Resources

A to Z World Food

Explore recipes and food culture from 174 countries. Additional features include food glossaries, food history timelines, and ingredient searches.

ABCMouse.com

For young learners (ages 2-7+), this comprehensive online educational resource has more than 4,000 interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities. (In library use only)

Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete provides access to 5,795 active full-text journals with multidisciplinary coverage supporting high-level research in most key areas of academic study.

Ancestry.com

Search U.S. Census records from 1790-1930; Evanston city directories from 1890-93; immigration records; birth, marriage, and death records; and old telephone directories from around the country. Only available in the library.

Appointments for Legal Information

Evanston Public Library partners with Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) as a Legal Self-Help Center. Now, patrons can make a free, online appointment with our legal self-help navigator! Learn about the law, your legal rights, and how to go to court.  Our trained ILAO Navigator will help you:

  • Search online for answers to your legal questions,
  • Refer you to free and low cost legal providers, and
  • Show you how to find and prepare court forms

Appointments are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-4 PM for 30 minutes.  Contact the Reference Desk at 847-448-8630 to book an appointment.

Auto Repair Source

Auto Repair Source provides library users with the most accurate, authoritative and up-to-date “do-it-yourself” service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles.

BookFlix

Scholastic BookFlix pairs video storybooks with real-world information to help new readers build a love of reading and learning. Also includes interactive games to help build vocabulary and improve literacy.

View a tutorial on YouTube: English | Spanish

Britannica Escolar

Britannica Escolar  le ofrece recursos de referencia en español en dos interfaces exclusivas — cada una con una enciclopedia adaptada a las necesidades del lector: Britannica Escolar para estudiantes de primaria y secundaria.

[This site offers resources in Spanish for all ages in two unique interfaces, each with its own comprehensive encyclopedia for elementary and middle school students.]

Britannica Library

An up-to-date reference center for all ages–kids, teens, and adults–where you can conduct research, complete homework assignments, and work on special projects. Store your research in your own personal “My Britannica” account. If you need images for your assignments, check out Britannica’s Image Quest.

You can also search the Britannica Spanish language resources created just for students, Britannica Escolar and Britannica Moderna.

Britannica Moderna

Britannica Moderna le ofrece recursos de referencia en español en dos interfaces exclusivas — cada una con una enciclopedia adaptada a las necesidades del lector: Britannica Moderna para los estudiantes de preparatoria y universidad.

[This site offers resources in Spanish for high school and college students.]

Business Source Complete

Business Source Complete provides access to more than 1,811 active full-text journals. It supports research in key business areas such as accounting, finance, management, marketing and beyond.

Chicago Consumers’ Checkbook

Find unbiased ratings, reviews, and advice on local service providers, such as Auto Services, Pet Care, Healthcare Providers, and Home Care.

Chicago Defender Historical Archive

Newspaper issues from 1909 to 1975 chronicling events and stories about and relevant to Chicago and Evanston’s Black communities. Also included are obituaries, photos, and advertisements.

Chicago Sun-Times Collection

Explore Chicago history through local news, events and people with the Chicago Sun-Times Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online.

Chicago Tribune

Read the full text (minus photos and illustrations) of the Chicago Tribune and browse back issues.

Chicago Tribune Historical Archive

Newspaper issues from 1849 to 1998 chronicling events and stories about and relevant to Chicago and Evanston. Also included are display ads, classified ads, obituaries, and more.

Comics Plus

Comics Plus is a digital platform that provides unlimited, simultaneous access to a vast collection of graphic novels, comic books, and manga. With titles spanning diverse genres and age groups—from children’s comics to teen and adult graphic novels—Comics Plus caters to readers of all interests and reading levels. The user-friendly interface allows patrons to read on-demand without wait times or holds, making it easy to discover new series or dive into favorites. Accessible through your library on any device, Comics Plus is a fantastic resource for fans of visual storytelling, promoting literacy through engaging, illustrated narratives.

Consumer Health Complete

Consumer Health Complete is designed to help users gain an overall understanding of key topics across the health and wellness spectrum — from mainstream medicine to complementary, holistic and integrated medicine.

Consumer Reports Online

In addition to thousands of ratings of consumer products, you can find expert reviews and buying advice; product comparisons and video clips, and even user reviews. New and used car ratings and recommendations are also here.

