Online Resources By Topic
Search all EBSCO Databases at once
Simple search, easy topic overviews, and a mobile-friendly interface. Read about current topics, and get results from all of our EBSCO databases in one search. (Search covers Academic Search Premier, Consumer Health Complete, LearningExpress, MasterFILE, and Small Business Reference Center.)
Online Resources from A–Z
Academic Search Premier
The essential academic research database for peer-reviewed, full-text journals. A multi-disciplinary database of more than 4,600 magazines and journals, including full text for nearly 3,900 peer-reviewed titles. In addition to the full-text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for 8,470 journals.
American Bar Association Free Legal Answers
Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals is the first-ever legal help desk for civil appeals in Illinois. This virtual help desk is staffed by attorneys with appellate experience and it will present an opportunity for litigants to ask questions of a lawyer about their civil appeal.
If this interests you, you may also be interested in the Will County Justice Access Corps.
Ancestry.com Library Edition
Access to a wide variety of resources including: census records, military records, immigration records, and much more. Because this is the Library Edition of this product, it is only accessible from computers located in the library.
Want to learn more? Access the ProQuest LibGuide on Using Ancestry.com.
AtoZ Food America
If you think that spice is the variety of life and love American cuisine in its many forms, AtoZ Food America is for you. Recipes in all course categories (appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main courses, side dishes, desserts, snacks, and beverages) for six US regions, all 50 states, and 33 ethnic cuisines.
AtoZ Food America also covers food culture for the above regions, states, and ethnic cuisines with articles such as Classic Dishes, State Foods, Top Agricultural Products, Special Occasion Foods, Ethnic and Geographic Influences, Special Ingredients, and Food Trivia.
AtoZ World Food
Cookbooks from 174 countries in one online resource! Explore food culture and traditional recipes from around the world. National and regional cuisines, appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main courses, desserts, alcohol, tea culture, dining etiquette and foods for special occasions. You'll even find trivia about each country's food culture.
AtoZdatabases – Business, Person, and Job Reference Data
AtoZdatabases is the premier job search, reference, and mailing list resource, which includes over 30 million business and 220 million residents.
Businesses can inform their decisions by using the Map and Data Matrix tools to determine where to expand, or identify competitors and easily create mailing lists to inform the public of their product or location.
But, AtoZdatabases is more than a business tool. You can search for relatives or friends and create a contact list for reunions or use a job search tool powered by Monster.
Bicycle Safety with the League of American Bicyclists
It's free, educational, and always open! The League’s Online Learning Center is a great place for people who ride bikes to build their knowledge base about bicycling and how to safely share the road — and now it’s a great place for drivers to do the same!
Registering for these courses is required to track your progress, but registration is free.
Boundless (formerly Axis 360)
Use Boundless to access the eRead Illinois e-book collection. Over 6,100 ebooks and audiobooks — and always growing!
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Equality
Black Freedom by ProQuest features select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history. ProQuest’s intention is to support a wide range of students, as well as independent researchers and anyone interested in learning more about the foundation of ongoing racial injustice in the U.S. – and the fights against it.
Chicago Tribune Historical Archive
Covers news stories of both local and national issues and events occurring over the past 150 years, from 1849 to 1984. Your Barcode is your library card number.
Chilton Library
Chilton Library provides access to repair, maintenance and service information on the most popular cars, trucks, vans and SUVs on the road today, as well as many new vehicles. This continuously updated resource provides step-by-step repair procedures, troubleshooting guides, diagnostic trouble codes, photos, illustrations, diagrams, and multimedia (videos and animations) to simplify even the most complicated tasks.
Consumer Health Complete
Full texts for more than 250 health reference books and encyclopedias.
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports serves consumers through unbiased product testing and ratings, research, journalism, public education, and advocacy.
Coronavirus Research Database by ProQuest
ProQuest built this database in response to the rapidly growing need for authoritative content related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The company is working together with institutions all over the world to offer support as they navigate through the coronavirus pandemic. This launch of the Coronavirus Research Database is the latest in a series of programs to help librarians, faculty and students.
Your Barcode is your library card number.
Creativebug
Creativebug is your go-to resource for high-quality, on-trend arts and crafts instructional videos. Get on-demand access to our full library 1,000+ art and craft classes for artists and makers of all levels. You’ll enjoy award-winning HD instructional videos on drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, crochet, quilting, baking and more. All classes are taught by experts, with new classes added daily.
Creativebug delivers expert instruction and inspiration straight to your favorite device so you can learn at your own pace—anytime, anywhere.
After you register with your library card number and PIN (last four digits), you will login with your email and a password. If your PIN isn't working, call the library at 815-485-2605 so we can reset it.
You can also download our How to Use Creativebug Guide (PDF).
CultureGrams
Cultural information on 200+ countries, all 50 United States, and the Canadian Provinces. CultureGrams go beyond facts and figures to include the background, customs, and lifestyles of the world’s peoples.
DigitalLearn.org
Use a computer to do almost anything! Free training to get you comfortable with the basics of computing, using the Internet, and some common office software tools.
Driving Tests
Our free Illinois driver education program includes:
- 11 car practice tests
- 9 motorcycle practice tests
- 12 CDL (commercial driver’s license) practice tests
- 3 online driver’s manuals (car, motorcycle, CDL)
- A FAQ section with detailed answers to over 100 DMV-related questions
This program is automatically updated as new practice tests become available.
FamilySearch
FamilySearch includes free family history, family tree, and genealogy records and resources from around the world. FamilySearch basic access is available anywhere, but full access is only available in the library.
FirstSearch
FirstSearch provides access to over 50 billion library records, magazine articles, proceedings, and more. Much of the information is full-text. FirstSearch is only accessible in the library.
Fold3
Fold3 provides convenient access to military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served.
