A to Z Resources

OLPL is pleased to offer you a huge variety of databases to research your area of interest and find great resources. Click on the large title to jump to the database. Click OFFSITE when accessing from outside the Library. TUTORIAL is provided when a database offers instructional help. Click on the LETTER INDEX to quickly jump to databases with that letter.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

ABC-Clio

ABC-CLIO provides reference, nonfiction, online curriculum, and professional development resources for teachers and students.

Abdo Zoom

Abdo Zoom is an online database tool that provides primary level research for early learners in a safe, kid-friendly online environment.

Access World News

Explore this newspaper archive and stay informed on local, national and international topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources from around the world to around the corner, including Chicago Tribune, Southtown Star, and Chicago Sun-Times. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.  l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

African American History by Infobase

Covering more than 500 years of the African-American experience, African-American History offers a fresh way to explore the full spectrum of African-American history and culture, with tablet/mobile-friendly videos and slideshows, images, biographies of key people, event and topic entries, primary sources, maps and graphs, and timelines. l  OFFSITE LINK

African News Sources

Explore and stay informed on international topics, people and events in from hundreds of credible, vetted news sources spanning Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and more. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.

Alldata

ALLDATA is the industry’s #1 choice for unedited mechanical and collision OEM repair information, diagnostic tools, shop management software, and support services, trusted by more than 400,000 technicians in over 115,000 shops worldwide. Only available in-library.

American Indian History by Infobase

American Indian History offers fast access to more than 15,000 years of culture and history, covering more than 600 Native American groups, through tablet/mobile-friendly videos and slideshows, images, biographies of key people, event and topic entries, primary sources, maps and graphs, and timelines. This comprehensive database allows for an interactive, multifaceted look at the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Ancestry.com Library Edition (ProQuest)

Unlock the story of you with sources like censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, maps, and more. l TUTORIAL

Asian News Sources

Explore and stay informed on international topics, people and events in from hundreds of credible, vetted news sources spanning Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and more. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.

AtoZdatabases

AtoZdatabases is the premier Reference, Research, Marketing, Mailing Lists/Sales Leads, and Job-Search Database. The database includes 30 million business & executive profiles, over 240 million residents with interests, hobbies and lifestyles information, over 7 million real-time job listings, 2 Million new businesses, over 12 million healthcare professionals, over 12 million new movers, 2 million new homeowners, and much more. The databases are ideal for sales leads, mailing lists, market research, employment opportunities, background searches, finding friends, relatives and a whole lot of other possibilities. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

AtoZ Food America

AtoZ Food America is a database unlike any other on the market today. From regional cookbooks to an exploration of ethnic culinary influences, from fun collections of historic cookbooks and television commercials to “how to” food preparation videos, AtoZ Food America has something sure to educate and entertain everyone. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

AtoZ The USA

AtoZ the USA is the most comprehensive database for U.S. information on the market today. With the option to explore the country as a whole, or research a specific state or one of five US territories, AtoZ the USA will give you in-depth access to a broad range of topics. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

AtoZ World Culture

AtoZ World Culture is the most comprehensive country cultural database on the market today. Featuring in-depth information on 175 countries, AtoZ World Culture will give your patrons a level of insight into each country that cannot be found anywhere else. l  OFFSITE LINK

AtoZ World Food

AtoZ World Food is a food culture and traditional recipes database for 174 countries. AtoZ World Food dramatically increases the scope of what libraries can offer their patrons, while reducing costs at the same time. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Auto Repair Source (EBSCO)

Powered by the automotive experts at MOTOR, Auto Repair Source provides the most accurate, authoritative and up-to-date service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles. All content comes from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and includes step-by-step repair information, diagrams, maintenance schedules, parts and labor estimates, service bulletins and recalls. l  TUTORIAL

Beanstack

Beanstack is a year-round reading program. Use Beanstack to participate in OLPL’s summer and winter reading programs. Beanstack lets you track the books or minutes you read, log activities, and more.  l  TUTORIAL

Brainfuse HelpNow

Free online tutoring and so much more for students of all ages. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Brainfuse JobNow

Free career assistance and so much more to help you land the job of your dreams. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Brainfuse VetNow

Free online resources for veterans including live experts, resources on VA benefits, live job coaching, resume lab and skill tests. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Business Source Premier (EBSCO)

Access full-text articles for 2300+ journals including Harvard Business Review, Industrial & Labor Relations Review, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of Marketing Research. l   TUTORIAL

Chicago Record Information Service

Record Information Services has provided public record data to the Chicagoland area for 20 years. We collect data directly from government offices throughout Cook County, the collar counties, and beyond.