View a tutorial on YouTube: English | Spanish

Creativebug

Thousands of award-winning art & craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.

DigitalLearn

 If you are new to computers, haven’t used them for a while, are a little unsure and uncomfortable, or just need a bit of a refresher, digitallearn.org has the tools to help you tackle technology at your own pace and gain the confidence you need to succeed.

EBSCO Middle School General Search

Full-text database providing popular middle school magazines, reference e-books, and thousands of primary source documents and videos. Subjects include history, current events, science and sports.

EBSCO Primary Search

Primary Search is a full-text database of carefully curated content for elementary school libraries. It includes full text for the most popular children’s magazines, e-books, and easy-to-read encyclopedic entries written specifically for kids.

EBSCO Public Library General Search

A research experience designed specifically for schools and public libraries. Provides unique, age-appropriate content and an optimized search experience for a variety of EBSCO databases and database packages, such as those listed below, as well as other popular EBSCO resources (e.g., EBSCO eBooks).

Encyclopedia of Chicago

Free online version of the award winning reference work on Chicago’s history and culture.

Evanston Review

This has been Evanston’s principal weekly newspaper since 1925. Full-text access to digital archive, 1925 to present with downloadable page images displayed from 1925 to 2009. Print and microfilm archives also available on 2nd floor of the Main Library.

Explora for High School Students

Look up topic overviews, magazine and academic journal articles, facts and primary sources for research papers, class projects or homework. Get information from trustworthy sources that you can cite in your papers. Designed with students and educators in mind.

FirstSearch

Find articles and worldwide library holdings of books through WorldCat.

Foundation Directory by Candid

Foundation Directory Online is a database of grant information. Nonprofits and individuals seeking funding, scholarships, or fellowships can access Foundation Directory to find and connect with funders.

They are available for unlimited use only within the Main library at every Internet workstation and over the Wi-Fi network on a user’s personal device.

Gale Directory Library

Search across multiple directories simultaneously. Titles include Gale Directory of Early Stage Investment, Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media, and Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations, and many more.

Gale Power Search

Gale offers a variety of resources for education, lifelong learning, and academic research that includes peer-reviewed articles; full-text magazines, newspapers eBooks, and primary source documents.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

More than 3,600 encyclopedias and reference sources. Topics covered: world history and culture, medicine and health, statistics, literature, business and science.

GuideStar: The National Database of Nonprofit Organizations

GuideStar includes information about U.S. nonprofits (including foundations) taken primarily from organization tax returns. Some foundations include links to their most recent tax return, where they are required by law to list grant recipients and the amount of funding given.

HeritageQuest Online

Includes family histories, genealogical serials, local histories, the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1930, and primary sources in full images.

History Reference Source

Covering topics in U.S. and world history from the earliest civilizations through the 21st century, History Reference Center is a research database containing full-text journals, magazines, reference books and thousands of primary source documents.

Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO)

Evanston Public Library partners with Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) as a Legal Self-Help Center. A legal self-help center is a place where you can learn about the law, your legal rights, and how to go to court.

Inkie.org

“Inkie.org” is a suite of resources – available to everyone in Illinois at no charge – that supports local authors with online creation and publishing tools and allows readers to access locally-produced content.

Kanopy

Stream more than 30,000 of the world’s best films on your smart TV, computer, or mobile device. Three movies per month for EPL cardholders and also unlimited instructional videos from the Great Courses series and Kanopy Kids! content, including Sesame Street.

Watch a YouTube tutorial: English | Spanish

Law At The Library

The Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Public Library and the Evanston Public Library are offering a free, legal information series to answer your legal questions and
provide practical resources and insights into today’s most prevalent legal issues. Each Law At The Library program features a presentation by an experienced attorney,
followed by a brief question and answer session. All events are free, open to the public and conducted via Zoom. Registration is required. To register or for additional information, go this page.  You can also see previous sessions of Law At The Library on the Evanston Public Library YouTube page. For a referral to a CBA lawyer, visit www.lrs.chicagobar.org.

Learning Express Library

Practice tests for real estate, elementary-high school skills practice, citizenship exams, and SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, GED, TOEFL, ASVAB, etc.

Legal Information Reference Center

Legal Information Reference Center is an online database designed to assist the general public in legal matters of all kinds. It includes exclusive full text for many top consumer legal reference books, as well as thousands of legal forms.

