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Our Digital Resources

Our Digital Resources

Access books, films, archives, and more—anytime, anywhere.

Explore the Library from anywhere with our wide range of digital resources. From eBooks, audiobooks, and films to archives, research tools, and online programs, you’ll find everything you need at your fingertips—accessible anytime, on any device.

Most of the websites listed below will prompt you to log in. Simply use the information found on your JPL library card: your 10-digit card number and your four-digit PIN. Forgot your PIN? No problem, just call the Circulation Desk at 514-345-2627 ext. 3003 for help.

eBooks, Audiobooks, Recordings, and Magazines

Access our Overdrive contents on your mobile devices through Libby – a free app that allows users to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines.

Getting Started with Libby Libby

Discover a wide range of reference e-books in our main catalogue—easy to search, simple to access, and available anytime you need reliable information.

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The Frances Brandt Online Yiddish Audio Library contains selected recordings of lectures by writers who visited the Jewish Public Library between 1953 and 2005. Free access, no login required.

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The Sami Rohr Library of Recorded Yiddish Books is a collection of Yiddish works read aloud by volunteers and recorded at the Jewish Public Library. Free access, no login required.

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Genealogy, historical documents and first-person accounts

Enhanced access onsite to historical records as an affiliate library, including censuses, passenger lists, and birth, marriage and death records (Free access to many resources).

Please note that for full access to the database, you need to consult it from the Montreal FamilySearch Centre.

FamilySearch Montreal FamilySearch Centre

The USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive is a streaming video collection of testimonies from survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity. Free public access in the JPL multimedia centre.

Visual History Archive USC Shoah Foundation

Available to patrons on-site only. Ancestry combines billions of rich historical records, millions of family trees, and samples from millions of people in the AncestryDNA network.

Ancestry AncestryDNA

Encyclopedias

The 2007 e-book edition that updates the classic print version, featuring over 21,000 entries on Jewish life, culture, history, and religion.

Encyclopedia Judaica

A four-volume encyclopedia covering topics related to Judaism, with a particular emphasis on historical subject matter.

Encyclopedia of Judaism

Analyzes and documents the American Jewish experience, highlighting key themes, figures, and historical developments.

Encyclopedia of American Jewish History

Provides insights into the military, political, social, cultural, and religious origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Includes overviews of Jewish communities around the world, highlighting their history, culture, and contributions.

Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora

Features biographies of influential figures from the Middle East and North Africa who lived during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

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Can’t Find What You Are Looking For?

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on this page and you are a resident of Quebec, you can subscribe to the online services of the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). Click here to subscribe remotely to their services.

BAnQ Online Services