Research, Consumer & Legal Databases

Visit the Genealogy page for family-specific resources. See every online resource the Library has to offer at A–Z Online Resources.


American Bar Association Free Legal Answers logo

American Bar Association Free Legal Answers

Find the most appropriate legal resources for you. Legal information is presented in plain language and in a variety of ways, including video, text, foreign languages, and interactive formats.

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.

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IL Court Help logo

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.

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Illinois Legal Aid

Illinois Legal Aid

Find the most appropriate legal resources for you. Legal information is presented in plain language and in a variety of ways, including video, text, foreign languages, and interactive formats.

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Consumer Guides

A to Z Food America logo

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.

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A to Z World Food

AtoZ World Food

Cookbooks from 174 countries in one online resource! Explore food culture and traditional recipes from around the world. It’s a movable feast in a digital cookbook.

 

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Chilton Library logo

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.

 

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Consumer Health Complete

Consumer Health Complete

Full texts for more than 250 health reference books and encyclopedias.

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Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports serves consumers through unbiased product testing and ratings, research, journalism, public education, and advocacy.

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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.

 

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Records & Archives

AtoZdatabases logo

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 Indeed.

 

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Chicago Tribune Historical Archive

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.

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CDC illustration of coronavirus

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.

Access the Coronavirus Research Database by ProQuest


FirstSearch

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.

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Masterfile Premier

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.

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Record Information Services

Record Information Services

A public records database that covers new homeowners, new businesses, foreclosures and sales, and bankruptcies.

In Library Home Access


Small Business Reference Center

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.

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