Website Guides

These sites are directories of websites which have been selected and recommended by librarians. They are excellent starting points when you need good information about almost anything.

• Illinois CLICKS!: Links picked and organized by volunteer librarians in Illinois.
• Librarians' Internet Index: "Websites you can trust."
• Internet Public Library: Searchable directory run by a group of library schools.

Consumer Help

Find product and auto reviews, shopping tips, information about recalls, and consumer-protection agencies.

Buying Guides & General Advice

• Consumer Reports: A lot of free and useful information is available, but a paid subscription is required for product reviews and ratings.
• ConsumerSearch: "Reviewing the reviews." Compiles and analyzes product reviews from magazines and websites. Great starting point.
• Epinions.com: Products rated by people who bought them.

Cars & Trucks

• Car & Driver: Includes the magazine's road tests and reviews, interactive vehicle comparisons, and Kelley Blue Book values.
• Edmunds.com: Reviews, comparisons, price and value information, and tips for buying new or used vehicles.
• The Truth About Cars: Detailed reviews, written with a sense of humor.

Consumer Protection & Complaints

• AnnualCreditReport.com: The place to get a no-obligation, free copy of your credit report from all three major reporting companies.
• Better Business Bureau: Includes complaints against companies, fraud alerts, and general tips.
• Consumer Protection Division: Part of the Illinois Attorney General's office.
• Recalls.gov: Product recalls and safety information from the federal government.

Health Information

Reputable sources for information about health and medicine. (Items marked with ** require a login. Contact us for access.)

• MEDLINE via FirstSearch **: Archive and index of articles from medical journals. Subjects include: clinical medicine, nutrition, dentistry, pathology,education, psychiatry, experimental medicine, toxicology, health services administration, veterinary medicine, and nursing.
• MedlinePlus: A medical super-site from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Includes extensive information and links on hundreds of conditions and health issues, drug descriptions, a medical encyclopedia, surgery videos, and more.
• HealthFinder.gov: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' guide to health information.
• NIH SeniorHealth: Information for older adults, from the National Institutes of Health.
• Illinois Health & Wellness: Official guide to state government programs and resources.
• Health-E Illinois: Directory of healthcare providers, facilities, and services.

Library Catalogs & Libraries

If you have a Library Card, we'll borrow items from other libraries for you! Delivery from most Illinois libraries is free.

(Items marked with ** require a login. Contact us for access.)

• PrairieCat: Catalog for approximately 200 libraries in northern Illinois and eastern Iowa.
• WorldCat via FirstSearch **: A catalog of more than a billion items in libraries worldwide.
• WorldCat.org: An alternate way to search most of the WorldCat catalog, with no login required.
• Every Library in ILLINET (ELI): Directory of hundreds of Illinois libraries, with links to many libraries' websites and catalogs.
• Digital Illinois: Catalog of electronic collections of documents, photographs, etc., made available online by Illinois libraries.
• Open-Access Text Archive: Thousands of public-domain books and other free books, for online viewing or downloading in plain text or scanned formats. Part of the Internet Archive site.
• Library of Congress Digital Collections: A large number of pamphlets, letters, historic documents, pictures, early films and recordings, and other items are available online.

Illinois & Local History

Online documents, photos, articles, and other information about the history of Illinois and the local area.

• Illinois Digital Archives: A portal to online exhibits and collections from libraries and museums across the state. A project of the Illinois State Library. Additional online collections are searchable through the Digital Illinois catalog.
• Illinois History Resource Page: Dozens of links, compiled by the Illinois State Historical Society.
• Cyndi's List - Illinois: Directory of genealogy and history websites. Also includes links for specific Illinois localities.

Magazine & News Articles

Online archives and search engines for finding articles from magazines and newspapers.

(Items marked with ** require a login. Contact us for access.)

• ArticleFirst via FirstSearch **: Index of articles from magazines and journals. For most publications, libraries which own them are listed.
• BNET Research Center: (Formerly called FindArticles.com.) Index of magazine articles which doesn't require a login. Many articles are available online for free, but "premium" articles carry a pricetag. Subjects covered include: arts, autos, business, health, home and garden, news, sports, and technology.
• Google News: Search for articles from newspaper, TV news, newswires, and other reporting websites.
• Topix: Find local news published on websites and blogs.

Find Facts Fast

Encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, statistics, and other sites for quickly looking up facts.

(Items marked with ** require a login. Contact us for access.)

• WorldAlmanac via FirstSearch **: Includes Funk & Wagnall's New Encylopedia, the World Almanac and Book of Facts, the World Almanac of the U.S.A., the World Almanac of U.S. Politics, and the World Almanac for Kids.
• Infoplease.com: Information Please Almanac, atlases, and more.
• Wikipedia: "The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit."
• OneLook Dictionary Search: Look up words in almost 1000 online dictionaries at the same time.
• IllinoisAtlas.com: A collection of Illinois and U.S. statistical maps.
• World Factbook: The CIA's book of country profiles.