Chicago Sun-Times Historical Archive

Research Chicago history through the Chicago Sun-Times Historical Archive Collection with coverage from 1929 through current. Study trends, issues, events, advertisements, companies and more through historical and current full newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Available remotely 24/7 on any device. Limited access through January 2023

Chicago Sun-Times Collection

Explore Chicago history through local news, events and people with the Chicago Sun-Times Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.

Chicago Tribune (ProQuest)

1985 to current   l  TUTORIAL

Chicago Tribune Historical Archive

1860 to 1984 l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Consumer Health Complete (EBSCO)

Consumer Health Complete supports the information needs of patients and fosters an overall understanding of health-related topics. This resource provides content covering all key areas of health and wellness, from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary and holistic medicine. l   TUTORIAL

Consumer Lab

ConsumerLab.com provides comprehensive information about vitamin, herbal and other supplements, and nutritional products. Includes ConsumerLab.com’s independent product evaluations, test results for ConsumerLab.com selected products and Approved Products from ConsumerLab.com’s Quality Certification Program, product recalls, and safety warnings.

Consumer Reports

Product ratings and reviews. Consumer Reports is the world’s largest nonprofit product-testing organization and has been helping subscribers find better, safer products for 80+ years. Consumer Reports accepts no outside advertising and no free test samples, and employs shoppers and experts to buy and test the products reviewed.
Consumers’ Checkbook: Reviews of local services  l   TUTORIAL

Consumers’ Checkbook

Consumers’ Checkbook is a nonprofit organization that provides unbiased ratings, undercover price research, and consumer advice on local service providers — from auto mechanics and plumbers to dentists, veterinarians and much more. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

CreativeBug

Enjoy unlimited access to over 1,000 online art and craft classes, plus patterns, templates, and recipes. Topics include art & design, sewing, quilting, paper, knitting, crochet, food & home, jewelry, holiday & party, and classes for kids. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Culturegrams

CultureGrams™ is a leading reference for concise and reliable cultural information on the countries of the world. With world events increasingly affecting our lives, it’s more important than ever to educate students about the world around them, and for college students and business people to stay up-to-date. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

EBSCO Discovery Services

The EBSCO databases provide a wealth of information across a variety of disciplines, for users of all ages. You can access full-text articles or citations from thousands of journals, magazines, newspapers, and reference texts. This discovery platform will allow you to search multiple databases at once including Academic Search Premier, MasterFile Premier, and Primary Search. For full list of EBSCO products click here   l  TUTORIAL

Fold3 Library Edition (ProQuest)

Distributed by ProQuest, Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides convenient access to a growing collection of US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. It contains millions of records from world-class archives, many of which are exclusively available on Fold3. l   TUTORIAL

Gale Legal Forms

Take the law into your own hands and create accurate, reliable legal documents with no hassle with Gale LegalForms. It offers Illinois specific “attorney forms” – officially approved forms actually used by law firms. Many of the forms and documents are available in Word and Adobe format so you just need to simply “fill in the blanks.” Access code for outside library use: oak73791  l  TUTORIAL

Gale Presents: Udemy

Gale Presents: Udemy is an online learning platform for adults who want to improve work-related skills or further develop a personal interest. Users can search through more than 4,000 continuously updated, on-demand video courses across 75 categories in business, technology, design, and more. All courses are taught by world-class instructors and offer a tailor-made learning experience for those who want to learn new technologies and skills to stay competitive in a changing workforce. Access code for outside library use: oak73791  l  TUTORIAL

Gale Virtual Reference

Explore this database of encyclopedias and reference sources within the Gale eBooks platform. For multidisciplinary research. l  TUTORIAL

HeritageHub

Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 – today. HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

HeritageQuest (ProQuest)

HeritageQuest Online combines digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular ProQuest Genealogy & Local History collection and other valuable content. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

History Reference Center (EBSCO)

Covering both U.S. and world history topics, History Reference Center is a full-text database featuring historical reference books, magazines, journals and thousands of primary source documents. l  TUTORIAL

Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center

This database offers detailed “how-to” instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby enthusiast. Full text is provided from leading hobby and craft magazines.  l  TUTORIAL

hoopla

hoopla is a groundbreaking digital media service offered by your local public library that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV!  hoopla is like having your public library at your fingertips. l  TUTORIAL

Kanopy

Kanopy is an award-winning video streaming service providing access to more than 30,000 independent and documentary films ─ titles of unique social and cultural value from The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, Media Education Foundation, and thousands of independent filmmakers. l  TUTORIAL

Latino American Experience (ABC-CLIO)

