A-Z Resources

Use the Alberta Learner practice tests through Drivers Ed Hub to study for your Class 7 written test.

The Alberta Online Encyclopedia is a multi-media encyclopedia that showcases all aspects of the historical, cultural, natural, scientific and technological heritage of Alberta. Note: Red Deer Public Library does not subscribe to Alberta Online Encyclopedia. This is just a link to the freely available version on the Internet.

The Alberta Research Portal provides free access to the following resources:

• 19th Century North American Newspapers
• 19th Century U.K. Periodicals
• American Fiction 1774-1920
• Archives of Human Sexuality & Gender
• Associated Press Collections Online
• Brazilian & Portuguese History & Culture
• British Literary Manuscripts Online
• British Newspapers I-V
• Burney Collection of 17th/18th Century Newspapers
• Chatham House Online Archive
• China-From Empire to Republic
• Crime Punishment and Popular Culture 1790-1920
• Daily Mail Historical Archive 1896-2004
• Early Arabic Printed Books
• Eighteenth Century Collections Online
• Financial Times Historical Archives 1888-2010
• Gale World Scholar: Latin America and the Caribbean
• Indigenous Peoples of North America
• Liberty Magazine Historical Archive 1924-1950
• Making of the Modern World
• Nineteenth Century Collections Online
• Picture Post Historical Archive 1938-1957
• Punch Historical Archive 1841-1992
• Sabin Americana
• Slavery & Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive
• Smithsonian Collections Online
• State Papers Online 1509-1714
• State Papers Online 18th Century 1714-1782
• The Economist Historical Archive
• The Illustrated London News Historical Archive 1842-2003
• The Independent Digital Archive 1986-2012
• The Listener Historical Archive 1929-1991
• The Sunday Times Digital Archive 1822-2006
• The Telegraph Historical Archive 1855-2000
• The Times Digital Archive 1785-2008
• The Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive 1902-2009

This resource is provided by The Alberta Library.

Important: Ancestry: Library Edition is only available for use while on site at the library. Remote access ended Dec. 31, 2021.

Ancestry® Library Edition delivers billions of records from North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and more. You can unlock the story of you with sources like censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, maps, and more. 

Need help? Try their YouTube channel for step-by-step guides or see helpful resources here.

Please note that Ancestry Library Edition has different features than private subscriptions of Ancestry.com. Certain personalized functions, options, databases, and collections may not be available.

In-depth, personalized sports journalism.

Enjoy access to The Athletic, opens a new window, courtesy of Red Deer Public Library. The Athletic, a New York Times company, delivers in-depth sports coverage of your favourite teams and leagues. Access includes everything from breaking news and live commentary to long-form features, exclusive interviews, podcasts. and more.

Activate your complimentary access today!, opens a new window

This link will provide you with a 24 hour 'gift' subscription, which you can reactivate as often as you like! You will need to log in or create an account after redeeming the gift, and then you can begin personalizing your The Athletic experience. NOTE: You must log out of any existing The Athletic accounts before clicking on the Redemption URL.

Find even more fiction and non-fiction audiobooks for adults, teens, and kids with AudioBookCloud! These audio books can be used simultaneously, so there’s never a wait list.

Explore more than 125 years of Canadian news coverage. You now have cover-to-cover searchable access of Alberta's largest and oldest daily newspaper, the Calgary Herald.

Use coupon code: 4CM35827 and follow these steps for free access to the Canadian Citizenship Course.

Prepare for the Canadian Citizenship Test with the Canadian Citizenship Course, opens a new window. You can access all Canadian Citizenship Test questions to start preparing for your citizenship test using coupon code 4CM35827 to take the course for free. The program is designed to help all newcomers looking to get their Canadian Citizenship. The tests and course can be accessed via computer, phone, or tablet and you have the option of installing the app on your mobile device.

This database offers unparalleled access to the full text of over 400 Canadian news sources from Canada's leading publishers. This full text database includes the complete available electronic backfile for most newspapers, providing full access to the articles, columns, editorials and features published in each. Most titles are updated daily and some backfiles date as far back as the late 1970s.

