History

Access Video on Demand

Find world-class documentaries, independent films, educational and instructional videos & more. Sources include HBO, PBS, BBC, History Channel, A&E, National Geographic & Ken Burns.

African-American History from Infobase

Available through Black History month.

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 Americans in Gale in Context Biography

Portraits of 561 prominent Black Americans.

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)

Britannica Library

Enhanced version of Encyclopedia Britannica with a world atlas, primary source documents, historical highlights and media updates.

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Chicago Tribune 1849–1999 (Proquest Historical Newspapers)

This digitized, full text version of the newspaper includes photographs, ads and obituaries from 1849–1999.

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Des Plaines Memory

An online collection of photographs, postcards, letters and more all detailing Des Plaines' rich history. A great tool for doing historical and genealogical research.

Encyclopedia of Chicago

The electronic version of the Encyclopedia of Chicago covers Chicago and the surrounding metropolitan area. The encyclopedia is a work of the Newberry Library and the Chicago Historical Society.

Fold3

Convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. Historical documents like the National Archives Holocaust Records are also included. A useful tool for historians, genealogists, researchers, military enthusiasts, veterans and their families and teachers.

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Heritage Quest Online

Explore local histories, mine census data and search thousands of other records to find your ancestors and build your family tree.

History Collection

A collection of history eBooks.

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.

NewspaperArchive

Find historical newspaper articles from 1607 - present, births, deaths, and more. Search billions of records by location or newspaper title to help you find exactly who or what you are looking for. Includes a large collection of Illinois newspapers, including the Daily Herald.

Newspapers.com - Library Edition

Historical newspapers archive from the 1700's - 2000's - 4,000+ news titles from the U.S. and around the world. For researchers, historians, genealogists, teachers and students.

Salem Press (Greyhouse) - Resources for History & Literature

Masterplots, Magill's Literary Annual, Current Events in History, Decades and more.

Universal Class

Access to over 500 video-based courses - everything from ABC's of Algebra to Yoga 101. First time users need to create an account. Once you're logged in you will have access to the course catalog and be able to start a class. CEU (Continuing Education Units) Certificates are available. Please note: Universal Class is also accessible on the Libby App - Get the Libby app or use it in your browser. Find Universal Class in "Extras."