Requires Plainfield Library card to access remotely.
Categories
AncestryPlus Library Edition
For genealogy research, including census, vital, church, court and immigration records. Available in Library only (no remote access).
Auto Repair Source
Do-it-yourself repair and maintenance information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles.
Biography Reference Center
Provides thousands of unique and reliable full-text biographies, including the complete full text of Biography and Biography Today.
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 for the Chicago area including:
Beacon News (1997 – Current)
Aurora Examiner (2009 – 2016)
Chicago Daily News (1875 – 1978)
Chicago Sun-Times Collection (1986 – Current)
Herald News Collection (1997 – Current)
Naperville Sun Collection (1997 – Current)
Plainfield Sun (until 2010 when publication ceased)
Shorewood Sentinel (2011 – 2020)
Consumer Reports
Provides ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services.
Consumers’ Checkbook
Provides unbiased reviews, undercover price research, and advice on local businesses and healthcare professionals. Available in Library only (no remote access). See Adult Services desk for access.
Creativebug
Driving Tests
Practice tests, resources and FAQs to help obtain or renew your driver’s license. Does not require a library card to use.
EBSCOhost Research Databases
Features a wide range of magazine and newspaper articles, medical, business, academic and other reference collections, including:
Business & Finance, Consumers, Homework, Legal, Newspapers, Reference
Explora Secondary Schools
Full-text articles from thousands of magazines, journals, and newspapers on a wide variety of subjects, along with images, videos, and primary sources. Lexile reading levels included.
FamilySearch
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).
Fiero Code
Fiero Code is an e-learning platform designed to teach coding from the ground up. With a curriculum that spans HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, SQL, and block-based coding with Scratch, it’s geared toward turning beginners into proficient coders. Suitable for ages 8 to adult.
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 Library Edition
Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served from the Revolutionary War onward.
Health Source – Consumer Edition
Full-text database covering a variety of subjects including information on specific diseases and overall health topics. Also provides access to current health pamphlets and Merriam-Webster’s Medical Desk Dictionary.
Herald News Collection
Explore Joliet area history through local news, events and people with the Herald News Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online.
HeritageQuest
For genealogy research including U.S. Federal census records, PERSI Archive, local and family history books and more.
History Reference Source
Covering topics in U.S. and world history from the earliest civilizations through the 21st century, this research database contains full-text journals, magazines, reference books and thousands of primary source documents.
Hot Topics
(no library card required)
Learn the latest about current, important news topics with reliable information curated by Library staff.
Inkie.org Library
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.
LearningExpress Library
Designed to help students and professionals with resources including interactive tutorials, practice tests, articles, e-books and high-stakes test preparation modeled after official tests. Learning centers include:
- Job & Career Accelerator
- High School Equivalency Center
- Resources for high school and college students
- Adult Core Skills
- Computer And Internet Basics Center
- Recursos Para Hispanohablantes
- …and more
Legal Information Source
Navigate legal matters of all kinds with reliable “how-to” information and thousands of federal, multi-state and state-specific legal forms.
LinkedIn Learning
Learn the latest business, technology, management, writing, creative skills and much more through instructional videos taught by industry experts.
Literary Reference Source
Full-text literary database covering all genres and time periods. It includes thousands of synopses, critical essays, book reviews, literary journals and author biographies, plus full-text classic novels, short stories and poems.
Little Pim
Make a free profile for your child and get started learning Chinese, French, German, Spanish and more.
LOTE Online for Kids
An online database of digital picture books in World Languages; provides over 1350+ book titles in 45+ World Languages, together with English translations, and new digital books and languages released every month.
Mango Languages
New York Times
In-Library access | Unlimited access to News, Cooking, and Wirecutter while onsite at the Library.
- Visit the New York Times website.
- Log into or create a free account.
Remote access | For offsite access to News, Games, Cooking, Wirecutter, and The Athletic:
- Log into your Library Account.
- Go to My Account, then My Record.
- Click the link that says New York Times access code.
- Click Redeem and log into or create a free New York Times account to redeem a 24-hour access code.
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.
Plainfield Enterprise Newspapers
Searchable every-name database for digital copies of the Plainfield Enterprise from 1957-2012.
Points of View Reference Source
Covers hundreds of topics, each with an Overview (objective background/description), Point (argument) and Counterpoint (opposing argument) to help evaluate the controversy and enhance students’ ability to read critically, develop their own perspective on the issues, and write or debate an effective argument on the topic.
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.
PressReader
Get access to more than 7,000 of the world’s top newspapers and magazines as soon as they’re available on shelves.
You can also use the PressReader app.
- Click Sign In.
- Click Libraries & Groups.
- Search for and choose Plainfield Area Public Library.
- Provide library card # and PIN.
- Create an account with your email and a password so you can favorite articles and publications across devices.
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
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 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.
SELF-e/Indie Author Project
Submit your book through Self-e so it can be shared with patrons of participating libraries across your region. If your book is selected by Inkie.org’s curation partners, it will also be available alongside other great indie reads in participating libraries across the U.S. and Canada.
Small Business Source
Collection of state-specific resources with demographic data and other information to meet the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Small Engine Repair Source
Resources for routine maintenance (tune-ups, brake service) as well as extensive repairs (engine and transmission disassembly). Browse by product type, brand, model/engine type and model numbers.
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).
Weiss Financial Ratings
Offers independent, unbiased financial strength ratings of banks, credit unions and insurance companies and conservative buy-hold-sell investment ratings of thousands of stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Instructional videos: Weiss Financial Ratings , Medigap tool.
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.