The Latino American Experience: The American Mosaic defines this national identity as it embraces the heritage and culture of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Guatemalans, Cubans, Dominicans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, and other Latino peoples in the United States. By featuring articles and essays from Latino authors and contributors on topics ranging from changing landscapes to immigration, civil rights to the Chicano movement, and economic adversity to the fight to carve out Latino communities while simultaneously assimilating into American culture, The Latino American Experience: The American Mosaic gives voice to the Latino American experience that features so largely in the making of American history. l  OFFSITE LINK

Literary Reference Center (EBSCO)

Literary Reference Center is a rich full-text literary database covering all genres and timeframes. It includes thousands of synopses, critical essays, book reviews, literary journals and author biographies, plus full-text classic novels, short stories and poems. l   TUTORIAL

Mango Languages

Mango offers a wide variety of foreign language courses for OLPL cardholders, as well as English as a second language. Mango provides multiple learning opportunities such as audio, verbal repetition and international language films. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

MasterFILE Complete (EBSCO)

MasterFILE Complete offers the largest collection of popular full-text magazines, reference books and other highly-regarded sources from the world’s leading publishers. Covering virtually every general interest subject area, it also includes an extensive collection of photos, maps and flags. l  TUTORIAL

Media on Demand – Libby by OverDrive app

Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines to read on your phone or tablet using the Libby app by OverDrive. You can even send and read your borrowed ebooks to your Kindle ereader (U.S. only)! It’s free and easy to get started for new users and a streamlined experience for current OverDrive app users. Learn more at overdrive.com/apps/libby/. If you currently use the legacy OverDrive app and need assistance, visit https://help.overdrive.com.

eBooks, Audiobooks, and Magazines  l  TUTORIAL

Get the app: overdrive.com/apps/libby/. If you currently use the legacy OverDrive app and need assistance, visit https://help.overdrive.com.

Middle East News Sources

Explore and stay informed on international topics, people and events in from hundreds of credible, vetted news sources spanning Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and more. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.

Miss Humblebee’s Academy

Miss Humblebee’s Academy is a fun, interactive, and award-winning, online kindergarten-readiness learning solution for children ages 3 to 6. With hundreds of lessons in Math, Science and Social Studies, Language and Literacy, Art, and Music, the curriculum increases in difficulty as the user progresses through the program. Miss Humblebee’s Academy assess cognitive skills at regular intervals for measurable improvement toward kindergarten readiness and offers a developmental observation checklist allowing parents to review and record social and emotional growth as an additional condition of preparedness. Parents can track their child’s learning outcomes through weekly progress reports that are emailed and available online 24/7. l  Access code for outside library use: oak73791

Morningstar

Morningstar is a Chicago-based investment research firm that compiles and analyzes fund, stock, and general market data. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

MyHeritage Library Edition

The MyHeritage Library Edition features over 8 billion primary historical records from the United States, Europe, and other regions, with coverage starting from the 16th century. Often accompanied by true document images, these records illuminate historical realities across a wide variety of regions.

National Geographic Kids

Explore amazing adventures in science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space. Best for children aged 6–14. Access code for outside library use: oak73791  l  TUTORIAL

National Geographic Magazine 1888-Current

Browse this cross-searchable platform for research insight from journalism’s most trusted name in exploration and discovery. Access code for outside library use: oak73791  l  TUTORIAL

Newspapers.com Library Edition (ProQuest)

Newspapers.com Library Edition is an extensive online database of 4,000+ historical newspapers from the early 1700s into the 2000s. Distributed by ProQuest into libraries, it contains a diverse blend of well-known regional and local newspapers in the U.S. and other countries. Genealogy Resource l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Novelist Plus

NoveList Plus is a Reader’s Advisory database searchable by genre, appeal, etc., aiming to inspire library patrons to find their next great book. Use it to find readalikes for your favorite books or authors! l   TUTORIAL

PebbleGo – Grade K-3

PebbleGo is a curricular content hub specifically designed for K-3 students. Packed with informational articles, ready-made activities, and literacy supports for students of all abilities, it boosts engagement and fosters independent learning in core subject areas.

PebbleGo NEXT – Grade 3 – 5

Take the next step in digital citizenship and research with all 4 PebbleGo Next modules designed specifically to meet the needs of grades 3-5 teachers and students.