Discover the best Canadian shows, stories & more!

Your library and CBC/Radio-Canada have partnered to offer you this one-of-a-kind portal to discover unique Canadian and local content including news, TV and radio shows, podcasts, kids content, a language learning app and much more! You can also access the French version, L’espace Radio-Canada., opens a new window

Explore CBC Corner today!, opens a new window

ConsumerReports.org provides ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services.

This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.

A good starting point for all research. Includes the complete encyclopedia, as well as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, Britannica Student Encyclopedia, and the Britannica Book of the Year. Note: Red Deer Public Library does not subscribe to Encyclopedia Britannica. This is just a link to the freely available version on the Internet.

One of Red Deer Public Library's signature programs, the First Thursday Concert Series is an ongoing series of classical music concerts offered free of charge. On the first Thursday of each month, a lunchtime concert is presented from 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m. in the Snell Auditorium at the Downtown Branch of RDPL, and these concerts are also streamed online so that you can enjoy the concert from the comfort of your home or office! 

Offering over 18 million songs from 200+ genres, including Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists, Freegal Music+ is one of the most popular library services in the world, and with 200,000 songs added monthly, there’s always something new for listeners to discover.

With this free music service, you can stream up to 12 hours of music per day and download up to 3 songs per week.

All you need is your FREE library card, opens a new window (and pin number) to join our 2.5 million+ users in browsing through our vast collection of today’s top hits, yesterday’s favorites, and curated playlists made just for you!

• View tutorial, opens a new window
• Instructional Brochure (App Installation and Overview Guide), opens a new window
• FAQs, opens a new window

Prepare to be swept away by the magic of storytelling with a collection of 175 French audiobooks for you to explore!

Don’t you just love hearing a compelling, moving story? Well, we’ve got just the thing! In partnership with Radio-Canada, we’ve added 175 French audiobooks to our catalogue, available immediately with no holds or waiting lists!

Enhanced by sound effects, music and voice, this outstanding collection offers an unparalleled listening experience. Among the gems available for listening:

• An essay by Hubert Reeves (L’Univers expliqué à mes petites enfants).
• The celebrated series by Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne).
• The most recent novels by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard (Haute Démolition, Royal).
• The classics in Élise Gravel’s youth series (C’est moi qui décide, Une patate à velo, Ada la grincheuse en tutu, etc.).

Whatever you’re in the mood for — a hilarious kids’ story, an inspiring biography, a moving poem — this collection has something for you. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in rich and varied worlds, whether in the car, at home or on a walk: let yourself be swept away by the magic of storytelling.

What are you waiting for? Go on, get listening!, opens a new window

Kanopy, opens a new window offers a selection of feature films, documentaries, and TV series that you can stream, for free, on your favourite device! Our current collection allows for unlimited borrowing, so you can watch as many of these titles as you like. Sign up with your library card and start streaming today!

We now have Kids' titles in Kanopy! Check it out here., opens a new window

Here are some helpful videos and other resources to help get you started:

• How to sign in for the first time, opens a new window (note: when logging in with your library card, your PIN is usually set to the last four digits of your phone number). 
• How to access Kanopy on the web, mobile app, and your TV., opens a new window
• More helpful resources are available on the Kanopy Support site., opens a new window

Libby (the newer version of the OverDrive app) lets you borrow thousands of eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines on your phone or tablet for free! It's our easiest system yet with one-touch borrowing, automatic holds downloads, and syncing across all your devices. 

This video will help you get started with the Libby app, which can be downloaded on any compatible device. It will show you how to navigate the app, borrow digital titles, and start reading!

After borrowing a title from our Libby/OverDrive catalogue, you have the following options:

• Use the Libby app to download titles directly to your mobile devices. If you want to download an eBook to a dedicated eReader, you can do so through Libby by following these steps, opens a new window.
• Read or listen instantly in your web browser.
• Use your library’s OverDrive website, opens a new window to download EPUBs, PDFs, or MP3s.

Please note that the OverDrive app is no longer available to download. Please try Libby instead!

