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Research

These power tools can find things that Google can't. Use most resources inside the library or from home with your Niles-Maine library card.
| Name | Description | Use At Home? |
|---|---|---|
ALLDATA |
Manuals for diagnosing, repairing, and maintaining cars. Includes recalls and auto service department Technical Service Bulletins. Available for in-Library use only. |
No |
America's Newspapers Chicagoland Edition |
Full-text Chicago Sun-Times, Niles Bugle, Niles Herald-Spectator, Niles Journal, and other Illinois newspapers. |
Yes |
Ancestry (Library Edition) |
Note: Starting January 1, 2022, Ancestry.com will be available for in-library use only. U.S. census records, military records, vital records, naturalization documents, personal histories, and more. |
No |
Article First |
Search for magazine and journal abstracts and full-text articles from 1990 - present. |
Yes |
| Biography Reference Bank |
Biography Reference Bank offers in-depth profiles of individuals based on any combination of occupation, activity, gender, place of origin, birthday and lifespan. |
Yes |
Brainfuse HelpNow |
Live tutoring available from 2 - 11 p.m. daily for kindergarten and up. Includes practice exercises, quizzes, and flashcard creator. |
Yes |
Brainfuse JobNow |
Support for job seekers from 3 - 10 p.m. daily with expert resume assistance, interview preparation, and career coaching. |
Yes |
Brainfuse LearnNow |
Practice tests for ACT, SAT, AP, Civil Service, NCLEX, TOEFL, and more. |
Yes |
Check Illinois |
Find Illinois home sale, business license, foreclosure, and bankruptcy records. Perform background checks. |
Yes |
| Chicago Consumers' Checkbook Online |
Looking for a good doctor or contractor? Find help in locating local service providers along with user ratings. |
Yes |
Chicago Sun-Times |
Full page coverage from 1986-present. |
Yes |
Chicago Tribune |
Full-text coverage from 1985 - present. |
Yes |
Chicago Tribune Historical Archive |
Full-text coverage from 1849 - 1987. |
Yes |
| Consumer Health Complete |
Consumer Health Complete is the single most comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented health content. |
Yes |
Consumer Reports |
Product reviews and ratings. |
Yes |
Crain’s Business Chicago |
Business news and analysis. |
Yes |
| Creativebug |
More than 1,000 on-trend arts and crafts video tutorials such as hand-lettering, sewing, and knitting taught by recognized design experts and artists. |
Yes |
Daily Herald |
Full-text coverage from 1997 - present. |
Yes |
| Driving Tests |
Practice tests and FAQs to help you get and renew your driver's license. |
Yes |
| Educational Resources Information Center |
Journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books on education. |
Yes |
Ethnic NewsWatch |
Full-text global coverage of newspapers, magazines, and journals of the minority press. |
Yes |
Explora Junior High |
Full-text articles from magazines, reference books, and primary sources on all topics. |
Yes |
Explora Primary School |
Full-text articles from magazines, reference books, and primary sources on all topics. |
Yes |
Explora Public Libraries |
Full-text articles from magazines, reference books, and primary sources on all topics. |
Yes |
Financial Ratings Series/Medicare Database |
Medicare Supplement Insurance Buyers’ Guide, financial ratings for banks and credit unions, planning tools for investors, and financial literacy basics. |
Yes |
Flipster |
Digital magazines for your computer or mobile device. |
Yes |
Fold3 Library Edition |
Military records including stories, photos, and personal documents. Includes the Fold3 Holocaust Archives. |
Yes |
Gale Courses |
In-depth, instructor-led, six-week courses for all topics. |
Yes |
Gale eBooks (Use Library Card # as Password) |
Nonfiction eBook collection covering all subject areas. |
Yes |
Gale Literature Criticism (Use Library Card # as Password) |
Literary criticism representing a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras, and genres. |
Yes |
Heritage Hub |
Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 - today. |
Yes |
Heritage Quest |
U.S. census records, military records, vital records, naturalization documents, personal histories, and more. |
Yes |
hoopla |
Movies, music, eBooks, and audiobooks for your computer or mobile device. |
Yes |
Kanopy |
Classic, international, documentary, and educational films from the Criterion Collection, Janus films, The Great Courses, and the PBS Frontline series. |
Yes |
LinkedIn Learning for Library |
Formally Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning for Library gives you access to video courses for business, technology, and creative skills. Library ID for mobile app use: nileslibrary |
Yes |
Mango Languages |
Language learning from your computer or mobile device. Includes ELL resources and 60 languages. |
Yes |
MasterFILE |
Peer-reviewed articles on all topics. |
Yes |
Medline Plus |
Comprehensive health and drug information. |
Yes |
Mergent Intellect |
Contains business directory, residential listings, demographic data, as well as industry reports and company profiles for international public and private businesses. |
Yes |
Morningstar Investment Research Center |
Stock and mutual fund information with classes for beginning and advanced users. |
Yes |
New World Encyclopedia |
General information on all topics. |
Yes |
New York Times |
Full-text coverage from 1923 - present. |
Yes |
New York Times Historical |
Full-text coverage from 1857 - 1922. |
Yes |
Niche Academy |
Instructional video tutorials for our digital library resources. |
Yes |
Niles Bugle |
Full-text coverage from 1957 - 2007. |
Yes |
Niles Herald-Spectator |
Full-text coverage from 2008 - 2018. |
Yes |
Novelist K-8 Plus |
Reading recommendations for grades K-8 including Lexile levels. |
Yes |
Novelist Plus |
Reading recommendations. |
Yes |
PressReader |
Digital newspapers and magazines such as the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times. |
Yes |
ProQuest U.S. Newsstream |
Full-text regional and international news. |
Yes |
Public Records Online |
Find Illinois home sale, business license, foreclosure, and bankruptcy records. Perform background checks. |
Yes |
| Reference Solutions (Formerly Reference USA) |
Business directory, residential listings, demographic data, health care listings. Records can be downloaded for mailing/contact lists. |
Yes |
Scholastic Teachables |
Provides thousands of searchable and printable educational materials, including activity sheets, lesson plans, reading passages, games, clip art, and more. Ideal for teachers and homeschool families of children from Pre-K to 8th grade. |
Yes |
Science Reference Center |
Contains science experiments, full-text magazines and journal articles as well as resources for teachers. |
Yes |
Treehouse |
Video based courses for technology and computer science skills. |
Yes |
| TumbleBookLibrary |
Animated, read-along, picture, and chapter eBooks for grades K-6. |
Yes |
| Value Line Research Center |
Stocks and mutual funds news and analysis, financial planning tools, investment strategies, and industry reports. |
Yes |
| Wall Street Journal |
Full-text coverage from 1984 - present. |
Yes |
| Wall Street Journal Historical |
Full-text coverage from 1889 - 2001. |
Yes |
World Book Advanced |
General information on all topics for high school students. Lesson plans and assessments are available for teachers. |
Yes |
World Book for Kids |
General information on all topics for grades K-8. |
Yes |
World Book Spanish Language Encyclopedia |
Busque en la Internet la Enciclopedia Mundial Hispanica par estudiantes de primaria. |
Yes |
World Book Student |
General information and research guides on all topics for all ages. |
Yes |
World Book Timelines |
Build and share timelines. Use your own events and images or add content and images from World Book. |
Yes |
| WorldCat |
Search other libraries for books, DVDs, CDs, and other materials in Illinois libraries and worldwide. |
Yes |
Digital Downloads
Download and stream for free with your Niles-Maine library card.
eBooks and Audiobooks:
Movies, TV, Documentaries:
Music:
Magazines and Newspapers: