EPIC is a venture between the National Library of New Zealand and the Ministry of Education, giving schools free access to a worldwide range of electronic resources suitable for students to assist with curriculum subjects and research projects.
Access is via the library catalogue and can be searched for using the database name, typing in the keywords 'epic databases' or by using the reading list feature.
Through EPIC schools can access databases containing thousands of international and New Zealand magazines, newspapers, biographies, substantial reference works, and images. EPIC lets you access up-to-date full text articles covering a huge range of subjects especially curated for school students.
They are grouped in the following subject areas:
- Encyclopedia, dictionaries & General Reference
- New Zealand
- Newspapers, Magazines & Journals
- Biographies
- Literature
- Art & Music
- Science, Health and Technology
- Teachers' Resource
For more information about what is contained in each database click here or one of the above links.
The library recommends:
Australia/NZ Reference Centre: Access to newspaper, magazine and reference publications with an emphasis on New Zealand and Australian titles.
Encyclopedia Britannica: The online version of Encyclopædia Britannica for students of all ages. Britannica School is available in 3 different reading levels (Primary, Middle & Secondary).
NZ Geographic: The entire archive of the New Zealand Geographic magazine dating back to 1989; including access to current editions.
National Geographic Kids: Access to the complete run of National Geographic Kids magazine from 2009 to the present, books from the National Geographic Kids Book Collection, the National Geographic Ladders Readers, as well as a huge range of educational videos and images.
Treaty of Waitangi Collection: A cross-searchable e-book collection providing access to a growing collection of important works on the Treaty of Waitangi, including Claudia Orange’s acclaimed Treaty of Waitangi series and the landmark resource Tangata Whenua: A History by Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney and Aroha Harris.
Kids Infobits: An easy to use information resource aimed at primary school students which includes a wide range of topics such as animals, arts, geography, technology and more.
A password is required outside of the N4L school network. Please contact the library for access
The databases are from a range of providers and they differ slightly in the way they are searched. If you require help for yourself or students to access a specific database, please get in touch and we will happily assist.