Databases by Subject

Access Anytime, Anywhere

All databases can be accessed within the library. To use remotely, you'll need a valid MPLD library card number — click on the name of the database and enter your library card number. There are two databases that do not allow access from home -- American Ancestors and Ancestry Library Edition.

Auto Repair

Chilton's Automotive Repair Information for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) People. ChiltonLibrary provides exclusive photographs, diagnostics designed by instructors, step-by-step repair procedures, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) maintenance schedules, wiring diagrams, recalls and Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) for automobiles and light trucks in one easy-to-use web site. Since this library subscribes to ChiltonLibrary, you are now equipped with decades of data to maintain your vehicle. Just begin by choosing a vehicle.

Biography

Biography in Context Brings you face-to- face with your subjects via video, audio clips and images of yesterday and today’s most-studied figures. This resource delivers at-a-glance information on newsmakers and historical figures alike, featuring more than 600,000 biographies. Share content via various social networking sites.

Business and Technology

AtoZdatabases A premier reference and marketing database including 30 million business profiles and 220 million residents. Ideal for sales leads, mailing lists, market research, employment opportunities, finding friends and relatives, and much more!

Ferguson's Career Guidance Center Provides detailed profiles of more than 3,300 jobs and 94 industries, invaluable advice on career skills, more than 55,000 resource entries, and much more!

Financial Ratings Series Online Using a quick and easy search screen, you will have immediate access to financial strength ratings for more than 21,000 banks, credit unions and insurance companies, plus get investment ratings for more than 6,000 stocks and 16,000 mutual funds.

Learning Express Library Features Learning Centers for students of all ages, job seekers, those seeking citizenship, courses on Microsoft's Office Suite, test preparation guides and college entrance exam preparation help and practice tests. From home: Click on this remote link.

Careers/Skill Building

Ferguson's Career Guidance Center Provides detailed profiles of more than 3,300 jobs and 94 industries, invaluable advice on career skills, more than 55,000 resource entries, and much more!

Job & Career Accelerator Looking for a job? Want to change careers? Need help writing a resume or practicing for an interview? Use our newest database! Set up an account using your library card number for your username and a password of your choice. If you are already a registered LearningExpress Library user, you do not need to register again. Get detailed information on occupations that suit your interests. Access current job listings from more than 5 million job postings, which are collected from all major job boards. Create professional resumes and cover letters, master interviewing and networking techniques, and plan, tailor, and track your progress for multiple job searches. This database is part of LearningExpress Library (below), which can help you aquire the skills and take practice tests needed for your new job. From home: Click on this remote link.

Consumer Information

Consumer Reports Online — offers independent test results and ratings of thousands of products, including appliances, cars, baby & kid products, electronics, foods, health & family recreation & home improvement Information that empowers consumers to make the best purchasing decision.

Current Issues/Events

Issues and Controversies Explores more than 800 hot topics in business, politics, government, education, and popular culture.

World News Digest Brings together and enhances more than seven decades of news from the renowned Facts On File World News Digest in print.

Encyclopedia

Culturegrams Want to know more about the world’s people? Start here! Learn about each country’s history, customs, government, and general attitudes. Listen to the national anthem, view photos, and try recipes. Read interviews in which people from around the world describe their challenges, ambitions, and everyday lives. From home: Click on this remote link.

Encyclopedia Britannica Full-text articles from the complete encyclopedia. This is the library edition. From home: Click on this remote link. You'll be asked to enter your library card number.

Grolier's Helps both young and old with research and research skills, as well as with providing teachers, and librarians the important teaching and research tools that they need for their classrooms and media centers. Contains three encyclopedia databases --The New Book of Knowledge, The new Book of Popular Science, and Amazing Animals. From home: Click on this remote link. Enter your library card number for the user name; no password is needed.

Genealogy

American Ancestors Available only in the library. New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). NEHGS is the country's leading resource for family history research. Whether your family came to this country in the 17th century or the 20th century, NEHGS offers access to an incredible collection of primary materials and other resources that can make your research productive and rewarding.

Ancestry Library Edition™ Available only in the library. Complete U. S. Census records for 1790-1930, including military records, court, land and probate records, vital and church records, directories, passenger lists and more.