Literary Reference Source Plus

A full-text literary database providing a complete collection of reference works across all genres and time periods. It contains thousands of poems, short stories, classic novels, plot summaries, critical analysis essays, literary journals, reference books and author biographies.

Literature Criticism Online

Full text of the Gale 19th Century, 20th Century and Contemporary Literary Criticism volumes. Thousands of essays and commentaries on contemporary and classic literature.

LOTE4Kids: Children’s Picture Books

A digital library of children’s picture books in various world languages created for children to enjoy books and learn language through storytelling.

Mango Languages

Are you planning a trip abroad?  Will you need to learn some key phrases in a new language?  Do you need to brush up in a language you’ve already studied?  Mango Languages can help.  Mango’s conversational approach teaches practical, relevant content focused on four key areas of language learning: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and culture.  Choose from more than 50 languages and get started today. You can even download the Mango app to your iPhone, iPad or Android mobile device.

Mango also provides several full-length feature films to help you immerse yourself in a new language.  Use your Evanston Public Library card to access Mango from home, or on the go.  Call the Reference Desk for help, or for more information, at 847-448-8630. View a tutorial on YouTube: English | Spanish

Mergent Archives

Find historical information about public companies, including companies’ historical annual reports and the full, digitized text of Moody’s Manuals, dating back to 1909, which provides an in-depth history of corporate America.

Middle Search Plus

Middle Search Plus is a full-text database providing popular middle school magazines, reference e-books, and thousands of primary source documents and videos. Subjects include history, current events, science and sports.

Morningstar Investment Research Center

Search stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs, and access Morningstar’s up-to-date investment newsletters. You will also find a comprehensive suite of portfolio-planning tools and guidance for new and experienced investors alike.

[Licensing considerations dictate a limited number of simultaneous users. If you can’t access Morningstar Investment Research Center immediately, please try again later.]

 

MyHeritage

Learn more about your family history and genealogy by searching through more than 4.2 billion records.

New York Times

Read the full text (minus photos and illustrations) of the New York Times newspaper (embargoed one month) and browse back issues.

Novelist

Reviews, reading guides and reading lists for all interests, covering fiction and nonfiction titles.

NoveList K-8 Plus

Novelist K-8 Plus allows you to discover fiction and nonfiction titles that are popular with young readers.

PressReader

PressReader is an online platform that provides users with access to a vast collection of newspapers and magazines from around the world, all in one convenient digital platform. Browse, read, and download content from thousands of publications, covering various topics such as news, business, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. Whether accessed via web or mobile apps, PressReader enhances the reading experience with high-quality digital editions that replicate the print versions of each publication.

ProQuest eNewspapers & Publications

Search hundreds of recent and archival newspapers, including Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and more. Also find historical and recent magazines and trade journals.

ProQuest Global Newsstream

Global Newsstream enables users to search the most recent global news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring content from newspapers, newswires, and news sites in active full-text format.

Read It!
Designed for middle and high school students and adults who have a basic foundation in English grammar and reading but need adapted reading material for a variety of subjects.

Salem Health Resources

Complete text of the Salem press encyclopedias, Genetics and Psychology and Mental Health.

Salem Press History

Includes Salem’s American history series, “The Decades,” from 1940-2000; Great Events from History, from ancient times to the present; and Milestone Documents in American History, a collection of primary source material.

Salem Press Science

Complete text of Salem’s Encyclopedia of Global Resources and Encyclopedia of Global Warming.

Science Reference Center

Science Reference Center provides full text for hundreds of science magazines, journals, reference books and high-quality videos. The database also contains science experiments, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, and a vast image collection.

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.

TumbleBooks

TumbleBooks is an online tool for reading where kids can listen to books, read along, and play games. View a tutorial on YouTube: English | Spanish

Vocational & Career Collection

Vocational & Career Collection is a specialized database from EBSCO that provides full-text access to a wide range of trade and industry-related publications. It is designed to support students, job seekers, and professionals with resources on various vocational fields, including healthcare, engineering, education, and technology, offering valuable information for career development and job preparation.

Wall Street Journal

Real the full text (minus photos and illustrations) of the Wall Street Journal.

Women’s Magazine Archives

Examine the events, trends, and attitudes of the time while browsing over a dozen different women’s magazines in high-resolution color, dated from the late-19th century through 2005.

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