Points of View Reference Center (EBSCO)

Containing resources that present multiple sides of an issue, this database provides rich content that can help students assess and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills.l  TUTORIAL

Pop Culture Universe (ABC-CLIO)

Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas is an inherently fun yet authoritative database that deviates from the way in which social studies is usually taught by teaching history through books and literature; clothing, fashion, and appearance; film; food and drink; music; sports; technology and media; transportation and travel… all of the things that students find interesting about today’s culture, in the context of America’s past. It is a complement to any social studies course about life in America since the 1900s and an outstanding resource for research and discovery. l  OFFSITE LINK 

ProQuest African American Heritage

ProQuest® African American Heritage is a groundbreaking new digital resource exclusively devoted to African American family history research. l  OFFSITE LINK 

Proquest Historical Newspapers

With ProQuest Historical Newspapers, trace the Revolutionary War rebel cause, Reconstruction after the Civil War, learn about a break-through medical discovery, the inauguration of a world leader, both world wars, the Civil Rights Movement, experiment with a tasty new recipe, laugh at a comic strip and experience the birth of freedom —all from one source. Chicago Tribune, Chicago Defender, Indianapolis Star, NY Times, Wall Street Journal   l  TUTORIAL

Science Reference Center (EBSCO)

Designed to meet every student researcher’s needs, Science Reference Center contains full text for hundreds of science magazines, journals, encyclopedias, reference books and a vast collection of images. l  TUTORIAL

Southtown Star – Daily Southtown Collection

Supports genealogical and local history research, school homework assignments and more through historical newspapers of Southtown Star and current publication of Daily Southtown. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

Valueline

Investment research on stocks & mutual funds. Online version of ValueLine, with ratings and reports for 3,500 stocks and 2,000 mutual funds, plus research on companies, industries, options, convertibles, and ETFs. l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

The World Almanac for Kids by Infobase

The World Almanac® for Kids is the ideal one-stop reference resource for intermediate-level students. Erasing the line between homework support and fun exploration, it contains excellent resources for student reports and research, including extensive, up-to-date articles; videos; interactive games; science projects; and Homework Help; plus Teacher Resources with lesson plans. Kids can explore age-appropriate subjects while developing online research skills with a trusted source. l   TUTORIAL

World at War (ABC-CLIO)

World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society presents overviews of 50 wars, rebellions, and revolutions, both those commonly taught and those less so, and provides additional analysis of causes and consequences and portraits of opponents. The effect is to elucidate the global impact of these military conflicts that have defined our world from antiquity to today such that students and researchers may develop a deeper, critical appreciation of both the history of the world and the human costs of war. l  OFFSITE LINK  

WorldCat Discovery

WorldCat Discovery helps people navigate their research journeys to find and get resources from your library and libraries worldwide. The service balances technical advances and ongoing research with extensive user input and testing to keep pace with your library’s changing needs. l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook

The classic World Book Encyclopedia is now available online in several different versions: kids, student, advanced, timelines, discover, Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos (Spanish), Banco de Contenidos aulaPlaneta (Advanced Spanish), and Kids eLearn (Arabic). l  OFFSITE LINK  l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook Advanced

World Book Advanced is a powerful reference tool that includes full encyclopedic and multimedia databases supplemented with online books, primary sources, website links, Back in Time articles, special reports and more. l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook AulaPlaneta

An interactive Spanish language atlas that offers thousands of maps with up-to-date information on all countries of the world for a true global perspective. Cartografía (Cartography), which provides multiple types of maps, including physical, political, population, economic, and climate. l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook Discover

Discover features articles from our World Book Discover encyclopedia. These articles are written at a lower Lexile level, helping students that may be reading below grade level, English Language Learners, or adult literacy students access the information they need. In addition, Discover helps these learners navigate the research process by providing tutorials for how to find, evaluate, and organize information as well as cite sources.  l  TUTORIAL

World Book Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos

This dedicated Spanish-language database contains videos, compare-and-contrast features, selected articles, and a visual dictionary to allow ESL students and Spanish-learners the chance to learn. Integrated with World Book Kids for parallel English-language content. l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook Kids

Developed specifically for children in grades one through four, World Book Kids is a fun way to introduce computer research skills to primary students using a strong, reliable source. … Highly recommended for students in first through fourth grades. l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook Kids eLearn

Kids eLearn is the premier general reference Web site uniquely developed for young Arabic speaking students. The site features simple navigation, easy-to-read articles, thousands of illustrations, videos, special localized content and resources, and a wealth of engaging games and activities. l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook Student

Optimized for iPads, this comprehensive sites includes engaging content, built-in features, and fun tools specifically designed to make knowledge accessible and easy-to-find for all kids in elementary through middle school. l  TUTORIAL

WorldBook Timelines

Search more than 650 pre-generated timelines and 14,000 event in a highly interactive and customizable database. Investigate the chronological significance of world events and the lives of notable historical figures. Build, save, and share timeless for an authentic learning experience and integrate content easily from other World Book databases and outside sources.recommended for students in first through fourth grades. l  TUTORIAL

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z