Databases A-Z
Unless otherwise noted, these resources are available on all Chicago Public Library computers or on non-Library computers with your Chicago Public Library card.
ABI/INFORM »
Find articles from a wide range of business publications: from local business magazines to publications focusing on a specific trade or industry to scholarly journals. Over 3,000 publications are covered, including Crain’s Chicago Business and the Wall Street Journal.
American National Biography »
American National Biography Online contains substantial biographical articles on more than 18,000 deceased American men and women from all eras and walks of life as well as selected non-nationals (for example, Casimir Pulaski) who had a profound influence on American history. All biographical articles include evaluative bibliographies that guide the reader in further research. American National Biography also includes articles from The Oxford Companion to American History.
Ancestry Library Edition »
Ancestry Library Edition contains U.S. and U.K. Census images and indexes, the Social Security Death Index, World War I draft registration cards, Civil War service records, immigration records and many more sources for genealogical research.
Available only on Chicago Public Library computers.
ArchiveGrid »
Identify personal papers, organizational records and more at archives throughout the world, including those at local institutions such as the Evanston Historical Society, the Newberry Library and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Art Index/Art Index Retrospective »
Art Index/Art Index Retrospective allows patrons to find articles of interest back to 1929 in the substantial print journal collection of the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the Harold Washington Library Center. Full text is available in the database for some recent articles (1997–present).
ARTbibliographies Modern »
Use this index to find journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations and exhibition reviews of interest in the print collections of the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the Harold Washington Library Center. The index covers all forms of modern and contemporary art with entries dating back to 1974.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center computers.
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals »
Use this database to locate articles of interest on architecture and design in the Harold Washington Library Center’s excellent collection of architectural journals and magazines. Coverage begins in the 1930s (with selected journals indexed back to the 1860s).
Biography in Context » teen pick
Find full-text biographical information on over half a million people from all periods of history and from every geographical region. Search for information on a particular person by name or, using the Person Search, create lists of people based on their nationality, ethnicity, occupation, gender or date of birth or death.
Black Newspapers »
Search for news articles from a number of African American papers, including the Afro-American (Baltimore/Washington D.C.), Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Sentinel, Michigan Chronicle (Detroit) and New York Amsterdam News.
Booklist Online »
Booklist Online offers expert advice on great reads in both fiction and nonfiction from the editors and reviewers of Booklist. Visitors can read the latest reviews and columns, search for reviews based on a number of criteria (topic, audience, date, “starred review,” etc.) or use the “find similar titles” feature to find recommendations for further reading based on a title they’ve enjoyed in the past.
Books in Print »
Find publisher-verified information on all U.S. books in print. Books in Print contains in-print and forthcoming books, and books declared out-of-print or out-of-stock since 1979.
CAMIO (Catalog of Art Images Online) »
Search for images of fine and decorative art from museums.
Chicago Defender Historical Archive »
Search the complete text, including display and classified advertisements, of this nationally significant African American newspaper from 1910 to 1975. (To search for articles appearing in this paper from 1999 to the present, use Black Newspapers or Illinois Newsstand.)
Chicago Examiner (Chicago Public Library Digital Collections) »
Search the Chicago Examiner (1908–1918) by keyword or browse collections on selected subjects. Hint: On the search page, under “Select specific collections,” unselect all collections except those for the Chicago Examiner to exclude non-Examiner content from your search.
Chicago Sun-Times/SouthtownStar »
Find articles from the Chicago Sun-Times from 1986 to the present and the SouthtownStar (formerly the Daily Southtown) back to 2004.
Chicago Tribune (1985 to present) »
Search the full-text of all articles in all editions and sections (including the RedEye) of the Chicago Tribune. Coverage is 1985 to present.
Chicago Tribune Historical Archive »
The Chicago Tribune Historical Archive allows users to search the complete text of the Chicago Tribune, including classified and display advertisements, from 1849 to 1988.
Chronicling America »
This Library of Congress website features more than 500 digitized U.S. newspapers from 1836 to 1922. Chicago-area papers included are The Broad Ax, an African American newspaper digitized from 1895 to 1922; The Day Book, E.W. Scripps’ experiment in advertisement-free newspaper publishing digitized from 1911 to 1917 and The Chicago Eagle, a publication with a strong focus on municipal political affairs digitized from 1894 to 1920. The Advanced Search offers options for searching by date, keyword and specific state or newspaper title.
Consumer Reports »
Find product ratings and recommendations.
