1842-2003
  • Times Digital Archive 1975-2019

Sign into our collection of Gale Databases to access the Gale News Vault.

The John Johnson Collection

Access thousands of items selected from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera at the Bodleian Library, offering unique insights into the changing nature of everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Categories include Nineteenth-Century Entertainment, the Booktrade, Popular Prints, Crimes, Murders and Executions, and Advertising.

Visit the John Johnson Collection website.

Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts

Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) indexes more than 560 core journals, nearly 50 priority journals, and nearly 125 selective journals; plus books, research reports and proceedings. Subject coverage includes librarianship, classification, cataloguing, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management and more. Coverage in the database extends back as far as the mid-1960s.

LISTA is accessed through the EBSCO Host. Visit the EBSCO website and select "Choose Database" to select LISTA.

Sign into EBSCO to visit the LISTA website.

Free websites

British History Online

A digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the mediaeval and modern history of the British Isles – including Hasted's 'Historical and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent'. Please note that premium content cannot be accessed.

Visit the British History Online website.

Historical currency converter

Find out how much an amount of today's money would have been worth in a particular decade or how much yesterday's money is worth today.

Visit the National Archives website.

Manuscripts Online

Manuscripts Online offers online primary resources relating to written and early printed culture in Britain during the period 1000 to 1500. The resources include literary manuscripts, historical documents and early printed books which are located on websites owned by libraries, archives, universities and publishers.

Visit the Manuscripts Online website.

Measuring Worth

If you want to know what a monetary value in the past is worth today, the Measuring Worth calculators can provide several alternative answers with a guide to the best choice.

Visit the Measuring Worth website.

National Archives Education

Award winning suite of online resources for students and teachers on various periods of history from medieval times to today via the Victorians and the world wars. Includes podcasts, lesson plans linked to downloadable documents and video-assisted tours of various resources.

Visit the National Archives Education website.

Kent Archives and Local History

Kent Archives have a range of information and resources to help you explore your family history, and find out more about the history of Kent. Find help and advice on planning your search and visiting an archive centre from Kent Archives.

Visit the Kent Archives and Local History website.

Access to Research

Access to Research gives free, walk-in access to over 15 million academic articles in participating public libraries across the UK. Students and independent researchers can now access many of the world's best academic papers from leading publishers who have made their journal content available for free. Start by viewing which articles and journals are available from home, then visit a Kent library where you can view the full text the full text on a public computer.

Visit the Access to Research website.

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopaedia

This 17 volume encyclopaedia – the completely revised and updated 2003 version of the original work published in Germany in 1960 – incorporates recent developments in the animal world. You can use it online and download sections to your eReader to read or listen to at your convenience.

Sign into our collection of Gale Databases and select the "Gale eBooks" to access Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopaedia.

Oxford English Dictionary

Widely acknowledged as the most authoritative and comprehensive dictionary of English in the world. It also traces the evolution of more than 600,000 words during the past 1500 years through 3.5 million quotations from a wide range of sources.

Visit the Oxford English Dictionary website.

Oxford Reference

Oxford Reference brings together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopaedias spanning around 25 different subject areas.

Visit the Oxford Reference website.

Free websites

Britannica

Explore the fact-checked online encyclopedia with hundreds of thousands of objective articles, biographies, videos and more.

Visit the Britannica website.

Wisden's Cricketing Almanack Archive

The online archive gives access to the famous Almanack from 1864-2011 including Cricketer of the Year essays, the best features and articles, editors' notes from each edition as well as reports and scorecards from every Test and one-day international.

Visit the Wisden's Cricketing Almanack Archive website.

Online safety

A collection of helpful links to sources of information on online safety and scam prevention, and to organisations who can provide help and advice to children, parents, and anyone who uses the internet.

Visit the Online Safety website.

Westlaw UK

Available only at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone. Westlaw provides the following legal resources:

  • Case law: over 400,000 case reports and transcripts dating back to 1220
  • Legislation: UK Acts and Statutory Instruments, consolidated back to 1267, as currently in force and updated daily
  • Commentary: analytical commentary from the entire Common Law Library, market-leading books and loose-leaf publications.

Contact Ask-a-Kent Librarian for more information.

Which?

The Consumer Association provides independent and unbiased help to consumers of a range of products and services. Which Online contains product reviews, help with switching energy providers, links to trusted traders, consumer services and expert advice.

Which Magazine is available in print and online at the following libraries only: Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone, Gravesend, Margate, Sevenoaks, Sittingbourne, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, and the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone.

Contact your local library for more information.

