Teens

BiblioBoard

Illinois residents have access to thousands of e-resources free of charge & no library card is required. Enjoy ebooks, images & videos – the collection includes classic fiction, children’s fiction, graphic novels, Chicago authors and much more. Download the BiblioBoard app (from the iTunes app store for iOS or from the Google Play Store for Android). Create an account profile and be able to access the collections while outside of Illinois. You will also have the ability to download content for offline reading, and to add bookmarks and notes.

Biography In Context

Meet someone new with Biography in Context Learn about people from all walks of life including athletes, entertainers, politicians, historical figures, authors and many others.

Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Equality

3,000 documents focused on six different phases of Black Freedom: Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860); The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877); Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932); The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945); The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975); The Contemporary Era (1976-2000)

BookBrowse

An online magazine for booklovers - including reviews, previews, "behind the book" backstories, author interviews, reading guides, and much more. Sign up here for the BookBrowse newsletter.

Britannica Library

Enhanced version of Encyclopedia Britannica with a world atlas, primary source documents, historical highlights and media updates. Click on the Thistle in the upper-right corner to access Teach Britannica (resources for teachers.)

ComicsPlus Teen Library

Enjoy unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; on your computer, tablet, or phone. No holds. No wait lists. No limits. Kid, Teen & Young Adult content. Select Des Plaines Public Library and create an account to get started. Age Guidelines How To Navigate Comics Plus

DMV Practice Tests - Free

Free DMV permit practice tests: car, motorcycle & CDL.

Explora

Browse topics of interest or search for a topic of your choice to find articles, primary source documents and videos. Search results can be limited to magazines, news, biographies and more.

Explora Secondary Schools

Articles, videos, images, primary source documents and more. For high school research projects and homework.

Financial Literacy for Teens

Learn about: Making a Budget - Renting an Apartment - Career Advancement Checking Accounts - Managing Debt - Identity Theft Buying a Car-Saving for College -Becoming an Investor

Gale Courses

Online courses on a wide range of topics including technology, computer applications, accounting, law, web design, healthcare and personal enrichment. Foreign language courses for Spanish, French, Italian & Japanese are also offered. New classes begin every month and last for six weeks. To get started, create an account with your Des Plaines library card. Certificates of completion are available for some courses.

History Reference Center

Covering both U.S. and world history topics, History Reference Center is a full-text database featuring historical reference books, magazines, journals and thousands of primary source documents.

LibraryAware Newsletters

Sign up for LibraryAware newsletters on your favorite genre or topic and get new book suggestions delivered directly to your inbox.

Literature Criticism - Gale eBooks

Resources on a variety of topics in literary criticism and individual works.

MasterFILE Complete

Full text for periodicals covering general reference, business, health, education and science. Links to video files including television shows like the Today Show and Meet the Press. Full text from reference books and more.

Points of View Reference Source

Covers hundreds of topics, each with an Overview (objective background/description), Point (argument) and Counterpoint (opposing argument). Each topic also features a Guide to Critical Analysis which helps the reader evaluate the controversy and enhances students’ ability to read critically, develop their own perspective on the issues, and write or debate an effective argument on the topic.

Practice tests in SkillSurfer - part of HelpNow from Brainfuse

Practice tests for ACT, SAT, AP, GED, TOEFL, ASVAB and more.

Science Reference Source

Allows users to conduct keyword searches or browse topics by branch of science. In addition to full-text periodicals, books, biographies and essays, it includes: More than 1,850 science videos from educational publishers including Boclips, Media4Math and Nature Picture Library. Thousands of high-quality science images from UPI, Getty, NASA and Nature Picture Library are included.

Udemy: presented by Gale - On-Demand Learning for In-Demand Skills

Thousands of online video courses covering business, technology (Office, Windows, coding, etc.,) Test Prep (GMAT, SAT, TOEFL, IT Certifications & more) as well as personal development & foreign language instruction. Courses are available in several languages including Spanish & Polish. You will need a Google or Microsoft account to create an account & sign in to Udemy. Watch Video To learn how to use the "Udemy for Business" app for iOS or Android click here