Your public library and Oxford DNB

I have long thought that if more people sold the family car and bought the ODNB, the nation would not only be better informed but much happier too. Actually, there's no need to go the whole hog. Public libraries provide free online access in the privacy of your own laptop. So don't go out, stay in and get a life, or thousands.

Christopher Howse, Daily Telegraph, 12 April 2010

Nearly all public libraries in England, Scotland, and Wales— and all in Northern Ireland—subscribe to the Oxford DNB online. This means you can access the dictionary, free, via your local library. Find out more.

Most libraries also offer ‘remote access’. This means that, if you are a member of your local library,

• you can access the Oxford DNB online free anywhere you have internet access. Just enter your library membership number (on your library card) in the box provided at www.oxforddnb.com.

Some libraries require a prefix or pin number in addition to your library card number. So if logging in doesn’t work direct from www.oxforddnb.com, check the terms required by your local library listed here.

Rest of the world

• Of course, many public, university, and institutional libraries elsewhere in the world subscribe, and should offer remote access. Ask your librarian whether your library subscribes.

• If your library doesn't subscribe, does your librarian know about our free trials?

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