Free websites

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice provides free, confidential and independent advice to help people overcome their problems. It provides guidance on your rights covering areas such as benefits, jobs, money matters, relationships, health, housing, and a range of consumer issues.

Visit the Citizens Advice website.

Kent Trading Standards

Trading Standards work with businesses and developing partnerships to create and maintain a safe and fair trading environment where Kent businesses can operate and grow, and Kent consumers can engage in their economic activity with confidence.

Visit the Trading Standards website.

Law Society

Search the database of registered solicitors, and find further guidance about paying for legal services, specialist solicitors, lawyers for businesses, complaints, and directories.

Visit the Law Society website.

Legal Aid

Legal aid can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal. This site provides information about the service, and helps to check if you are eligible.

Visit the Legal Aid website.

Legislaton.gov.uk

The official portal to the full test of all UK legislation. Maintained by the National Archives, this site contains primary legislation from 1247 to the present day, as well as secondary legislation and draft legislation. Full text of all statutes as enacted, with revised versions of many laws also available.

Visit the Legislation.gov.uk website.

Money Advice Service

The Money Advice Service is an independent organisation set up by the government. It provides free and impartial advice to help you improve your finances, with direct support available by phone and online. Their website contains tools and calculators to help you keep track of your money and plan ahead.

Visit the Money Advice Service website.

Trading Standards Checked

Trading Standards Checked is a trusted accreditation scheme for trades in the home maintenance sector run by Kent County Council. The website provides contact information for reputable and credible traders that have been rigorous vetted and safety checked by Trading Standards.

Visit the Trading Standards Checked website.

Turn2us

Turn2us is a national charity helping people when times get tough. They can provide financial support to help people get back on track.

Visit the Turn2us website.

BFI Replay

It is the result of one of the UK’s largest mass digitisation programmes and includes stories from across the UK, its history and its people. The platform provides access to thousands of digitised videos and TV programmes from the collection of the BFI (British Film Institute) and regional archives, covering 60 years of film.

Free access to BFI Replay is restricted to library computers. Please contact Ask a Kent Librarian for more information.

Screenonline

BFI Screenonline is the "definitive guide to Britain's film and TV history". You can view thousands of stills, publicity materials, synopses, specially written analyses and biographies. Clips of TV programmes and films can only be viewed from public library computers.

Visit the Screenonline website.

Free Websites

Boosey & Hawkes Online Scores

This online catalogue offers free viewing of over 400 contemporary orchestral, opera, and large ensemble scores by modern composers such as Bartók, Bernstein, Britten, Copland, Stravinsky, Kael Jenkins and Steve Reich. All that is required to view scores online is to complete the free online registration form.

Visit the Boosey & Hawkes Online Scores website.

British Cartoon Archive

A unique online database containing details of the main cartoon collections held in the archive, located at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Cartoons can be found by cartoonist, publication, date, name or subject. The computer displays the cartoon's image and the cataloguing details.

Visit the British Cartoon Archive website.

Dickens Journals Online

An open access online resource which launched in 2012 as part of the Dickens Bicentenary celebrations. Offers digitised and indexed content to many of the journals Dickens edited or published.

Visit the Dickens Journals Online website.

Europeana

Explore over 58 million artworks, photographs, artefacts, books, films, newsreels, broadcasts and music from European museums, galleries, libraries and archives.

Visit the Europeana website.

VADS (Visual Arts Data Service)

VADS is the online resource for visual arts. It has provided services to the academic community for 20 years and has built up a considerable portfolio of visual art collections comprising over 100,000 images that are freely available and copyright cleared for use in learning, teaching and research in the UK.

Visit the VADS website.

Free websites

Health Help Now

Online service provided by the NHS. Use the website to check you symptoms, get advice and find local health services.

Visit the Health Help Now website.

Kent Public Health Observatory

Information and statistics relating to public health in Kent.

Visit the Kent Public Health Observatory website.

Kent Social Care and Health

Kent County Council's social care and health section has information and advice about care homes, day care, home care, carer's services, adoption, and health and mental health services.

Visit the KCC Social Care and Health website.

Live It Well

Live It Well pulls together ideas, resources and information about things to do in Kent "that can help you find ways to live life well".

Visit the Live It Well website.

Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan provides help, support and advice for all individuals affected by cancer.

Visit the Macmillan Cancer Support website.

NHS Choices

NHS Choices is a guide to information about the NHS and its services. The main gateway to the 'Patients' choice' scheme enabling you to choose your hospital.

Visit the NHS Choices website.

Patient UK

Patient UK has comprehensive, free, up-to-date health information as provided by UK GP s to patients and carers during consultations. The ultimate FAQ resource for health.

Visit the Patient UK website.

