Welcome to Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition. Use this powerful resource to search or browse for information in encyclopedias, magazines, videos, and Web sites.
Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition offers two ways to access this wealth of information.
1. You can search all the content at once to see results for students of every level.
2. You can choose a library appropriate for your level:
Encyclopędia Britannica for adults
Britannica Student for secondary/middle school students and up
Britannica Junior for primary school students and up
You can search the chosen encyclopedia as well as magazines, Web sites, and videos. You can also explore a dictionary and thesaurus, atlases, timelines, and other features -- all at the appropriate level.
NOTE: If you're not sure if you have selected a library, look at the top of the page. If you've chosen to explore Encyclopędia Britannica and its features, you will see the words Encyclopędia Britannica on a blue background in the upper right. If you've chosen Britannica Student and its features, you'll see that title on a green background. If you've chosen Britannica Junior, you'll see that title on a purple background.
Learn more about using Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition, Encyclopędia Britannica, Britannica Student, and Britannica Junior:
Learn more about the content included in the site:
Britannica Junior Encyclopedia
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Merriam-Webster's Dictionaries and Thesauri
Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition Features
To learn more about a topic, use the search box. It's at the top of every page. Just type words in the box and click Go. If you have chosen a level, you will see a list of Encyclopędia Britannica, Britannica Student, OR Britannica Junior articles as well as magazines, Web sites, and videos. When you find an encyclopedia article, video, or Web site, click the link to read more. If you have not chosen a level, you will see articles from all three encyclopedias.
For more help, see Search Tips
To find spellings, meanings, and word choices for writing, use the dictionary & thesaurus search. From the home page of any of the libraries, click the Dictionary & Thesaurus button under the search box. On any other page, double-click any word and a pop-up window will appear with the word's dictionary entry. The different libraries have dictionaries and thesauri for the appropriate grade level. Encyclopędia Britannica comes with Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Britannica Student and Britannica Junior come with Merriam-Webster's Student Dictionary. In all cases, you can switch instantly from the dictionary to the corresponding thesaurus.
For more help, see Dictionary Tips
To focus on content and features of one of the encyclopedias, select from the three levels. The three encyclopedias suit the needs and abilities of students at different ages. Encyclopędia Britannica's in-depth and detailed articles are ideal for adults. Britannica Student offers the same breadth, but written for secondary/middle school students and up. Britannica Junior Encyclopedia is written for primary school students and focuses on topics of interest to this age group. After choosing a level, you can begin exploring features such as an atlas, subject browse, and timelines as well as magazines, videos, and Web sites. All materials within each level are at the appropriate grade level.
You can switch from the level you are using to another one at any time. Just use the buttons that appear at the bottom of every page. You can also go to the home page for Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition to search all the content by using these same buttons.
Using Browse and Other Features
After choosing a level, you can browse the corresponding encyclopedia. In A-Z Browse, you can explore a complete encyclopedia alphabetically. Subject browse allows you to find articles using an outline of topics. The Timelines list important events in history and links to related articles. In World Atlas, you will learn geography and facts about places by exploring maps.
For more help, see Browsing Tools
Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition Content
Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition includes the content listed below. When you search for a keyword or phrase in all Britannica, we sift through all of this content for answers (Dictionary/Thesaurus searches are separate). Your search results can come from four encyclopedias, magazine articles, the Internet Guide, and Videos & Media. All results are ordered by relevance: how closely the content matches your search word(s).
With over 73,000 articles, Encyclopędia Britannica is one of the most complete and accurate information sources in the world. It contains both short and book-length articles on every subject. If you are searching all the content or have chosen the Encyclopędia Britannica level, look in the first column on your search results page for links to this encyclopedia. If you are in another level, you can find Encyclopędia Britannica and its features by clicking the blue button at the bottom of every page.
Britannica Student makes the authoritative content of our encyclopedia lively and easy to read. If you are searching all content, Britannica Student articles appear in the second column on your search results page. You can also find Britannica Student and its features by clicking the green button at the bottom of every page.
Britannica Junior Encyclopedia
Britannica Junior Encyclopedia has been created especially for readers at the primary school level. Thousands of shorter articles cover subjects for school and fun, from nations of the world to animals and sports. If you are searching all content, Britannica Junior Encyclopedia articles appear in the third column on your search results page. You can also find Britannica Junior Encyclopedia and its features by clicking the purple button at the bottom of every page.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia features over 28,000 short articles. These articles can provide quick answers to questions about history, art, science, and other subjects. A link to Britannica Concise Encyclopedia search results appears under "Additional Content" in the right column on your search results page.
A search of Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition includes selected magazines. A link to magazine and journal articles will appear under "Additional Content" in the right column on your search results page. Magazines are divided into three grade levels.
For a list of magazine titles, see Magazines
Resources in Britannica's Internet Guide can complement the information found in the encyclopedias. Britannica editors have reviewed thousands of Web sites to ensure their quality and appropriateness. To view a list of Web sites that match your search, click the Web's Best Sites link that appears under "Additional Content" in the right column on your search results page. Click on an interesting Web site to open it in another window.
In addition to encyclopedias, magazines, and Web sites, Britannica provides hundreds of video clips. Videos appear in the right column on your search results page.
To enjoy the audio and video clips included in Encyclopędia Britannica Online Library Edition, the following software plug-ins are required. These plug-ins are generally included with your operating system or browser, or can be downloaded from the Internet for free using these links.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus and Merriam-Webster's Student Dictionary and Thesaurus
Thousands of entries with definitions, pronunciation guides, word histories, synonyms, and antonyms are available through the dictionary and thesaurus. You can search these valuable resources using the Dictionary & Thesaurus search on the library home pages, or, when you discover an unfamiliar word in an encyclopedia or magazine article, simply double-click the word to see the appropriate dictionary entry in a pop-up window.