The records at Fold3 help you discover and share stories about these everyday heroes, forgotten soldiers, and the families that supported them.
HeritageQuest
HeritageQuest offers a unique, growing collection of research materials for tracing family history and American culture.
Hoopla Instant
Borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV! Titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones or tablets for offline enjoyment later. Hoopla Instant has hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, with more being added daily. Hoopla Instant is like having your public library at your fingertips. Anytime. Anywhere. Each New Lenox Library card has 4 checkouts per month.
Illinois Court Help
Going to court can be stressful, especially if you don’t have a lawyer. Illinois Court Help makes the court process less confusing – whether you’re facing eviction, getting a divorce, dealing with a DUI or something else.
Illinois Court Help connects you to the information you need to go to court. It’s a free service from the Illinois Courts. Court guides help you understand and go through the court process, wherever you are in Illinois.
Court guides DON’T give legal advice. They CAN connect you to local legal aid and community resources to help you solve your problem. Lawyers can use Illinois Court Help to find information on courts in every Illinois county.
Inkie.org Library
Read books online anywhere in Illinois, no library card needed. Special curated boards offer recommendations for a variety of topics — even independent Illinois writers and self-published novels.
Anyone physically in the state of Illinois can use this service. There is no limit on use; items can be read by 1 or 100 people at the same time. This means no hold queues and no waiting for titles!
We encourage you to create an account profile the first time you visit the Inkie.org Library. An Inkie.org Library profile will allow you access while outside of Illinois, as well as the ability to download content for offline reading and to add bookmarks and notes.
iVOX: Books That Move!
iVOX is our new children’s app based on our popular VOX Books.
Perfect for children ages 2-10, iVOX is a revolutionary read-along: it is the wildly popular VOX Books experience, integrated into an app using state-of-the-art story-telling technology. Whether as a motivational tool for young readers or simply to add a bit more magic to the reading experience, iVOX is a learning tool that benefits children of all ages.
Available directly in your browser or as a free app for iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire. Simply go to the website or download the app, select a book, and bring favorite stories to life.
LearningExpress
EBSCO’s LearningExpress Library offers eBooks, practice exams, test preparation, courses, guides, and skills improvement related to college, computers, software, citizenship and employment.
LibriVox Free Classic Audiobooks
LibriVox Audio Books provides unlimited access to over 50,000 audio books. Each audiobook can be streamed over the internet or downloaded for later use. The LibriVox Audio Books app features classic best sellers and out of print treasures from every genre of literature in more than 30 languages.
Audio books from LibriVox are free thanks to the dedicated work of hundreds of volunteers who record, edit and distribute the books. New releases are prepared daily, and the entire catalog spans the breadth of world literature, including novels, history, biography, short stories, poetry and more in both fiction and non-fiction.
You can download the LibriVox app for iOS and LibriVox for Android.
Linkedin Learning
Access thousands of online video courses and exercise files that will help you learn software, creative, and business skills from the best in the business. Use your library card number and PIN (last four digits) to register, and always access your free Library Edition from this link. You can access this service from anywhere.
(Does Linkedin Learning seem like too much? Try DigitalLearn!)
Mango Languages
A fun-infused way to learn a new language. Mango prepares learners for realistic conversations and strengthens everyday communication skills in over 70 world languages, including English, Spanish, Polish, Irish — even Pirate!
Create a login to track your progress, or use as a guest. After you create your login in a web browser, you can login to the Mango Languages app on your smartphone or tablet. You can access this service from anywhere.
MasterFILE Premier
MasterFILE Premier contains full text for nearly 1,700 periodicals covering general reference, business, health, education, general science, multicultural issues and much more.
NoveList Plus
Search for fiction and non-fiction books by genre, writing style, topic, or your mood. You can even tell it what kind of main character you like to read about, or give it a book you liked to get Read-Alike suggestions. Try out the Appeal Mixer (Menu > Browse By > Appeal), which helps you combine what kind of characters you want to read about with your desired tone, writing style, and more.
NoveList Plus K–8
Search for fiction and non-fiction books focused on all grade levels from Kindergarten through 8th Grade, or browse the suggested Read-Alikes. You can even tell it what kind of main character you like to read about, or give it a book you liked to get Read-Alike suggestions.
Overdrive & Libby
Peterson’s Test & Career Prep
Peterson’s is an all-ages resource for standardized test preparation, researching and selecting college and graduate schools, finding tuition assistance, and more. Explore careers, create or update a resume, and prepare for vocational exams.
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL)
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material to assist you in your development as a writer—no matter what your skill level. Help focuses on general writing, research and citation (including MLA, APA, and Chicago guides), avoiding plagiarism, job search writing, and more.
Record Information Services
A public records database that covers new homeowners, new businesses, foreclosures and sales, and bankruptcies.
Scholastic Go!
A general research tool for elementary and middle schools students that includes articles, current news, video, photos and more. Includes science and technology articles for elementary, middle and high schoolers as well as current news on science. Access outside of the library building requires a library card.
Small Business Reference Center
Small Business Reference Center offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics. It includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.
TrueFlix
Scholastic TrueFlix is an online Whiteboard resource focusing on engaging science and social studies content for students spanning grades 3–5.
TumbleBook Library
TumbleBook Library is a collection of talking and animated picture books, non-fiction, foreign language titles, read-along chapter books, puzzles, games, and resources for teachers and students.
Weiss Financial Ratings
Weiss Ratings and Grey House Publishing offer independent, unbiased financial strength ratings of banks, credit unions and insurance companies; medicare insurance plan comparisons; and conservative Buy-Hold-Sell ratings of thousands of Stocks, Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds. Create your own Personal Account to create a Watchlist, get Upgrade/Downgrade notifications and log in from anywhere.