Can't make it in to read our science magazines? No worries. We've got many of them online.
For Kids
Scholastic SuperScience (EBSCO Magazines & Journals - PDF)
This magazine for grades three to six is published monthly during the school year.
Science World (EBSCO Magazines & Journals - PDF)
This magazine for grades six through 10 is published 12 times during the school year.
Science News for Students (free on the web)
From the publishers of Science News, this site offers articles on scientific discoveries for young people. Articles feature definitions of scientific terms used and cite the scientific papers on which they're based. Grades six and up.
For Adults and Teens
American Scientist (EBSCO Magazines & Journals - PDF)
This scientific society magazine is a bit more technical and not quite as "glossy" as other titles on this list, but the feature articles, written by scientists, tackle topics not often covered by other publications. Feature articles from the May/June issue cover what we can learn from ancient food webs, the search for planets orbiting other stars and the process by which we form aversions to certain foods. A good choice for fans of Scientific American.
Discover (Zinio for Libraries)
Discover covers the sciences with a strong emphasis on the people behind the science. Articles from the June issue include computer screens that allow users to "feel" 3D objects, a scientist who's challenging Einstein's notion that the future is set, a family's struggle to ensure greater safety in labs, and how Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovered microbes.
Popular Science (Zinio for Libraries)
Gadgets! Cars! Stuff! If you like your science "applied" rather than "pure," this publication, which focuses on invention and technology, is for you. May features include the winners of the magazine's annual innovation awards and articles on the growing interest in edible insects, automating your home and geneticist George Church's innovative applications of DNA manipulation technology. Fans of Wired will feel at home in the pages of Popular Science.
Science News (EBSCO Magazines & Journals - PDF)
Published by the Society for Science and the Public, Science News aims to keep us non-scientists informed of scientific discoveries through biweekly reports. Articles tend to be short and based on papers from scientific journals. Feature articles in the May 16 issue discuss the origins of the earth's water (hint: it had to be imported) and the efforts of scientists, health care personnel and law enforcement to keep up with the ever-changing world of designer drugs.
Scientific American (EBSCO Magazines and Journals - Text Only)
This granddaddy of popular science magazines features articles written by both scientists and science writers. Recent feature articles include "Rise of the Tyrannosaurs," "The Glue that Binds Us [Gluons]," "Lifting the Curse of Alzheimer's" and "The Search for a New Machine [New Computer Chips]." Only the text of articles is available through EBSCO Magazines & Journals, so for the full experience, come read the latest issue at selected CPL locations.
About the Sources
Zinio for Libraries: Read magazines cover to cover in your web browser or get the Zinio for Libraries app and download to a mobile device. When checking out a magazine, you can request that an email be sent to you each time a new issue is available.
EBSCO Magazines and Journals: This resource is designed to aid in finding articles from thousands of magazines by topic, and magazines in it are "chopped up" into individual articles. Yet you can still grab a list of all articles from an issue in page order to allow you to read a title "cover to cover." Magazines with a "PDF" option let you see the article just as it appears in the magazine; those with "text only" provide only the text, leaving out the images. To create an alert each time a new issue is added to the database, create an account (click Sign In in the upper right-hand corner) and then use the Share button.
What topics, industries or pastimes would you like to keep current with? Let us know in the comments, and we'll consider them for a future post.
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