Real-World Practice
This section offers links to databases that can help you practice your English reading and listening skills in real-world contexts. You’ll find links to newspapers that you can read to improve reading comprehension, eBook databases that a wide range of topics, and streaming films that let you hear authentic spoken English in different accents and situations. These resources are available to you at no cost through the library, and you can also set up free student accounts to access major newspapers and stay up to date with current events. Exploring these materials is a great way to build your vocabulary, strengthen your listening skills, and become more comfortable using English in everyday life.
Use Newspapers to Stay Informed
Reading newspaper articles is an excellent way to keep up with current events while practicing your English reading skills. Many major newspapers cover a wide variety of topics, including world news, culture, science, and business, so you can explore subjects that interest you most. You can access many major newspapers through the databases listed below. As a student, you also have free access to full digital subscriptions for publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, which allow you to read articles directly on their main websites. Using these resources regularly will help you build your vocabulary, learn about current issues, and become more comfortable with real-world English.
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New York Times Online Edition This link opens in a new window Requires creation of free account using campus email address. Use your free account to access popular features, such as Today's Paper, Currently Trending, Wirecutter, The Athletic, Games including The Crossword, Cooking, Recipes, The Learning Network, Opinion, Politics, The Daily (podcast), New York Times Video and TimesMachine, which provides page scans of every issue of The New York Times published between 1851 and 2002 in browsing and searching formats.
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Wall Street Journal Online Edition This link opens in a new window The Wall Street Journal, a national daily newspaper publishing news, information, commentary, and analysis with an emphasis on business and financial news. This online version includes access to Barron's Magazine, MarketWatch and the WSJ puzzles and games. It includes coverage of U.S. and world news, education, politics, technology, real estate, sports, health, and the arts. Requires creation of free account using campus email address.
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Newspaper Source Plus This link opens in a new windowAccess articles from a wide variety of U.S. and international newspapers.
Use eBooks to Build Reading Skills
eBooks are a flexible and convenient way to improve your English reading skills. Whether you're looking for academic and research materials or books for personal enjoyment, eBooks allow you to read at your own pace, highlight words, and sometimes even hear text read aloud. This section includes links to eBook databases that offer both educational content and pleasure reading, so you can choose topics that interest you while developing vocabulary, comprehension, and reading fluency. Many eBooks are available anytime, anywhere—perfect for practicing your English on your own schedule.
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Overdrive eBooks and AudioBooks This link opens in a new window The Overdrive platform provides access to popular fiction and non-fiction eBook and audiobook titles, as well as selected Public Domain titles from the Duke Classics Collection. If you are looking for an additional free ebook and audiobook platform, please visit eGo using the Palace app.
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Palace eBooks and AudioBooks This link opens in a new window eGo eBooks and Audio Books via The Palace Project App is a platform that gives you access to tens of thousands of digital eBook and audio book titles from different publishers and sources. New titles are continuously being added to this collection. To view the available collection, download the Palace app and create a free account. Palace is available for both Apple (App Store) and Android (Google Play) phones and tablets.
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EBSCO eBooks Academic Subscription Collection This link opens in a new window Access a cross-searchable, multidisciplinary library of over 210,000 high-quality, unlimited-user eBooks from leading university presses and academic publishers such as Cambridge University Press, De Gruyter, Elsevier, Harvard University Press, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford University Press, Sage Publications, State University of New York Press, Taylor & Francis, and University of California Press. These eBooks cover a large section of academic subjects and new titles are added the collection continuously. View the EBSCO Search Tutorial Video
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eBook Central College Complete This link opens in a new window College Complete is a comprehensive ebook subscription that helps prepare students for academic and career success. This resource covers all academic subject areas and content for in-demand trade jobs. Gain access to content in traditional disciplines like business, management and nursing; emerging areas like artificial intelligence (AI) and criminal justice; and topics to support specific skills like advanced manufacturing, construction and healthcare.
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Diversity & Ethnic Studies eBook Collection This link opens in a new window This subscription collection includes academic eBooks related to diversity, anti-racism, ethnic studies, disability studies, gerontology & age studies, migration studies, gender and sexuality studies, cultural studies, and religious studies. The collection utilizes outside resources and scholarship to ensure that the collection remains up to date and aligned with current research. View the EBSCO Search Tutorial Video
Use Streaming Films for Listening Practice
Watching films is a fun and effective way to improve your English listening skills. Streaming film databases available through the library give you access to a wide range of movies and documentaries featuring speakers from different regions and backgrounds. This exposure to various speaking styles, accents, and real-life conversations can help you better understand natural spoken English and improve your ability to follow along in everyday situations. Many films also offer subtitles, which can support your learning by helping you connect spoken and written language. Use these resources to strengthen your listening skills while enjoying stories from around the world.
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Kanopy BASE Collection This link opens in a new window A collection of over 10,000 educational and feature films and documentaries in the Kanopy BASE collection range from core curricular subjects like Race and Class Studies, Sociology and Education, to subjects that cater to the whole student like Mental Health, Psychology and Health and Fitness. Many films on Kanopy—including from iconic suppliers like the BBC, NEON, Samuel Goldwyn Films, HISTORY, A&E, First Run Features Kino Lorber and IFC Films—are unavailable elsewhere.
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SWANK Digital Campus This link opens in a new window Movie and TV Show Streaming Service which grants free access to Swank's Top 500 Films Collection. These films may be shown in class or linked in Blackboard, but Public Performance Rights are not included with the Library license purchased. CT State faculty who wish to request films for their courses may do so by completing the Request Form.
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CNN Video Collection Available for the first time to the library market, CNN’s specials and feature programming on business, economics, technology, environmental studies, health, women’s studies, and human rights are some of the highest-quality video being produced today. To meet the needs of educational and public libraries worldwide, we are proud to present The CNN Video Collection, to spark classroom discussions, to support scholarly research, and to inform and engage students on the topics that impact today’s world.
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Films On Demand This link opens in a new window A streaming video service that provides access to over 38,000 instructional and documentary videos from producers such as Films for the Humanities & Sciences, HBO, CNBC News, ABC News, PBS, BBC, Cengage Learning, Meridian, and others.