Electronic Resources
 
Our electronic resources are arranged by subject, below. 
For an alphabetical listing, click here.

Automotive Repair

ChiltonLibrary.com [Gale]                 
Repair and maintenance information, wiring diagrams, technical service bulletins, and more.                 

Mitchell On Demand
Repair and maintenance information, wiring diagrams, technical service bulletins, and more.
You must visit the library to use this resource.

Biography

Biography in Context [Gale]
600,000+ biographies covering more than 525,000 individuals;  170+ reference titles; 50,000 new or updated bios added annually; multimedia content

Grolier Online PassportOnline access to "Lands and Peoples," an encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events for middle and high schools. . Also includes a dictionary and an atlas

World Almanac – FirstSearch
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia and four almanacs.

World Book OnlineArticles from the popular print version of the encyclopedia, including maps, current events, special reports, editor-reviewed web sites, study skills, Iowa resources, and more 

Books & Reading

Bookletters
Lists of bestsellers and award-winning books, newsletters with book reviews, and more

Books & Authors [Gale]
Combines over 140,000 titles, 50,000 authors, and thousands of lists (read-alikes, award winners, favorites & the What Do I Read Next? collection)

Literature Resource Center [Gale]
Contains biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods, and from around the world

LitFinder [Gale]      Covers world literature and authors throughout history and includes short stories, speeches, plays, poetry, plus biographies, images and more.

Novelist PlusReading recommendations for adult, young adult, and children's fiction. Searchable by title, author, or plot description. Including full text reviews and annotations, this database can recommend similar titles and authors, provide guides for book discussions, and more.

SWAN
Searchable catalog of books and A-V materials owned by public and academic libraries in the Metropolitan Library System.

Tumble ReadablesOnline collection of read-along titles for elementary, middle school, and high school students which features adjustable online text and complete audio narration. Sentences are highlighted as they are being read, and the pages turn automatically.

TumbleBook LibraryCollection of free interactive animated talking picture books for young children. Children can chose to read the text or have the stories read to them. Some books feature "Word Help" to assist children in sounding out words, as well as book-related puzzles and games to play.

WorldCat - [FirstSearch]
Comprehensive catalog of books, web resources, and audiovisual materials, worldwide. 

Business & Finance

Business and Company Resource Center- [Gale]
Includes company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals

Insurance & Liability Collection - [Gale]                                                                                            250,000+ articles from 1980 - present

Morningstar FundInvestor
Please call (708) 532 - 0160 ext. 1 for login info.

Morningstar Mutual Funds Binder
Please call (708) 532.0160 ext. 1 for login info.

Morningstar StockInvestor
Please call (708) 532 - 0160 ext. 1 for login info.

Reference USA (Business Directory)Two-part database: 1. US industry and company information, with contact information, sales and employee figures. Searchable by yellow page heading, SIC code, geography, and more. 2. US residential directory listings, including address, phone number, income, and home value.

Small Business Collection - [Gale]                                                                                                     Search nearly 3 million articles; coverage runs 1980-present

Small Business Resource Center - [Gale]
Includes sample business plans, how-to guides, articles, and links to websites

Do-It-Yourself

Gardening, Landscape and Horticulture Collection - [Gale]
Centers on both the practical aspects and scientific theory of horticulture.

Home Improvement Collection - [Gale]
Contains over 100 titles related to home improvement.

Education

Educator’s Reference Complete - [Gale]                                                                 Focuses on educational principles, child development & psychology, and best practices

ERIC - FirstSearch 
Covers over 600 journals with articles and reports on all aspects of education, including published and unpublished sources

LearningExpressLibraryTest preparation and interactive practice exams based on official tests such as (but not limited to) the ACT, SAT, ASVAB, GED, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, AP courses, PRAXIS, and civil service exams

Encyclopedias

Grolier Online PassportOnline access to "Lands and Peoples," an encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events for middle and high schools. . Also includes a dictionary and an atlas

WorldAlmanac – FirstSearch
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia and four almanacs.

World Book OnlineArticles from the popular print version of the encyclopedia, including maps, current events, special reports, editor-reviewed web sites, study skills, Iowa resources, and more 

Find a Person or Business

ReferenceUSATwo-part database: 1)  US industry and company information, with contact information, sales and employee figures. Searchable by yellow page heading, SIC code, geography, and more 2)  US residential directory listings, including address, phone number, income, and home value

Foreign Languages

Clase Periodica – FirstSearch
Index of Latin American journals in the sciences and humanities.