SEND information hub

Our SEND information hub is an online support resource to help families with children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The hub has information and advice for education (early years to further education), health and wellbeing, preparing to become an adult, as well as what to do if you think your child may have SEND. You can also find local community support and links to charities.

Visit the SEND information hub.

You can also visit one of our libraries to find a select of SEND support books or borrow one of our e-books.

British Standards Online

Available from public computers in all our libraries. British Standards Online provides free access to the full-text of almost all British Standards as well as their European and International equivalents. Please ask a member of staff for access.

Contact Ask a Kent Librarian for more information.

COBRA

The Complete Online Business Reference Advisor (COBRA) is an encyclopaedia of practical information for anyone involved in setting up, running or managing a business enterprise.

As a Kent library card holder, you can download or print documents for your own personal use, to help research, start up or run a business. No part of the product can be transmitted, promoted, referred to or linked to by any other means, including by email or on the internet, without written permission from COBRA. Remote access is restricted to 12 Business Information Briefings, 12 Business Opportunities Profiles, and 6 UK Market Synopsis a year. You can access the COBRA website in any Kent library or at home.

Visit the COBRA website.

Fame

Fame can be used to

  • search for company reports
  • contact, financial, credit and ownership details for all registered UK companies
  • download market intelligence reports
  • extract mailing lists tailored to your requirements.

Due to licensing restrictions, we will need to access this database on your behalf.

Contact Ask a Kent Librarian for more information.

GRANTfinder

GRANTfinder allows you to search for all types funding including loans, awards and grants to help local companies succeed and grow. Local entrepreneurs can search independently through the thousands of funds available to them. These include European Union and government programmes, regional schemes, local authority funds, and prestigious business award competitions.

GRANTfinder is available via public computers at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone, or contact Ask a Kent Librarian for more information.

IBISWorld

Provides industry market research and risk ratings on hundreds of the industries in the UK, including statistics, analysis, risk scores and revenue forecasts

IBISWorld is available via public computers at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone, or contact Ask a Kent Librarian for more information.

Free Websites

Getting your business online

Nominet has produced two free guides to help explain why your business needs to be online, and how to go about getting your business online. You can find out more information and download both guides from the following links:

Approved Documents

The most recent versions of the Approved Documents that support the technical "Parts" of the Building Regulations together with Regulation 7 are accessible from the Planning Portal website.

Visit the Planning Portal website.

The British Library business webinars

Open to all UK business owners, their Reset. Restart programme is here to help you transform, future-proof or grow your business through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. There are 10 free webinars you can join as part of the programme to receive practical, jargon-free training and advice.

Visit The British Library website.

Companies House

Companies House incorporates and dissolves limited companies, registers the information companies are legally required to supply, and makes that information available to the public.

Visit the Companies House website.

IP Equip

Learn how to protect your intellectual property rights by using the IP Equip interactive eLearning tool. This free online training will teach you about intellectual property rights such as trademarks, patents, copyright and designs.

Visit the IP Equip website.

Sources of Funding

Find out about available business loans and funding to help start or expand your business in Kent.

You can also find useful information from these organisations:

Elected Representatives

The following links will lead you to your local:

Democracy Matters

An informal alliance of over 30 civil society organisations and community education providers aiming to promote learning for democracy, citizenship, participation and practical politics, particularly among people who have least power in society.

Visit the Democracy Matters website.

Eurostat

This website is updated daily and provides direct access to the latest and most complete statistical information available on the European Union, the EU Member States, the Euro-zone and other countries.

Visit the Eurostat website.

Kent County Council statistics

Non-personal information published by us, including invoice and salary information, website statistics and statistics for libraries, registrations and archives.

Visit our data about the council page.

Kent Public Health Observatory

Information and statistics relating to public health in Kent.

Visit the Kent Public Health Observatory website.

Kent Landscape Information System

This site contains details on countryside access, landscape character, identifies opportunities for habitat creation and landscape restoration, the Kent habitat survey as well as areas designated for their conservation value.

Visit the Kent Landscape Information System website.

National Statistics

The site for official UK statistics, including census figures and neighbourhood statistics.

Visit the National Statistics website.

Public Information Online

Public Information Online contains all material from 2006/07 Parliamentary session to the present. The site is updated daily with fully searchable PDFs that are available on the day of publication. It also includes non Parliamentary material from 2009 onwards including official departmental reports, technical papers, research reports, annual reports and statistical research.

Visit the Public Information Online website.

UK Parliament

Access details of the text of the Houses of Commons and Lords daily debates (Hansard) current and historical, research materials on various topics, contact details for members of the two Houses and much more.

Visit the UK Parliament website.