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.
Biography Reference Source
Provides thousands of unique, full-text biographies, including the complete full text of Biography and Biography Today. In addition to keyword search, users can locate biographies by subject occupation, activity, nationality, gender, birthplace and more.
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. Click on the Thistle in the upper-right corner to access Teach Britannica (resources for teachers.)
Chicago Tribune 1849–1999 (Proquest Historical Newspapers)
This digitized, full text version of the newspaper includes photographs, ads and obituaries from 1849–1999.
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 Historical documents like the National Archives Holocaust Records are also included.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. Intro to Fold3 from ProQuest
HeritageQuest Online
Explore local histories, mine census data and search thousands of other records to find your ancestors and build your family tree. Intro to HeritageQuest from ProQuest
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. Intro to Newspapers.com from ProQuest
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."