Informe - Gale                                                                                                                                                Full-text Hispanic magazines

Mango Languages                                                                                                    This tutorial program includes audio-visual lessons for sixteen languages, including Chinese (Mandarin), Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Registration requires a TPPL library barcode number and an email address.

Genealogy

Ancestry Library Edition
Genealogical research using census records from 1790 to 1930; birth, marriage, and death records; immigration records; vital and church records; military records; and court, land, and probate records
You must visit the library to use this resource.

HeritageQuest Online
Census images from 1790 to 1930, an index of 6,500 local history and genealogy periodicals, a database of Revolutionary War pension and bounty-land warrants, the full text of 25,000 local histories and family histories, and more

General Research

Academic OneFile - [Gale]                                                                                 Full-text, peer-reviewed articles from journals and reference sources covering many subjects

ArticleFirst - FirstSearch
Index of articles from the contents pages of journals

Electronic Collections Online (ECO) - FirstSearch
Index to a full-text collection of scholarly journals

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Full-text database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and other specialized reference sources. Searchable across all files.

General OneFile - [Gale]                                                                                                                             One-stop source for news and articles on dozens of topics; millions of full-text articles, many with images; updated daily with coverage from 1980-present

Grolier OnlineThree searchable reference works: Encyclopedia Americana, Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, and the New book of Knowledge (for younger students); also includes a dictionary and an atlas

Pop Culture Collection - [Gale]                                                                                                                     Over 2 million articles from 1980 - present; research current events in such titles as Time and Newsweek, or explore the many titles covering fashion, entertainment, and sports

Professional Collection - [Gale]                                                                                                         Choose from nearly 6 million articles from a very wide-range of professional and academic disciplines

World Almanac - FirstSearch
Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia and four almanacs.

World Book Online
Articles from the popular print version of the encyclopedia, including maps, current events, special reports, editor-reviewed web sites, study skills, Iowa resources, and more.

Health & Medicine

General OneFile - [Gale]                                                                                                                             One-stop source for news and articles on dozens of topics; millions of full-text articles, many with images; updated daily with coverage from 1980-present

Health & Wellness Resource Center & Alternative Health Module - [Gale]                             Includes 400 health/medical journals, many reference volumes, 2200+ articles from non-technical sources, and over 700 videos

Medline - FirstSearch
All areas of medicine, including dentistry and nursing; some full text 

Nursing and Allied Health Collection - [Gale]                                                     400 titles cover all aspects of nursing for both professionals and students

Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Collection - [Gale]                                  Primarily full-text, 60 titles are found from 1980-present

Psychology Collection - [Gale]
Accesses 200 subject-appropriate full-text periodicals that study the mind, emotions and how the human mind develops -- and diminishes -- over time

History & Social Studies

Military and Intelligence Database - [Gale]
Over 500 titles and 7 million articles, including those from reference books, magazines, and newswires

Pop Culture Collection - [Gale]                                                                                                                 Over 2 million articles from 1980 - present; research current events in such titles as Time and Newsweek, or explore the many titles covering fashion, entertainment, and sports

ProQuest Chicago Tribune (Historical)Every page of every issue of the Chicago Tribune from 1847 to 1986, including photographs, maps, editorials, advertisements, and obituaries.  (Note: Newsbank has current issues of the Chicago Tribune.)

U.S. History Collection - [Gale]

U.S. History in Context - [Gale]
Provides over 4000 historical documents, articles from more than 30 reference titles and 110 full-text journals 

War & Terrorism Collection - [Gale]                                                                                                   Nearly 100 full-text periodicals provide insight into the causes and impact of conflicts from around the globe

 World History Collection - [Gale]    

World History in Context - [Gale]
Covers world history from ancient Europe to Latin America to the Far East to the Renaissance, with 1800 primary sources, 27 reference titles, and over 110 journals

Homework

Grolier Online PassportOnline access to "Lands and Peoples," an encyclopedia of countries, cultures, and current events for middle and high schools. . Also includes a dictionary and an atlas

Kids InfoBits - [Gale]
Features developmentally appropriate full-text materials for children from Kindergarten through 5th grade with a graphic interface

NewsbankFull-text of current and archived electronic editions of 700+ local, regional, and national U.S. newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Southtown Star.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context - [Gale]                                                                                      Sources for information, perspectives, and opinions on many different social issues

Student Resources in Context - [Gale]
Covers all core curriculum areas with content based on national curriculum standards, including 1100 full-text periodicals, and hours of video clips, audio clips, and podcasts

World Book
Articles from the popular print version of the encyclopedia, including maps, current events, special reports, editor-reviewed web sites, study skills, Iowa resources, and more.

