We librarians know how much our readers rely on Consumer Reports: not only do we circulate print copies, but – library pro tip! – we also keep reference copies at our Adult Services Desk for patrons to read in the library (so make sure to ask a member of the Adult Services staff if you would like to see back issues).
But if you’re interested in browsing Consumer Reports when the library isn’t open, we have a solution for you, and all it requires is your Pickerington Public Library card! Follow these steps to access Consumer Reports:
- Be ready with your Pickerington Public Library card number, if you plan to access the library’s database from your home computer.
- Click on this link for the library’s Resources page, or click on “Resources” from the top navigation panel on our website.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the header for “Research and Homework Help.” A list of databases will appear: click on the link to Academic Search Premier.
- Enter your library card number at this time.
- In the upper left corner of the new screen, click on “Publications.”
- Browse for Consumer Reports, and then click on the “Consumer Reports” link from your results list (it will be the first one listed).
- Now you’re ready to start searching issues of Consumer Reports! You have two options when it comes to your search: if you know which particular issue you want, then you can browse its contents. Clicking on the year, then the month of the publication you want to read. On the next page, you will be able to view articles as full-text PDFs for HTML documents!
- If you want to search for a particular topic, then you will click on “Search within this publication.” On the next screen, you will type in the name of the topic or product you want to search, by typing AND and the topic into the search bar. Please note: You must include the word and in order to search within Consumer Reports for your topic; otherwise, your results will also contain articles from other publications.
- On the next page, your results will show all mention of the topic, as it appears in the available issues of Consumer Reports. We recommend limiting your results to Full Text, and sorting your results by the newest first, so that you can read the latest articles!
Do you have questions about accessing Academic Search Premier, Consumer Reports, or other publications through our database? Contact a staff member of the Adult Services Department, at 614-837-4104, ext. 233, or stop by the Adult Services Desk, during library hours. We are happy to help you navigate our resources!
If you’d like to receive alerts when the library features new databases, click here to subscribe to our Recommended Reads newsletter!
