Research Databases & Resources

Consumer Reports enables consumers to make better purchasing decisions on the products they are shopping for. Whether a user is looking to find the best deal on an LCD TV, or researching the top-recommended used vehicles, ConsumerReports.org provides ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services.
*Access anywhere with your valid library card and PIN. 

Explore West Chicago area history through local news, events and people with the Daily Herald 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.

Borrow from more than 3,000 titles from Overdrive’s digital magazine collections.

A database that contains eBooks and journal articles about business, careers, classic literature and a wide variety of other topics.

The WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA reference on the Web designed for young Spanish speaking students or those learning Spanish as a second language.
*Access anywhere with your valid library card and PIN. 

A powerful search and discovery engine. Ideal for research assignments or general curiosity.
*Access anywhere with your valid library card and PIN. 

This database is designed specifically for high school students according to their needs and search abilities. Includes topic overviews that provide students with a starting point for research and 60,000 top videos from the Associated Press.

Explora is a research interface designed specifically for students and educators. The elementary school version highlights relevant, reliable, and age-appropriate content that’s easy and fun for young learners to search and explore.

Nearly 100 popular full-text elementary school magazines, including Boys’ Life, Cricket, Highlights, Junior Scholastic, Zoobooks, and dozens more

Includes Funk & Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia, American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Encyclopedia of Animals

Explore More Illinois is a free service provided by your library that provides instant online access to free and discounted tickets to museums, science centers, sporting events, zoos, park districts, theatres, and other fun and local cultural venues.

Created by educational and financial experts with over eighty years of combined experience helping people with diverse financial goals navigate complex topics.

Find a Book or Journal Article by Searching WorldCat; WilsonSelect; ArticlesFirst; WorldAlmanac and GPO
*Access anywhere with your valid library card and PIN. 

A next-generation magazine service that allows people to browse digital versions of the latest issues of popular magazines, courtesy of the library.

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and has been mentoring small business owners for more than fifty years.

Freegal® is a free music service from your library. All you need is your library card number and some libraries utilize a PIN. Freegal offers access to about 7 million songs, including Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists. In total the collection is comprised of music from over 28,000 labels with music that originates in over 80 countries. There is no software to download, and there are no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. Access to Freegal is limited to patrons of subscribing libraries.

A Collection of more than 300 online reference books covering a wide range of subjects such as art, business, health, history, science, religion, and more.
*Access anywhere with your valid library card and PIN. 

For elementary and middle school teachers to supplement classroom instruction with curriculum-aligned materials in math, reading, writing and social studies.

U.S. Census Records from 1790 – 1930 and from over 25,000 family and local histories.
*Access anywhere with your valid library card and PIN. 

Guided support and preparation to help you earn a high school equivalency credential.

Resources for high school students to help build classroom and homework skills in math, English language arts, social studies, science and technology.

features full text for more than 1,990 reference books, magazines, encyclopedias and non-fiction books from leading history publishers.
*Access anywhere with your valid library card and PIN.