Online Resources
Requires Plainfield Library card to access remotely.
America’s U.S. Presidential Race From Newsbank
As election day nears, stay informed on the candidates and issues with NewsBank’s U.S. Presidential Race. Click on this resource and scroll down to access.
America’s Genealogy Bank
Easily search and browse more than a billion genealogy records from 1690 to the present, including obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements, casualty lists, military & government documents, and more.
AncestryPlus Library Edition
For a limited time due to COVID-19, AncestryPlus Library Edition is available from home. Log into your Library Account. Then, go to My Account and My Record. Click the link that says Ancestry Library to gain access. For genealogy research, including census, vital, church, court and immigration records. This resource is only available in the Library.
Auto Repair Source
Do-it-yourself repair and maintenance information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles.
Biblioboard
Browse digital curated collections on a variety of topics including literature, art, and history as well as self-published works from authors in Illinois and nationwide.
Business Source Premier
Featuring full text articles from more than 2,200 business journals. Basic tutorial. Advanced tutorial.
Check Illinois
Find contact information, criminal arrest records, information on properties, and more for these Illinois counties: Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, Dupage, Kankakee, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Madison, McLean, Mchenry, Peoria, Rock Island, St. Clair, Tazewell, Will and Winnebago.
Chicago Community Collection Newspapers
Full text newspapers dating back to 2002 for the Chicago area including:
- Aurora Beacon News
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Joliet Herald News
- Naperville Sun
- Plainfield Sun (until 2010 when publication ceased)
- Shorewood Sentinel
Chicago Tribune Historical Newspapers
Browse complete issues or search full text articles from the Chicago Tribune archives (1849-1989) including obituaries and death notices.
Consumer Health Complete
Covers all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine.
Consumer Reports
Provides ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services.
Creativebug
Offers 1000+ online art and crafts classes with expert step-by-step instructions plus patterns, templates and recipes from Joann Fabrics.
Driving Tests
Practice tests, resources and FAQs to help obtain or renew your driver's license. Does not require a library card to use.
EBSCO Discovery Service
An all-inclusive search solution that makes in-depth research easy.
FamilySearch
FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. PPLD is designated as a FamilySearch affiliate library, which grants researchers onsite access to billions of digitized records, including millions of images that are only available to Affiliate Libraries and FamilySearch Family History Centers (Affiliate Library digital images are only available in the Library).
Financial Literacy Basics
Designed for those who are just starting, this series gives you the necessary tools to make sure you are fully equipped to manage your finances.
Fold3
Historical documents and personal histories from the National Archives and other institutions that provides access to U.S. military records including stories, photos and personal document of the men and women who served.
HelpNow!
A live tutoring service for students of all ages. Tutors are available Monday — Sunday 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM CST. Video tutorial.
HeritageQuest
For genealogy research including U.S. Federal census records, PERSI Archive, local and family history books and more.
JobNow
Features expert resume assistance, live interview preparation and career coaching. Coaches are available Sunday — Saturday, 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM CST except holidays. Video tutorial.
Literary Reference Center Plus
Provides information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and time frames. Video tutorial.
Little Pim
Make a free profile for your child and get started learning Chinese, French, German, Spanish and more.
Lynda.com
Learn the latest business, technology, management, writing, creative skills and much more through instructional videos taught by industry experts.
Mango Languages
Online language learning instruction for over 60 languages, many recently expanded, including English Language Learner (ELL) courses.
MasterFILE Premier
Provides full text for magazines, reference books and primary source documents and an image collection containing photos, maps and flags.
Middle Search Plus
Full text for popular middle school magazines, biographies and historical essays. Full text entries include reading level indicators (Lexiles).
Morningstar Investment Research Center
Morningstar Investment Research Center offers easy access to comprehensive and independent financial analysis and data on stocks and funds.
Novelist K-8 Plus
Helps kids find books that are just right for their reading level and interests.
Novelist Plus
Provides reading recommendations and information about books including reviews, articles, lists, series and more.
PressBooks via Inkie.org
Edit, format, and generate print-ready and eBook formats for your book through the Inkie. org site which also includes eBooks from local, self-published authors.
Primary Search
Full text for popular elementary school magazines.
Proquest Platform
Search, find and preview more than 900 million documents without authentication and retrieve Open Access full-text content curated by ProQuest.
Record Information Services
Public records of real estate sales, new business licenses, foreclosures and bankruptcies for Illinois counties, particularly the greater Chicago area and quick background checks through CheckIllinois.
Reference Shelf
Full text reference books from Salem Press and Greyhouse Publishers on literature, science and more.
Reference Solutions (formerly known as Reference USA)
Create marketing plans, conduct competitive analysis, search for jobs/internships and locate people using real-time access to more than 44 million businesses, 270 million consumers, and more.
Science Reference Center
Full-text coverage for more than 200 science periodicals.
SELF-e
SELF-e is an innovative collaboration between Library Journal and BiblioBoard that enables authors and libraries to work together and expose notable self-published eBooks to readers looking to discover something new.
Value Line Research Center
Financial information and analytical tools for investment research.
Vidcode
Self-guided coding and game design lessons using JavaScript. (suitable for all ages)
World Book
Includes World Book Kids, World Book Student, and World Book Advanced. These resources contain full-text articles as well as fun games and activities to enhance the learning experience.