Research a topic
A
ABCMouse.com
Award-wining education software, that introduces your preschoolers and kindergarteners to reading, math, social science, art, and music.
Ancestry Library Edition
Billions of genealogy documents—including census, military, immigration, birth, and death records.
Auto Repair Source from EBSCO
Up-to-date service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles. Includes manuals, maintenance schedules, recall information, and step-by-step diagnostic instructions.
B
Black Life in America
Images of news articles from 1704 to today about the Black experience in the United States.
Britannica Library
Encyclopedia articles, videos, and photos for kids, teens, and adults.
C
Career Center from Tutor.com
Tips on job searching and interview prep. From 10 am to midnight daily, upload resumes and cover letters and a career expert will give you feedback within 24 hours.
Chicago Community Newspaper Collection
Full-text articles from more than 250 local news sources, including the Chicago Sun-Times,, Daily Herald, Daily Southtown, and Evanston Review.
Chicago Tribune (1849–present)
Searchaable complete text. Content from 1849 to 1987 includes images of articles, photographs, death notices, and ads. From 1987 to present, only text versions of articles and obituaries are available.
ConsumerReports.org
Ratings and recommendations on appliances, electronics, cars, and more from the popular magazine and website.
Consumers’ Checkbook
Ratings on numerous Chicago-area service providers, including car mechanics, plumbers, dentists, roofers, and lawn-care companies.
Cook County Tax Portal
County property information includes assessed values. Search by PIN or address.
Creativebug
Thousands of award-winning art and craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. You must be 13 years or older to use this service. Users younger than 18 need parent or legal guardian permission to sign up.
CultureGrams Online
Detailed descriptions of daily life, customs, and culture in nearly 200 countries.
D
Digital Learn
Tackle technology at your own page and gain the confidence you need to succeed. Specially for those new to computers or who need a refresher
Driving-Tests.org
Free online practice tests based on Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles standards, including motorcycle exams and a sample commercial driver license (CDL) test.
E
Early World of Learning
Narrated stories, games, and reading practice for preschool and elementary school students. Includes a basic encyclopedia for the youngest learners.
G
Gale Courses
Free, instructor-led, noncredit online courses in technology, business, health, wellness, education, parenting, and the arts. New sessions begin every month.
Gale eBooks
More than 330 encyclopedias, articles, literary criticism, and specialized reference sources for students and researchers. Search the entire collection or a particular subject area.
H
HeritageHub
U.S. obituaries and death notices from from 1704 to today, including hard-to-find content from the mid-1900s and original obituary images.
Historical Skokie Newspapers
Complete searchable text of local Skokie (and Niles Center) newspapers, which have been digitized from Skokie Public Library's microfilm collection. Coverage starts in the 1930s, with some earlier issues, and runs through 2008 with full-page images of each edition.
I
Illinois Corporation/LLC Search
Information on businesses and nonprofits, including those that have been dissolved or are in poor standing, from the Illinois Secretary of State.
J
JSTOR
Full-text access to historical and current academic journals and primary sources in the arts, sciences, humanities, social sciences, and medicine. Note: Some recent articles may not be accessible because of publisher restrictions.
L
LearningExpress from EBSCO
Features hundreds of practice tests and flash cards for high school, college, and occupational certification exams as well as tutorials on career exploration and advancement.
Legal Forms from Illinois Legal Aid Online
Court forms, legal documents, and letters for many kinds of legal problems. Download blank forms to fill out manually, or use the "easy form" program to create the form needed.
LinkedIn Learning
Thousands of step-by-step online video tutorials on software, apps, media, marketing, business, and technology.
Literature Resources from Gale
Hundreds of searchable literary reference books that include information on authors and criticism of their works.
LOTE4Kids
Thousands of online picture books for kids to read or listen to in more than 70 languages, including Arabic, Amharic, Dari, Hebrew, Hindi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Urdu. An app is also available.
M
Mango Languages
Lessons in more than 60 languages, including English. Includes specialty courses, such as medical Spanish, and full-length movies with subtitles and enhanced instruction. Download the Mango Languages app to use on mobile devices.
MasterFILE Complete
Full-text articles from popular magazines and journals covering areas of general interest.
MedlinePlus
Up-to-date health information from the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library.
Morningstar Investment Research Center
Investment ratings, industry and analyst reports, articles, videos, and newsletters. Find up-to-date financial data for stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and historical stock prices.
N
New York Times Online
Free, unlimited access to The New York Times website and mobile app on any device during your library visit. To activate, you’ll need to register for a free NYTimes.com account or log into an existing account.
You must be 13 years or older to use this service. Users under 18 need parent or legal guardian permission to sign up.