Contemporary Authors »
Contemporary Authors offers information on the lives and writings of current authors as well as those no longer publishing but who were active within the last 50 years.
CultureGrams » kid friendly teen pick
This reference database contains information on countries and territories with particular emphasis on customs, lifestyles and social conditions. The World Edition covers over 200 countries and territories and is aimed at junior high and high school students and adults. Younger students will find age-appropriate information in the Kids Edition (which covers 78 countries), States Edition (which covers the 50 states) and Provinces Edition (which covers Canada’s 13 provinces and territories). The database also contains representative recipes for all countries as well as short biographies of famous citizens. Collections of photographs are available for some countries.
Design & Applied Arts Index »
Use this index to find articles of interest in the print journal collections of the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the Harold Washington Library Center. The index covers over 500 journals from 1973 to the present in all areas of design, from fashion to web design.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center computers.
EBSCO Magazines & Journals »
Find articles from general interest magazines and scholarly journals. EBSCO Magazines & Journals allows you to search two separate databases (MasterFILE Complete and OmniFile Full Text Select) covering a total of more than 3,500 full text titles.
Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos » en español kid friendly
The Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos offers encyclopedia articles in Spanish for students in grades two through five. (For an English-language encyclopedia for students in grades two through five, use World Book for Kids.)
ERIC »
ERIC is a guide to research published in the field of education. Search more than a million short descriptions of journal articles and other education-related publications from 1966 to the present.
Fiction Connection » teen pick
Fiction Connection helps readers find fiction titles of interest. Users can browse by topic, genre, setting, character, location or time frame. Or they can use the search function to find titles that meet their reading interests in several areas (for example, mysteries set in Chicago) or to find books similar to a favorite title.
Film & Television Literature Index »
Use this index to locate articles by subject, author, title, etc., in the print magazine and journal collections of the Harold Washington Library Center. The database tracks 300 publications from cover to cover, with selective coverage of an additional 300 titles. For some titles, coverage begins as early as the 1940s.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center computers.
FirstSearch »
Search a wide range of databases from the FirstSearch service, including ArticleFirst, ClasePeriodica, PapersFirst, Proceedings and more.
Gale Virtual Reference Library »
Search a collection of over a hundred reference titles in a variety of subject areas such as business and careers, education, fashion, food, film & television, geography, history, law & government, literature, medicine, philosophy, psychology, religion, science & technology and sociology. Titles for young people as well as for adults are included.
Government Printing Office Monthly Catalog »
The Government Printing Office (GPO) Monthly Catalog helps users find publications of the U.S. government, including congressional reports, hearings, debates and records; materials produced by the federal courts and documents issued by other federal agencies. The database includes only short descriptions of each document, though most are available for use in the Government Publications Department at the Harold Washington Library Center and many are available for free online. Coverage begins in 1976.
GreenFILE »
GreenFILE helps researchers, professionals, policy makers and activists identify articles of interest in research journals, trade magazines and consumer magazines in environmental studies. Topics covered include global warming, green building, pollution, renewable energy, recycling and sustainable agriculture.
HeritageQuest Online »
HeritageQuest is a collection of digitized images and indexes that provide genealogists, historians and other researchers a huge array of materials for exploring family and local history.
Hispánica Saber: Gran Enciclopedia Hispánica » en español teen pick
This general encyclopedia from Spanish publisher Editorial Planeta offers articles, images, maps, videos and more for upper-elementary and high school students as well as adults.
History Database Search » teen pick
History Database Search is a gateway to six separate databases that provide background and supplemental information for the study of history:
Search all six at once or browse resources in individual databases. Each database includes articles from numerous reference works; primary sources (with introductory essays); biographies; timelines; images; and maps, charts and tables.
Hoover’s Company Profiles »
Find brief information on more than 40,000 public and private companies. Hoover’s Company Profiles delivers information on a company’s location, summary financials, top competitors, top officers and more.
Illinois Catalog »
Illinois Catalog is a catalog of items held by libraries throughout Illinois. Search the holdings of libraries in Chicago, Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, or all of Illinois. Use this database to discover print, audiovisual and electronic resources beyond the Chicago Public Library collection.
Illinois Legal Aid »
Ayuda Legal Illinois » en español
Find information, including forms, to help you understand and solve legal problems. The site, offered in both English and Spanish, also provides listings of free legal clinics and attorney referral services.
Illinois Newsstand »
Find articles from Illinois newspapers including the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), Extra, La Raza, Pantagraph (Bloomington) and State Journal Register (Springfield), plus selected coverage of other regional sources.
