1. EPIC - a range of databases covering a wide variety of New Zealand curriculum topics as well as other international content.  See the ‘Research Help’ section below for some quick information on how to use Epic.

If you are using Epic outside of school hours, or you are not logged into the College’s network, you will need to login.  

You can find the username and password for Epic on your Google Classroom or on the slides shared with you during a library research session.  Alternatively you can ‘contact us’ and we will email you the username and password.

1. World Book Online - mostly used for Year 9 and 10 topics; covers a broad range of topics and includes a range of content types, e.g. videos, articles, maps, timelines etc.  Use the ‘Advanced Search’ button.

Log into World Book using the Google link and using your school email and password. 

New Zealand focused (mainly)

Topic Explorer - selected quality sources on key topics, eg teen issues, climate change etc

NZ History - information on NZ people, places, events and topics

New Zealand Herald - Major Auckland newspaper.  Access is only available when connected to the school network

Information File - PC library information file with newspaper and magazine articles on a range of topics.  There is an index you can search which sits on top of the information file.

ETV - online video platform which has a wide range of videos covering local and international topics.  You can access using your school login and password to access.

NZ Edge Profiles of key New Zealanders including references of sources used

Newspapers+

The Conversation - high quality articles written by topic experts covering local and international issues

Papers Past - full text of NZ papers, journals, diaries, letters etc from 1839 to 1989

Stuff - full-text of selected current and past NZ papers, eg The Dominion Post

The New Zealand Herald - Auckland's major newspaper.  Access to full text articles when using the website while at school and logged into PC's network.

Need some inspiration on which topic to research? Try these sites.

EPIC - browse topics within a database to find organised pages of relevant material including different content types, eg statistics, text, video, images

Topic Explorer - selected quality sources on key topics, eg teen issues, climate change etc

World Book Online - searchable by topics; has range of content type, eg videos, articles etc

Quick Lists - see link at the top of the library catalogue for suggested resources by key topics

Digital NZ - search more than 30 million digital items from 200 sources.  Results include a range of content types

Research Tips and Tricks

Want some help?  Drop in and ask one of the library team, or fill in the Ask Us form and on this page and one of the team will be in touch with you soon.

1. How to search

• Epic

• World Book

• Google

2. What to know whether the information you’ve found is any good?  

Here’s a slide on the CRAAP test, a guide to help you decide whether you should trust the information you’ve found.

3. Want some advanced searching tips?  Here are a few slides about how to develop a more complex search strategy.

Building research strategies

4. Referencing your work

Here are a few slides explaining the basics of referencing your work and linking to key tools.

5. Other tools

• Find it confusing to work out what you’ve found, try Carrot2 which visually organises search results 

• Any Questions & Many Answers - made for school students in New Zealand

  • Many Answers has the answers to popular questions asked on Any Questions

  • Note, the answers give you brief overviews of topics and provide you links and suggestions to key sources