 Law

Criminal Justice Collection - [Gale]
Allows access to 150 journals for anyone studying to become a lawyer or law enforcement officer, paralegal, or looking for a career in Homeland Security

GPO - FirstSearch
U.S. government documents, including Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and records; judiciary materials; and documents issued by executive departments.

LegalTrac - [Gale]

Tinley Park Code of Ordinances
Local laws for the village of Tinley Park. 

Library Catalogs

SWAN
Searchable catalog of books and A-V materials owned by public and academic libraries in the Metropolitan Library System.

WorldCat - FirstSearch
Catalog of books, web resources, and other material worldwide.

Miscellaneous

Agriculture Collection - [Gale]
Comprised of nearly 200 titles with access to current content from practical aspects of farming to cutting edge scientific research in horticulture

Communications and Mass Media Collection - [Gale]
Provides current information from more than 100 journals including advertising and public relations, literature and writing, linguistics, and many more

Culinary Arts Collection - [Gale]
Includes 150 of the major cooking and nutrition magazines with thousands of searchable recipes, restaurant reviews, and industry information

Diversity Studies Collection - [Gale]                                                                                                      This collection explores cultural differences, contributions, and influences from around the world; 150 full-text journals from 1980-present

Environmental Studies and Policy Collection - [Gale]                                                                  Contains journal articles by scientists, policy makers, and corporate representatives

Fine Arts and Music Collection - [Gale]                                                                                            Search for full-text magazine articles in areas such as drama, music, art history, and filmmaking

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Issues Collection - [Gale]                                                   Mostly full-text, 30+ journals provide coverage of such topics as gender studies, family and marital issues, health aspects, and many more; 1980-present

Hospitality, Tourism, & Leisure Collection - [Gale]                                                                                  500+ industry journals cover the historical and current cultural aspects of travel, as well as leisure activities, economic aspects of tourism, and more

Military and Intelligence Database - [Gale]
Over 500 titles and 7 million articles, including those from reference books, magazines, and newswires

Religion & Philosophy Collection - [Gale]                                                                                                 Many different religions and philosophies can be found in 250+ periodicals, many of which are full-text; coverage is from 1980-present

Vocations, Careers, & Technical Education Collection - [Gale]                                                            Largely available in full-text, explore 300+ journals from general career guides to specialized industry titles

News and Newspapers

InfoTrac Newsstand - [Gale]                                                                                                                    Web-based full-text newspaper database to search 1,000+ newspapers from the U.S. and abroad; some coverage begins in 1980 and most extends to present; most Chicago titles not available

NewsBank
Full-text of current and archived electronic editions of three local newspapers: Chicago Sun-Times (1986 thru current), the [Joliet] Herald News (1997 thru current) and the SouthtownStar (2007 thru current).  Please click on the desired title for access.

ProQuest Chicago Tribune (Historical)Every page of every issue of the Chicago Tribune from 1847 to 1986, including photographs, maps, editorials, advertisements, and obituaries.  (Note: Newsbank has current issues of the Chicago Tribune.)

ProQuest Newsstand
Nearly 500 U.S. and international newspapers and business journals are covered, with most articles available in full-text. The Chicago Tribune is included, with coverage from 1986 to the present. When searching ProQuest Newsstand from home, you will be asked to type in the barcode from your library card to confirm that you are a TPPL patron.

Science & Technology

Computer Database - [Gale]                                                                                                                        100+ titles on computer-related products, news, and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications, and the application of technology

Electronic Collections Online (ECO) - FirstSearch
Index to a full-text collection of scholarly journals

General Science Collection - [Gale]      

Information Science & Technology Collection - [Gale]                                                                            Explore nearly 100 leading industry journals covering information infrastructure, data processing techniques, metadata architectures, and more

PapersFirst – FirstSearch
Index of papers presented at conferences worldwide

Proceedings – FirstSearch
Index of worldwide conference proceedings.

Science in Context - [Gale]
Topic overviews, experiments, biographies, pictures are available and scientific developments are covered in over 200 magazines, journals, and links to pre-selected websites
 

Test Preparation

Learning Express Library
Test preparation and interactive practice exams based on official tests such as (but not limited to) the ACT, SAT, ASVAB, GED, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, AP courses, PRAXIS, and civil service exams.