Illinois Public Records »
Find information on new homeowners, new businesses, foreclosures, bankruptcy filings, divorces, misdemeanors, felonies and DUI arrests in Chicago-area counties as well as selected other counties in the state.
Illinois Sanborn Maps »
Illinois Sanborn Maps offers digitized versions of a huge number of fire insurance maps for the state of Illinois, including over a hundred volumes for the city of Chicago. TIP: If looking for a location in Chicago or a nearby suburb, start with the Index to Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Chicago and take note of the series (1894-1897 or 1905-1951) and volumes for the neighborhood or suburb you’re looking for.
International Index to Music Periodicals »
The International Index to Music Periodicals allows users to find articles on a wide variety of topics in music in the strong print journal holdings of the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the Harold Washington Library Center.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center computers.
International Index to the Performing Arts »
The International Index to the Performing Arts helps users find articles by subject, author, etc., in the print journal collections of the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the Harold Washington Library Center. Subjects covered include dance, film, television, drama, theater, musical theater, circus performance, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic and performance art.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center computers.
Issues & Controversies » teen pick
Issues & Controversies presents overviews of current public policy issues and other controversial topics. This resource is a great place to start for students working on persuasive essays or debates or anyone wanting authoritative background information on the issues making today’s headlines.
JSTOR »
Browse or search older issues of over 700 scholarly journals in a wide range of subject areas. Coverage begins with the first issue, though recent issues are not included. Recent issues of some of these journals are available in EBSCO Magazines & Journals.
Available only on Chicago Public Library computers.
Kids Search » kid friendly
Find articles from magazines for elementary school students.
Literary Reference Center » teen pick
Literary Reference Center helps users deepen their understanding of literature through a wide variety of information on authors, their works and literary topics. Use this resource to find author biographies, plot summaries, character information, critical essays, book reviews and overviews of literary topics. Search by keyword or, if unsure of the spelling of an author’s name or title, browse lists of authors and works.
Little Pim » kid friendly
Learn a new language with Little Pim! (Recommended for ages 3 through 6.)
Mango Languages » teen pick
Learn a new language! Mango offers lessons in 44 languages, including English. Learn on the web or download an app for iPhone or Android.
MEDLINE »
Search short descriptions of articles in the biomedical research literature. Primarily aimed at doctors and medical researchers, MEDLINE allows users to identify articles by subject in over 5,000 journals in medicine and related fields.
MedlinePlus » teen pick
MedlinePlus in Spanish » en español
Aimed at the general public, MedlinePlus offers answers to everyday (and not so everyday) health questions from trusted sources. Find overviews of conditions and diseases, information on staying healthy, drug information, the latest news from the world of medicine and more.
Morningstar »
Find trusted analysis of stocks, mutual funds, exchange traded funds and markets.
Music Index »
Music Index allows one to search short descriptions of articles from over 800 music periodicals dating back to 1975. Use this database to find articles on both classical and popular music in the print journal and magazine collections of the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the Harold Washington Library Center.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center computers.
New York Times »
Find articles from the New York Times going back to 1980. Included are articles from the New York Times Book Review and New York Times Magazine.
Nonfiction Connection » teen pick
Find a great nonfiction title to read. Type in the name of a book you've enjoyed in the past to find similar titles or search by topic, genre, setting, character, location or timeframe.
NoveList » teen pick
This database, which contains descriptions and reviews of over 125,000 works of fiction, helps readers find new works to explore based on their favorite titles, authors, subjects and genres.
NoveList K-8 »
People of all ages can find picture books, easy readers, chapter books or books for teens by picking what types of people should be in the story, what happens in the story, and where and when the story takes place. Users can look up a book they’ve enjoyed in the past and find others similar to it. NoveList K-8 also includes lists of recommended titles or titles of a particular type.
Oxford Art Online »
Find articles and definitions from several sources: Grove Art Online (based on the 34 volume Dictionary of Art and regularly updated), Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Oxford Companion to Western Art and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Scholarly and authoritative, this resource is a great place for background information on a wide variety of topics in art.
Oxford English Dictionary »
The Oxford English Dictionary is an authoritative source for definitions of English words and phrases as they have been used over time and throughout the world. Descriptive rather than prescriptive, it aims to present the English language as it is actually used rather than how it ought to be used. Entries include pronunciations (using the International Phonetic Alphabet), etymologies, definitions and quotations from actual sources.
