5:50pm | Embracing the seemingly limitless possibilities offered by the World Wide Web, the Long Beach Public Library announced late last week that two of its most popular databases can now be remotely accessed.

The library announced last Friday that web surfers can now search both the Long Beach Community Resources Database and the Long Beach History Index from the comfort of their own homes — or anywhere they have Internet access — by visiting the library’s website, LBPL.org.

The Long Beach Community Resources Database is a handy reference guide to community programs and services available in the city of Long Beach. It contains information on roughly 1,600 nonprofit organizations that provide cultural, business and recreational services and programs. Additionally, the database features information on city, state, federal and local government agencies and departments, human services organizations and neighborhood groups. 

Individuals conducting research or who are simply interested in perusing old Long Beach news stories will find the Long Beach History Index useful. It features information on Long Beach-related news reports published in a handful of area newspapers, magazines and other periodicals dating as far back as 1899, according to information provided by the library. Stories from the Press, the Independent and the Press-Telegram are among those listed in the index.

The index provides only the recorded listing information for each article; full-text articles are not available online. Accessing the actual article will still require visiting the library, where the stories are available in the Long Beach History Collection on microfilm or in clipping files.

Local author, historian and librarian Claudine Burnett, who formerly headed up LBPL’s Literature and History Department, notes in a Feb. 26  comment left on a story reported by the Press-Telegram that the index features Long Beach-related Los Angeles Times stories dating back even further — all the way back to 1880.

In the same comment, which can be viewed by clicking here and scrolling down to the bottom of the page, Burnett offers up a little criticism of the new online index, which she deems “less user-friendly” as compared to an earlier version.

“The previous version of this index included ‘See’ and ‘See Also’ references, something that did not transfer over to this version, unfortunately making it less user friendly than the version it replaced,” Burnett said.

To access these resources online,  visit the library’s website at LBPL.org and scroll the mouse cursor over the “Library Catalog” tab, then click on either database to initiate a search. Both databases can be searched by keyword, subject and title.

The databases are also available at all 12 public library locations.