Heritage Quest A collection of over 25,000 family and local histories, Federal Censuses, and other genealogical content.

Health/Science

First Search Medline is a database available through First Search. You can search by topic then select the category "Medicine/Health, Consumer." Or, you can jump to "Advanced Search," and select Medline specifically. From home: Click on this remote link.

Health and Wellness Resource Center and Alternative Health Provides instant access to carefully compiled and trusted medical reference materials. Includes nearly 400 health/medical journals, hundreds of pamphlets, over 700 health-related videos from partner Healthology, Inc., and articles from 2,200 general interest publications in addition to a broad collection of Gale reference titles. Material contained in this Resource Center is intended for informational purposes only.

Health Reference Center Gives clear and comprehensive information on conditions and diseases, health and wellness, mental health, and the human body.

Science Online Presents a broad range of scientific disciplines through extensive definitions, essays, diagrams, biographies, and experiments.

History

American History Online Spans more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history, highlighting the important people and events of the American experience.

Modern World History Online Covers the people, places, and events in the broad expanse of history from mid-15th century to the present.

Sources in U.S. History Online: The Civil War A series of archival digital collections. The Civil War digital collection contains nearly 500 significant documents of the time — personal narratives, monographs, regimental histories, collected essays, sermons, songs, legal tracts, and political speeches— enabling users to study one of the key events in American history.

Foreign Languages/ESL

Mango Languages Learn a new language: French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese, Greek, Brazilian Portuguese; as well as English for Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish speakers.

Literature & A/V

NoveList K-8 Plus — A comprehensive reading resource for fiction and non-fiction. It has a fun and intuitive interface for younger readers.

NoveList Plus A comprehensive reading resource for fiction and nonfiction for adult readers.

Book Index Reviews A comprehensive database that provides information on over 5 million book titles, in a wide range of formats. BIR also contains almost 800,000 full-text searchable book reviews from the sources that you trust: Library Journal, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and others.

BIR Entertainment provides information on about 450,000 music titles and 200,000 DVD/video titles, with more being added regularly. With BIR, you can find music or videos featuring a favorite artist or performer, or a specific genre.

Maps

A to Z Maps Online The worlds largest subscription-based database of proprietary, royalty-free world, continent, country, and state maps. Included in the 4,000+ maps are: political maps, physical maps, outline maps, population maps, precipitation maps, climate maps, and other thematic maps. New maps are added to the collection every month.

Newspapers, Magazines, News

Newsbank Search current and past articles from our local Northwest Herald and more through this database, which also includes access to more than 30 popular national magazines.

World News Digest brings together and enhances nearly seven decades of news from the renowned Facts On File World News Digest in print. This archival record of domestic and international news is updated weekly and contains more than 1 million internal hyperlinks and convenient new features such as tabbed search results. It covers all major political, social, and economic events since November 1940.

Public Records

Illinois Public Records Provided by Record Information Services. Scroll through Illinois’ public records — real estate transactions, mortgages, foreclosures, and more. Keep an eye on housing values in your community and help safeguard your biggest investment — your home. Sort by name, city, zip code, and more. Record Information Services is a 17-year-old data compiler of public records. From home: Click on this remote link. You'll be asked to enter your library card number.

Reference and Research

First Search FirstSearch is an online service that gives library professionals and end users access to a rich collection of reference databases. With FirstSearch, materials in your library’s collection are highlighted in results from searches in dozens of leading databases. Search for information on a wide variety of subjects from 16 different databases. The Statewide Illinois Library Catalog, known as SILC, is accessible through First Search, as is "Find-it Illinois" and "Ask ? Away." From home: Click on this remote link.

Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for different types of research. These reference materials once were accessible only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7. Because each library creates its own eBook collection, the content you see may vary if you use the database at different libraries (your school, your public library, or your office).

InfoTrac General Reference Center Gold A general interest database that integrates a variety of sources in one easy-to-use interface. Use General Reference Center Gold to find articles from newspapers, reference books, and periodicals, many with full-text and images. Find the latest current events, popular culture, business and industry coverage, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more.

Telephone Directory

AtoZdatabases Phone numbers and addresses for 30 million businesses and 220 million residents in the U. S.