Online Resources

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.

Complete full-text content of local and regional news, including Joliet Herald News.

For genealogy research, including census, vital, church, court and immigration records.  This resource is only available in the Library.

Do-it-yourself repair and maintenance information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles.

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.

A comprehensive collection of full-text biographies, as well as thousands of unique narrative biographies.

Featuring full text articles from more than 2,200 business journals. Basic tutorial. Advanced tutorial.

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.

Comprehensive coverage back to 1985 plus the latest news from the Chicago area, the nation and the world every day.

Browse complete issues or search full text articles from the Chicago Tribune archives (1849-1989) including obituaries and death notices.

Covers all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine.

Provides ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services.

Offers 1000+ online art and crafts classes with expert step-by-step instructions plus patterns, templates and recipes from Joann Fabrics.

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).

Historical documents and personal histories from the National Archives and other institutions that provides access to U.S. military records including stories, photos and personal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.

Provides access to the full text of a variety of books and reference materials.

Full text online versions of several reference books and encyclopedias. Video tutorial.

A live tutoring service for students of all ages. Tutors are available Monday — Sunday 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM CST. Video tutorial.

For genealogy research including U.S. Federal census records, PERSI Archive, local and family history books and more.

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.

An online training platform that offers over 12,000 video tutorials taught by experienced college professors and certified instructors in topics such management, compliance & safety, leadership, and more.

Provides full text for legal reference books and thousands of legal forms. Video tutorial.

Provides information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and time frames. Video tutorial.

Lynda.com is a leading online learning company that helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals.

Online language learning instruction for over 60 languages, many recently expanded, including English Language Learner (ELL) courses.

Full text for popular high school magazines covering a wide-range of subject areas including history, science, careers and more.

Provides full text for magazines, reference books and primary source documents and an image collection containing photos, maps and flags.

Full text for popular middle school magazines, biographies and historical essays. Full text entries include reading level indicators (Lexiles).

Morningstar Investment Research Center offers easy access to comprehensive and independent financial analysis and data on stocks and funds.

Helps kids find books that are just right for their reading level and interests.

Provides reading recommendations and information about books including reviews, articles, lists, series and more.

Contains resources that present multiple sides of an issue. Video tutorial.

Edit, format, and generate print-ready and eBook formats for your book.

Full text for popular elementary school magazines.

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.

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.

Full-text coverage for more than 200 science periodicals.

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.

Provides detailed, user-friendly repair guides for all manner of small engines such as motorcycles, ATVs, generators, tractors, snowmobiles, outdoor power equipment and more.

Financial information and analytical tools for investment research.

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.