This site includes a dictionary, thesaurus, and a medical dictionary. Note: Red Deer Public Library does not subscribe to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This is just a link to the freely available version on the Internet.

** RDPL's subscription to Naxos Music Library will end on December 31, 2024. Please check out our new online music option, Freegal Music! **

Naxos Music Library is the most comprehensive collection of classical music available online. It includes the complete Naxos and Marco Polo catalogues of over half a million tracks, including Classical music, Jazz, World, Folk and Chinese music. Also included are such independent labels as BIS, Hyperion, Analekta, CBC, and Nimbus. Whilst listening, you can read notes on the works being played as well as biographical information on composers or artists in Naxos's extensive database.

Excellent for finding out about new children's book and authors. Enter the title or author of your child's favorite book and get a list of similar books and authors. The perfect source for kids who loves to read (and their parents)!

Excellent for finding out about new books and authors. Enter the title or author of your favorite book and get a list of similar books and authors. The perfect source for everyone who loves to read!

Part of the Story highlights Red Deer, libraries, programs, initiatives, books, and pop culture. Join RDPL staff as they welcome guests and discuss all manner of topics.

Stories by Indigenous authors, and writings about Indigenous culture, from publishers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Prairie Indigenous eBook Collection is part of the Read Alberta Collection on Cantook Station, an online collection of over 2000 eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines by Alberta authors and publishers. This resource is funded by the Public Library Services Branch of the Government of Alberta.

With PressReader you have access to hundreds of magazines and newspapers from around the world, in the language in which they are published. (This resource is funded by the Public Library Services Branch of the Government of Alberta).

Please note: Access to The Globe and Mail is limited to customers using PressReader in a library branch due to restrictions imposed by the publisher.

Pronunciator is a fun and free way to learn any of 80 languages with self-directed lessons, live teachers, movies, music, and more.

Need help? Visit the Pronunciator Help Centre, opens a new window.

The Read Alberta Collection through Cantook Station is an online collection of over 2000 eBooks and eAudiobooks by Alberta authors and publishers and 42 made-in-Alberta eMagazines.

One of the featured collections in this online resource is the Prairie Indigenous eBook Collection, which includes over 200 stories by Indigenous authors, and writings about Indigenous culture, from publishers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

This resource is funded by the Public Library Services Branch of the Government of Alberta. 

Accessible on devices including desktop, tablets, and eReaders. We recommend the Aldiko app for your devices. Find it on Apple, opens a new window or Google, opens a new window. 

Improve your grades! You'll find course lessons, reviews, and practice tests for Grades 3 through 12 based on the Alberta curriculum. When you create an account, your lesson progress and results will be tracked to help you work through your courses. 

Need help? Check out these tutorials, opens a new window to help you get started with SOLARO!

TeenBookCloud features more than 1000 titles for Middle and High schoolers, including Graphic Novels, enhanced eBooks with full audio narration and highlighted text, classic literature, national geographic videos, and more!

A self-paced, online language-learning system with extensive courses and supplemental resources for over 100 languages! Tranparent Language provides a fun, effective, and engaging experience for online language learners of all levels—and it’s all free and easy to use with a library card.

Lessons and course materials are designed to build listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Includes pronunciation practices, speech analysis, grammar, writing activities, and vocabulary-building activities. Learn on your own time, at your own pace, from anywhere!

Transparent Language Online is available in browser or through an app for iOS, opens a new window and Android, opens a new window. If you are accessing the resource for the first time and have not yet set up an account, use this link to set up your account before using the app.

TumbleBook Library is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by adding animation, sound, music, and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.

Choose from popular picture books, educational stories, and language learning, or play games.  There is no limit to how many Tumblebooks you can read, and no waiting!

Use your computer, smartphone or tablet to read Tumblebooks online. All that you need to get started is your library card!

TumbleMath is a comprehensive collection of math stories presented in the "TumbleBook" format which combines animation, narration, and sound to create a compelling and enticing story book for students of all ages.

Sign up to join us for one of these upcoming virtual programs!

Check out our virtual program archive to learn, listen, and enjoy quality library programming from the comfort of your home!