Online Resources – Access our virtual library 24 hours a day
We have subscribed to the following websites to allow you to have full access from any computer in the world. You will need your library card and pin number to log in from home. If you have forgotten your pin, you can reset it with our forgotten password feature. Some sites (those in Family History Research and Consumer Advice) are only accessible on a Halton Library Public PC, or on your device connected to Halton Libraries WiFi.
- Citizenship and Driving
- Consumer Advice
- E-books and E-audio books
- Family History Research
- Newspapers, Comics and Magazines
- Reference and Research
Theory test pro
Theory Test Pro gives you free access to the official DSA Car and Motorbike driving theory test. A realistic 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. You can access remotely or within the library by registering to create your own account. This will allow you to track your progress. Step by step instructions available on YouTube.
GoCitizen
GoCitizen is an online study resource for candidates preparing for the Life in the UK Test or British citizenship test. The service includes an online version of the latest official study materials licensed from the Home Office, plus hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test.
Access to GoCitizen is completely free for members of Halton Libraries. Library members can access GoCitizen from the public access PCs in all libraries. Remote access requires your library card number. YouTube guide available.
Borrow and read e-books from our library service anywhere, anytime and on multiple devices. No late return fines and we have a great choice of adult, junior and teenage titles.
Take a look at our EBook and eAudiobook service, BorrowBox! 
- Borrow and read up to 6 e-books and 6 e-audio books at one time from our library service anywhere, anytime and on multiple devices. No late return fines and a great choice of titles and authors, why not take a look at BorrowBox.
- There are also children’s e-audio and children’s e-books as well as titles for young adults.
- You can borrow eBooks and eAudiobooks for free with your library card. The BorrowBox app is available to download from the Apple App store for iOS users and the Google Play store for Android users.Kindle Fire users can also download the app (see instructions), while PC users can access BorrowBox through the website.Once the BorrowBox app is downloaded, simply search for “Halton Libraries”, enter your library card number and PIN plus your email address. BorrowBox offers a wide collection of titles, with an app that is accessible, intuitive and simple to operate and enjoy.
- Want to use e-books but are not a member of Halton Libraries? You can join online. Already a member but forgotten your pin? You can reset it with the forgotten password feature.
Ancestry Library
Ancestry Library is the largest family history site on the Internet, with free access to National Census, Births, Marriages and Death Records. Please note this resource is only available to access from a Halton library. Step by step YouTube guide available to view.
The British Newspaper Archive
The British Newspaper Archive is a partnership between the British Library and findmypast to digitise up to 40 million newspaper pages from the British Library’s vast collection over the next 10 years. Only accessible on a Halton Library Public PC.
Press Reader
With Pressreader you can access newspapers and magazines in the library, on the move or at home – all you need is a library card. There’s a wide range of subjects including sport, parenting, travel, photography, health and entertainment and with great titles including Autocar, Heat, Empire, Now, My Weekly, Gracia and Good Food – there is something for everyone. You can also download publications and customise using the app . It also means you will never miss a copy of your favourite magazine. There is help guides step by step web page user guide Pressreader step by step app user guide . If you need more help there are some handy videos and guides on the Pressreader website.
National Theatre Collection
Halton Libraries offers free access to the National Theatre Collection (3) online. Watch performances from the collection for free including Much Ado About Nothing and Wuthering Heights. Free access in any Halton Library.
BFI Replay – 60 years of screen stories, digitised and preserved for you
Relive, research and lose yourself in the past with thousands of digitised videos and television programmes – from the 1960s to the 2010s.
From the British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive and partner UK Regions and Nations Film Archives, BFI Replay is available in all Halton libraries.
Explore BFI Replay for fun, discovery, nostalgia or research. This living digital archive will grow and evolve as newly digitised content is added.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the BFI Replay Taster Video
How to use BFI Replay
BFI Replay is only available in public libraries. It is free to use. Simply click on the BFI Replay icon, or go to BFI Replay.
Disclaimer – quality and content
BFI Replay features thousands of videos and programmes from the 1960s to the 2010s. The quality of video varies.
The BFI and partners have taken steps to exclude unacceptable material and to identify and label sensitive material with content and/or trigger warnings. Due to the high number of videos involved, the BFI and partners have not been able to view everything. They cannot guarantee that all sensitive content has been identified. Some videos may include language and attitudes which were common or widely tolerated at the time, but are unacceptable today. Other videos may include content (for example, images of medical procedures) which some viewers may find upsetting or triggering.
Parents and guardians are responsible for supervising their children’s use of BFI Replay.
Oxford Bibliographies
- ‘British and Irish Literature’ and ‘Victorian Literature’ available to access in any Halton library free of charge.
Picture Halton
Access to a range of photographs of Runcorn and Widnes in times gone by with Picture Halton.
Oxford Reference Online
- Oxford Reference Online provides quick and easy access to Oxford’s prestigious reference publishing you can cross-search quality A-Z reference at the click of a button. Remote access available with a Halton Libraries card number.
Access to Research
- Access to Research provides free access to 6000+ journals and over 10 million articles covering a broad range of subjects:
- Art, Architecture and Applied Arts
- Business and Economics
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Engineering and Applied Sciences
- General
- Health and Biological Sciences
- History and Archaelogy
- Journalism and Communications
- Languages and Literatures
- Law, Politics and Government
- Music, Dance, Drama and Film
- Philosophy and Religion
- Physical Sciences and Mathematics
- Social Sciences
Accessible from Halton Libraries pcs or via our library wi-fi. Watch our YouTube video for step by step instructions.
