I did know that libraries offer access to various reference books online, but I assumed you had to use a computer in the library building. It turns out that, a few years ago, the government signed a nationwide license to provide all sorts of reference materials over the web - all you need is your library card.

So I logged on to Islington Council's website and burrowed through to the libraries section, where, sure enough, there's a long list of resources. All you have to do is click on the link for whichever site takes your fancy, and type your library card number (it's on the back of mine, under the barcode) into the appropriate box on the site that appears. That's it.

In addition to the Oxford English Dictionary, the list includes the Newsbank archive of newspapers (which goes back several years), the Grove dictionary of music, the Dictionary of National Biography and the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The list will vary between local authorities, as will the website to access it, but it should be located in the libraries section of the council's website. It might be under 'online library' or 'electronic resources' or something similar (usually a mixture of the words electronic, online, virtual, resources, reference and library).

Dig round and have a look - our only complaint is that some councils have made it quite hard to find the appropriate links (in fact, we couldn't find it at all on Birmingham's website). Otherwise, this is an excellent use of public funds (something that's not often said) and a spectacularly useful research tool.