Research & Learn

Our resources can help you write a paper, learn a language, fix a car, plan a vacation, and a whole lot more. Almost all resources are available anytime, anywhere.

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A to Z USA

  • State profiles detailing demographics, crime, cuisine, economy, education, places of interest
  • Historical information and photos

Use it for: Preparing for travel, printing photographs, school reports

ABCmouse.com [Now available to use at home!]

  • Award winning site designed to help children 2-7 build a strong foundation for academic success
  • More than 4,000 interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities
  • Parents can create profiles for each child using one household account
  • A robust assessment center, that can create customized lesson plans for each child
  • Access ABCmouse.com from a library computer here

Use it For: A fun and safe place for young children to learn reading, math, science and more

AtoZdatabases

  • Find people by name or phone number
  • Detailed information on U.S. businesses and consumers
  • 7 million job and internship postings
  • Resume & cover letter templates, interviewing tips, videos, and more

Use it for: Finding a job, compiling a list of businesses in a geographical area  market research, competitive analysis

Auto Repair Source

  • Instructions and diagrams for vehicle repairs and maintenance
  • Maintenance schedules and estimated labor times for the most commonly performed operations in a repair shop
  • Technical service bulletins and recall notices
  • Easily magnify and print diagrams and images

Use it for: Vehicle repair and maintenance

Chicago Consumers' Checkbook

  • Easily find ratings, reviews and undercover price research on Chicagoland services and retailers, including doctors, auto repair shops, plumbers, veterinarians, tax preparers and more.
  • Advice on more than 150 topics such as finance, home maintenance, healthcare, and travel.
  • Chicago Consumer Checkbook is nonprofit, independent, and provides unbiased information.

Use it for: Researching the best local services for your home, finances, and healthcare.

Consumer Health Complete

  • Designed to help users gain an overall understanding of key topics across the health and wellness spectrum — from mainstream medicine to complementary, holistic and integrated medicine.
  • 483 full-text journals and magazines
  • 348 health-reference books and encyclopedias
  • 2,628 full-text, evidence-based health reports
  • Consumer health pamphlets and leaflets from the CDC, FDA, NIH and others

Use it for: Basic health research, school work, accessing government health publications

Consumer Reports

  • Reviews, ratings and recommendations on appliances, automobiles, babies and kids products, food, and money/personal finance
  • Money-saving advice and tips
  • Reliable information on new and used cars
  • Consumer news

Use it for: Researching products before buying, finding the best healthcare, cell phone and credit card plans

Explora

  • Topic overviews that provide a starting point for research
  • Search full text reference books, journal articles, and primary source documents
  • Subjects include Arts & Literature, Biography, Business & Careers, Current Events, Geography & Culture, Health, History, Science, and Math

Use it for: Homework and research projects, developing school curriculum, satisfy curiosity

Explore More Illinois

  • A cultural pass program that provides discounts at museums, historical societies, zoos, arts centers, recreational facilities, and more around the stats.
  • Locations added often.

Fiero Code

  • Geared towards kids 8 -18
  • Learn computer programming skills through self-paced tutorials and projects
  • Build websites, video games, phone apps, animations, and more 
  • Offers courses on HTML, Javascript, Python, SQL, and more

Use it for: Learning computer programing and building critical thinking skills

Freegal Music

  • Download or stream great music without ads or subscription fees
  • Download 5 songs a week - from Sony's entire catalog
  • Stream up to 5 hours a day, every day
  • use your computer or download the app for your mobile device

Got Resume Builder

  • Customizable resume templates, with a step by step resume writing guide
  • Manage multiple resumes to tailor each one to a specific job
  • Download your resume in PDF, Word, or HTML.  Send your resume by email or share online.

Use it for: Creating a resume, polishing an existing resume, sharing your resume online

Heritage Quest

  • Genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries
  • U.S. Census data from 1790-1940
  • Revolutionary War Era Pension & Bounty-Land Warrant Application files
  • Freedman’s Bank records (1861-1875)

Use it for: Genealogy research

Inkie.org

  • A suite of resources supporting local authors
  • Design and export your own e-book using Pressbooks software
  • Submit your e-book for inclusion in Indie Illinois, Indie Author Project Select, or the Soon To Be Famous Illinois Author Project
  • Read and discover e-books from idependently published authors
  • Open to all Illinois residents and sponsored by Reading Across Illinois Library System

Kanopy

  • Stream critically-acclaimed movies, classic cinema, inspiring documentaries, foreign films, and a collection just for kids.
  • Watch unlimited films in the Kanopy Kids collection.
  • Stream on your computer, TV, phone, or tablet.

Use it for: Movie night or learning about something new

Legal Information Reference Center

  • User-friendly interface designed to assist consumers and small businesses in general legal matters
  • Full-text legal reference books from Nolo, the nation's oldest and most respected provider of legal information
  • Thousands of federal, state-specific, and multi-state legal forms.

Use it for: Getting How-To instructions for legal issues and copies of legal forms

LinkedIn Learning

  • Premiere provider of instructional video tutorials taught by industry professionals
  • Wide variety of topics including business, software, technology, and creative skills
  • Learn at your own pace and easily add your certificate of completions to your Linkedin profile

Use it for: Learning new software, digital photography, and business skills

MasterFILE Complete

  • Contains full text for more than 1,000 reference books and over 164,400 primary source documents, as well as an Image Collection of over 502,000 photos, maps & flags
  • Covers an extensive range of subject areas including business, health, education, fitness, sports and leisure, personal finance, general science, multicultural issues, DIY and fashion.

Use it for: Any research project

Museum Adventure Pass

  • Free or discounted admission to Chicagoland museums, zoos, and cultural institutions.
  • Available for checkout at the Adult and youth Reference Desks.

NewsBank

  • Current and archived issues of Chicagoland newspapers
  • Image editions of the Daily Herald, Chicago Sun-Times, Lake County News-Sun and more
  • Full-text articles, color images, and content only published online

Use it for: Staying up-to-date with the latest news, genealogy research, and general research

NoveList K-8

  • Book reviews and suggested reading lists for students Kindergarten through 8th grade
  • Lexile scores for books

Use it for: Book reports, finding a book to read

NuWav Legal Documents

  • Easily compose documents in categories like Divorce, Wills, Power of Attorney, Lease Agreements, Bankruptcy, Landlord/Tenant disputes and more
  • Option to edit documents, print a blank version if you are on the go, or enter the required information

Did you know? The library provides free notary services. Check out the services page for more details.

Tutor.com

  • No cost,1-to-1 tutoring for grade school - adult
  • Job seekers can connect with a job search coach for help with resumes/cover letters, practice interviewing skills and much more
  • Available anytime noon - midnight, no appointments needed

Use it for: Extra help with assignments, proofreading essays, test prep, and applying for a job

U.S. Newsstream

  • Full text of premium newspapers from 1980 to present day; includes Wall Street JournalNew York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and Washington Post
  • Daily papers are added at 8am each morning.

Use it for: Locating a specific article or obituary, general research, reading current local, national, and world news

Weiss Financial Ratings

  • Independent, unbiased financial strength ratings of banks, credit unions & insurance companies
  • Conservative buy-hold-sell ratings of thousands of stocks, mutual funds & exchange traded funds
  • Medicare Supplement Insurance - which plan to choose, how much it will cost, compare rates & plan benefits

Use it for: Researching the best Medicare supplement insurance, picking the best investments, and learning about personal finance.

WorldCat

  • Find items we don't have at LVDL Get books and journal articles from other US libraries and AV material from other Illinois libraries

Use it for: Finding unique, academic, and out of print materials