New York Times Online
Free, unlimited 72-hour access to The New York Times website and mobile app. To activate, click on “Redeem,” then register for a free NYTimes.com account or log into an existing account. Once your pass expires, return to this page to renew for another 72 hours. You must be at least 13 years old to use this service. Users younger than18 need parent or legal guardian permission to sign up.
Newspaper Source Plus from EBSCOhost
Full-text articles from hundreds of U.S. and international newspapers such as The Washington Post and USA Today. Also features transcripts from CNN, Fox News, and NPR.
Nexis Uni
Newspaper and magazine articles, media transcripts, business information, and legal sources such as federal and state court cases, dating back to 1789. The legal portion of this product is only available for use in the library.
NoveList K-8 Plus
Great books for children from kindergarten through grade 8. Browse lists of award-winning titles or search for books by grade level or Lexile score.
NoveList Plus
Recommendations and reviews for adult and teen fiction and nonfiction based on titles, authors, and genres.
O
OCLC FirstSearch
A wide range of databases, including ArticleFirst, ERIC, WorldCat, and MEDLINE.
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PebbleGo/ PebbleGoNext
Curriculum-based articles and eBooks for kids in both English and Spanish on animals, science, geography, social science, and history. PebbleGo for grades K-2, and PebbleGoNext for grades 3-5.
PressReader
Current newspapers and magazines from around the world, including The Economist and The New York Times, presented in full-image format.
Public Records Electronic Database
Illinois public record data for home foreclosures, bankruptcies, new businesses, and real estate transactions.
Public Records Electronic Database
Illinois public record data for home foreclosures, bankruptcies, new businesses, and real estate transactions.
R
Reference Solutions/Data Axle (formerly ReferenceUSA)
Contact information for millions of U.S. and Canadian companies, health care providers, and residences and build contact lists of companies, competitors, suppliers, and consumers. Discover businesses or target customers based on multiple demographics.
S
Scholastic Teachables
Printable activity sheets, lessons, summer workbooks, mini books, and lesson plans for grades preK-6. Search by grade level, subject, state standards, theme, or genre.
Skokie Newspaper Index
Citations to articles that appeared in The Skokie Review, The News, and Life: Skokie Edition. To request full articles, email or call the library at 847-673-7774.
Skokie Newspaper Obituaries
Citations to obituaries that appeared in The News (1960–1984), Skokie Review (1981–present), and Life: Skokie edition (1978–Oct. 2004). To request full obituaries, email or call the library at 847-673-7774.
Skokie Review from Newsbank
Search full-text local news, obituaries, and death notices from the Skokie Review from 1995 and full-image issues from November 2020 to the current issue.
T
TeachingBooks.net
Multimedia resources and activities aimed primarily at teachers, to supplement elementary, middle, and high school reading assignments.
Treehouse.com
On-demand, in-depth technology courses teaching coding, web design, UX and more. Topics include Python, Java, CSS, SQL and HTML.
TumbleBook Library for Kids
A collection of animated, narrated picture books that kids can follow along word for word.
Tutor.com (Live Homework Help)
Homework help from live tutors from noon to midnight daily. Sessions are available in English and Spanish, last about 20 minutes, and are tailored for students from kindergarten to college. Connect anonymously or create a free Tutor.com account for your family to unlock extra features like voice chat and SAT/ACT/AP exam prep from Princeton Review. Limit of five sessions per week.
U
Udemy from Gale
Thousands of video-based Udemy for Business courses in technology, leadership, language learning, personal development, and certification test prep. Includes courses taught by instructors in their native language. Once on the Udemy homepage, you'll be prompted to create a Udemy profile by logging in with a Google or Microsoft account, or create an account within Udemy.
V
Value Line Research Center
The latest information on stocks, mutual funds, options, and convertible securities. Includes investment ratings, rankings, earnings, projections, and insider transactions data. View, download, and print research reports.
W
Wall Street Journal Online
Free 72-hour access to The Wall Street Journal website. To activate, register here or log in to an existing account. Once your pass expires, return to this page to renew for another 72 hours. Access to the WSJ mobile app or WSJ+ content isn’t included, and you must be at least 13 years old to use this service. Users younger than 18 need parent or legal guardian permission to create an account.
Washington Post Online
Free, unlimited access to The Washington Post website during your library visit.
Washington Post Online
Free seven-day access to the Washington Post website. To activate, create a free Washington Post account. Once your pass expires, return to this page to activate a new seven-day pass. Passes must be activated within Illinois. You must be at least 13 years old to use this service. Users younger than 18 need parent or legal guardian permission to create a Washington Post account.
World Book Online
An online version of the encyclopedia for all ages, plus reference articles, activities for science projects, social studies resources, multimedia, and articles in Spanish.
WorldCat from OCLC FirstSearch
A global catalog of thousands of libraries in the United States and around the world.
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