Oxford Music Online »
From scholarly encyclopedia articles to quick definitions, this database is a great resource for people who are studying music or who simply want a deeper understanding of the music that they listen to. Find material from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (updated regularly), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, The Oxford Companion to Music and The Oxford Dictionary of Music.
PDR.net »
PDR.net is the online version of the Physicians' Desk Reference, a drug information source for physicians and others who write prescriptions. For articles written for consumers/patients, consult the articles in the Drugs & Supplements section of MedlinePlus.
ProQuest Congressional »
Anyone interested in learning more about contemporary policy issues, including students working on persuasive essays or debates, will benefit from ProQuest Congressional. The database contains a variety of congressional publications as well as Congressional Research Service reports (non-partisan policy and legal analyses written by Library of Congress staff).
ProQuest Digital Microfilm »
View page images (as you would on microfilm) of over 80 newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, The Guardian, Indianapolis Star, New York Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Coverage for most papers begins in 2008 and ends approximately three months prior to the present.
ProQuest Newspapers » teen pick
Find articles from hundreds of newspapers and newsfeeds from around the world. Papers covered include the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), New York Times, USA Today, Globe and Mail (Canada), The Times (London), The Times of India and Daily Yomiuri (Japan). Coverage varies by title, with full text for some titles available as far back as the 1980s.
ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source »
Find complete, full-text information from leading nursing and related publications.
ProQuest One Search »
Search a large collection of magazine and newspaper articles—all in one step. ProQuest One Search searches ABI/INFORM, ProQuest Newspapers and ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source.
ProQuest Statistical Insight »
ProQuest Statistical Insight (formerly LexisNexis Statistical Insight) helps one find statistics on a wide variety of topics in publications from the U.S. government, state governments, major international intergovernmental organizations, commercial publishers, independent research organizations and universities. Microfiche of most publications is available at the Harold Washington Library Center, though many publications are available online.
ReferenceUSA »
ReferenceUSA provides listings for over 14 million U.S. businesses and 210 million U.S. residences. Business listings include name, address, phone number, sales volume, contact name, employee size and business description. Search by business name, location, industry, size and more.
Science Online » teen pick
Use this database to find supplemental information for the study of science. Find encyclopedia articles and definitions, charts and illustrations, experiments, biographies and timelines.
SIRS Discoverer »
This resource is no longer available. As an alternative, try Kids Search.
SIRS Researcher » teen pick
SIRS Researcher provides magazine and newspaper articles as well as other documents on social, scientific, health, historic, economic, political and global issues specifically chosen for upper-elementary and high school students.
Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage »
This collection of online reference works offers company directory and financial and investment information from numerous Standard & Poor’s publications, including the Bond Guide; Industry Surveys; Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives; Security Dealers of North America and the Stock Reports.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center, Sulzer Regional Library and Woodson Regional Library computers.
Statistical Abstract of the United States »
This resource compiles statistics from hundreds of U.S. government and nongovernment sources for easy access in one location.
Thomas »
Thomas, a service of the Library of Congress, provides information about the activities of the U.S. Congress. Find the text of legislation along with summaries and status, voting records, the Congressional Record, committee reports and legislative actions on presidential nominations and treaties.
Ulrichsweb »
Ulrichsweb provides information on magazines, newspapers and journals published throughout the world. The database, based on information supplied by publishers, gives the publisher’s name and contact information, circulation figures, price, intended audience, advertising rates and more.
Available only on Harold Washington Library Center computers.
Wall Street Journal »
Search for articles from the nation’s financial newspaper of record. The database includes articles from 1984 to the present.
World Book for Adults »
World Book for Adults (World Book Online Reference Center) offers more than 40,000 encyclopedia articles, as well as an online atlas, an introduction to computers and the Internet, and “how to…” guides to help you understand basic concepts in employment, personal finance and more.
World Book for Kids » kid friendly
Find short, easy-to-read introductions to thousands of topics as well as maps, pictures, games, word definitions and more. Based on the World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia, this online encyclopedia is a great fit for students in grades two through five.
World Book for Students » kid friendly teen pick
World Book for Students (World Book Online Info Finder) offers more than 40,000 encyclopedia articles, as well as an online atlas, an online dictionary, research tools and more. Recommended for students in grades three and up.
WorldCat »
WorldCat is a catalog of items held by libraries across the United States and around the world. Each item description links to a list of “Libraries Worldwide” that own the item. Use this database to discover print, audiovisual and electronic resources beyond the Chicago Public Library collection.