Information and reference services

Portsmouth City Council Library Service is now signed up to the Access To Research scheme.

Access to Research is a new pilot scheme to give free, walk-in access to a wide range of academic articles and research in public libraries across the UK. Subjects include art, architecture, business, engineering, history, languages, politics, philosophy, mathematics and the sciences.

All content provided is digital and can only be accessed using computers in public libraries. For more information about this exciting resource, including terms of use, and to search for documents by subjects and keywords, visit the Access To Research scheme site.

We no longer hold physical directories in stock so you may find these online directories useful:

• BT telephone directories – telephone numbers for residential and business addresses
• Yellow Pages – telephone directory of businesses, organised by category
• Thomson directories – search for a local service or business.
• UK Phonebook – register to search for telephone numbers, people and postcodes
• Infobel  find telephone numbers globally
• Royal Mail’s postcode finder – look up 15 postcodes per day for free.

A variety of maps, timetables and guidebooks can help you plan your journey:

• Maps including: atlases for roads, streets and the world, maps for UK town & cities and overseas. Ordnance Survey maps are available for reference and to borrow
• Public transport timetables for buses, coaches, ferries, and trains for UK, Europe and abroad UK Town information, guidebooks and brochures
• Specific guidebooks to hotels, campsites, travelling with children, good beer guides, pet friendly.
• Visit Britain helps you plan a holiday in the UK, find hotels and accommodation in Britain, investigate UK travel options, and gives attractions or events information.

Central library has a large collection of reports and papers issued by government, including:

• Public and General Acts (Statutes) complete from 1801
• Regulations (Statutory Instruments) from 1901
• Hansard (both Commons from 1878 and Lords from 1974)

Legislation gives you access to UK public general acts, local acts and command papers.

Parliament has information on the House of Commons, the House of Lords and national parliamentary services, including access to Hansard transcripts and texts of bills

British History Online contains some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust.

All library branches have a selection of books for reference and loan available on a wide range of legal topics, including local legal advice contact details. You can access online legal information leaflets on a range of topics.

In addition, Portsmouth central library holds a law information collection including bound volumes of statutes, law reports and statutory instruments.

Portsmouth central library holds some historical statistics, and national censuses from 1961 to 1991 are available to view. The County Reports for Hampshire from 1971 to 1991 and the full censuses for Portsmouth from 1841 to 1901 are kept in the local history section at Central Library. For more information, phone the local history centre on 023 9268 8046.

For more statistical information, follow these links:

• Office for National Statistics – offers free access to statistical information
• UK National Statistics – government statistics on topics such as crime, population and health
• European statistics (Eurostat) – your key to European statistics
• United Nations statistics – data on economic, environmental, demographic and energy issues
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics – portal for worldwide statistical information, by country.

Library staff will be happy to help you find the information you need.