Databases
A database is an organized electronic collection of many sources, including print sources. Through them, you can search thousands of magazines, journals, newspapers, and books (among other kinds of sources) all from the comfort of your computer. Although the Internet offers myriad resources, finding reliable resources takes time and is hard work. Databases help to take some of the "guess work" out of research and--if you pay attention to the source type--save you time in terms of source evaluation. This is because the resources available in databases tend to be scholarly in nature, so you can be more trusting of their reliability.
FHS Databases
GALE In Context: High School
(password: falcons)
This database offers up-to-date contextual information on a broad range of topics, people, places, and events. This authoritative reference source provides reliable content including full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, audio files, and links to professionally reviewed websites.
View the GALE Basics Video Tutorial.
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View the GALE Search Results Video Tutorial.
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View the GALE Topic Pages and Documents Video Tutorial.
View the GALE When You Need a Research Topic Video Tutorial.
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GALE in Context: Environmental Studies
(password: falcons)
From climate change to automobile emissions, today’s environmental issues determine the destiny of tomorrow’s world. Gale In Context: Environmental Studies provides users with comprehensive information, empowering learners to critically analyze and understand important topics that affect people around the world. Explore topics and events within Earth systems, global change, pollution, populations, and more.
Integrating case studies, news, reference materials, academic journals, videos, and more, Environmental Studies is updated daily with relevant information. The resource offers nearly 400 topic, state, and province pages across the science, social studies, and humanities curriculum, including Water Privatization, Ecotourism, Air Pollution, Green Economy, and more.
GALE Interactive: Science
(password: falcons)
Going beyond textbooks and traditional science curriculum, Gale Interactive: Science is a highly visual online learning tool that takes visual-spatial learning to the next level by bringing the lab to the classroom. High-value, rich-media digital content selected from authoritative classroom resources—like Gale In Context: Science and Gale OneFile—is paired with interactive 3D models to deliver a virtual laboratory simulation experience for students in middle school and high school grades. Students can entertain their curiosity and inspire grade improvement through an experience that allows zooming in, rotating, or pulling models apart to explore and experiment with complex scientific topics.
GALE National Geographic Kids
(password: falcons)
National Geographic Kids includes the complete run of the magazine from 2009 to the present, as well as books, videos, and images. High-quality informational texts are available for primary, upper elementary, and middle school English Language Arts, social studies, and science classrooms.
National Geographic Kids is part of the National Geographic Virtual Library, which brings together a complete archive of National Geographic magazine - every page of every issue - along with a cross-searchable collection of National Geographic books, maps, images, and videos.
ProQuest Databases (Homework Central)
(username: foothillhigh, password: FHS@Library1)
Access ProQuest databases--CultureGrams, SIRS Discoverer, and SIRS Issues Researcher--through ProQuest's Homework Central, as well as ProQuest's eLibrary and Research Companion.
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ProQuest's eLibrary​ is a massive collection of multidisciplinary periodical and digital media content, designed for beginning and intermediate researchers. Editorially created pages provide valuable context for both common and unusual research topics.
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ProQuest's Research Companion offers multimedia-based learning modules and interactive tools focused on the key information literacy principles of finding, evaluating, and using information.
ProQuest Research Library
(username: foothillhigh, password: FHS@Library1)
This database provides one-stop access to thousands of full-text periodicals from one of the broadest, most inclusive general reference databases ProQuest has to offer. Search from a highly-respected, diversified mix of scholarly journals, professional and trade publications, and magazines covering over 150 subjects and topics.
ProQuest U.S. Major Dailies
(username: foothillhigh, password: FHS@Library1)
U.S. Major Dailies provides access to the five most respected U.S. national and regional newspapers, including The New York Times and Washington Post, co-exclusive access to The Wall Street Journal, and exclusive access to Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. The titles offer researchers thorough and timely coverage of local, regional, and world events with journalistic balance and perspective. The content is available by 8am each day and provides archives stretching as far back as 1985. This database is available on the ProQuest platform.
ProQuest SIRS Issues Researcher
(username: foothillhigh, password: FHS@Library1)
This ProQuest database provides in-depth information of the leading issues of our day. It offers both the Pro and Con side to every issue. There is a list of topics that can be searched, or specific topics can be entered into the search bar.
ProQuest SIRS Discoverer
(username: foothillhigh, password: FHS@Library1)
This multidisciplinary ProQuest database is relevant for curriculum areas such as current events, history, health, language arts, math, science, social studies, and technology. All newspaper, magazine, and reference content is 100% full text, editorially-selected and indexed from over 2,200 reliable, high-quality domestic and international sources.
ProQuest CultureGrams
(username: foothillhigh, password: FHS@Library1)
This database is a leading reference for concise and reliable cultural information on the countries of the world. It provides country reports that go beyond mere facts and figures to deliver a one-of-a-kind perspective on daily life and culture, including the background, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people.
World Edition: Cultural reports for more than 200 countries. Kids Edition: This collection of more than 185+ country reports teaches upper elementary-aged and middle school users about the world around them. States Edition: These colorful and easy-to-read state reports help upper elementary-aged students understand the diversity and history of each U.S. state and the District of Columbia. Provinces Edition: This edition contains kid-friendly reports on all 13 Canadian provinces and territories.
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JSTOR
(username: foothillhigh, password: library)
This database is an online system for archiving academic journals. It provides full-text searches of digitized back issues of scholarly peer-reviewed journals and other materials. It offers over 1000 academic journals and over one million images, letters and other primary source materials. It is widely used in university research, so college-bound high school students should definitely know how to use it.
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View the Find What You Need Quickly on JSTOR Video Tutorial.
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View the JSTOR isn't Google: Quick Tips on Searching JSTOR Video Tutorial.
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View the Advanced Search on JSTOR Video Tutorial.
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View the Quickly Find the Images You Need on JSTOR Video Tutorial.
ABC-CLIO World History
(username: fhs, password: fhs)
The Modern Era database (covering history from the Renaissance to today) is the latest update of the reference standard of electronic history reference materials for high school and high-level middle school coursework.
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ABC-CLIO American History
(username: fhs, password: fhs)
From the explorers of the Americas to the issues of today’s headlines, this database investigates the people, events, and stories of our nation’s evolution.
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ABC-CLIO Pop Culture Universe
(username: fhs, password: fhs)
Pop Culture Universe is an irresistible yet authoritative digital database on popular culture in America, both past and present—in a package as dynamic as the topic it covers.
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ABC-CLIO World Geography
(username: fhs, password: fhs)
This database develops students' global literacy, focusing on the geographic, political, social, economic, environmental, and cultural forces that are increasingly important in our globalized world. On any given country, students can find information about the landforms and climate; natural resources and agriculture; environment; people; traditions and etiquette; food and holidays; national dress; art and landmarks; and government, politics, and economy; as well as its history and contemporary issues the country faces.
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Britannica School (English)
(username: pleasanton, password: pusd)
This is the go-to site for learning more about any subject—for all grades and all reading abilities—offering thousands of up-to-date, curated, and curriculum-relevant articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, and recommended Web sites.
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Britannica Escolar (Spanish)
(username: pleasanton, password: pusd)
This is the leading knowledge-building resource that is universally trusted for accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish.
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Pleasanton Library Research Databases
You may use your Student One Card (your Student ID Card) to access the Pleasanton Library's databases. Your username is your student ID number. Returning students' keep their existing PIN.