A to Z All Databases - Rockford Public Library

A to Z

Click on the titles below to access RPL’s digital resources. Click on the video to watch a short tutorial.

A

ABCmouse Remote
ABCmouse is a digital learning platform for children ages 2–8. Animated activities include math, science, art and colors, social studies, reading and writing, music, and more! Now available outside the library.

Academic Search Complete
Designed for academic institutions, Academic Search Complete covers a wide range of scholarly research topics such as adult education, higher education, public health, and more.

Adult Online High School
This nationally accredited program allows adult students the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma—not a GED—while gaining career skills in one of ten employment fields across a wide spectrum.

AHFS Drug Guide
The AHFS Drug Guide located within Consumer Health Complete provides a quick and easy list of prescription drug-related information.

AGRICOLA
From the National Agricultural Library, AGRICOLA contains citations about all aspects of agriculture and related fields. Formats include journal articles, monographs, proceedings, theses, patents, audiovisual materials, translations, computer software, and technical reports.

Alt Healthwatch
Alt HealthWatch provides information on complementary, holistic, and integrated approaches to healthcare and wellness. Sources include journals and reports.

Ancestry Library (In-Library Access Only)
Search U.S. Immigration records, birth records, marriage records, death records, and U.S. Census records to find ancestors. Includes Rockford City Directories from 1869-1960. To access these city directories from the Ancestry site, select Card Catalog under Search near the top of the screen. Then search by title for the U.S. City Directories. Then select the U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 from the search results. On the right side of the screen, under Browse this collection, use the state, city, and year filters to access the Rockford city directory of your choice.

Arcadia Publishing and History Press Collection
This Arcadia Publishing and History Press collection features titles focusing on the history of Illinois towns and significant events in the state’s past. This collection of Illinois literature is available through Inkie.Org, which provides a suite of resources to all Illinois libraries and citizens free of charge.

Article First
Index of articles from the contents pages of journals covering medicine, business, humanities, popular culture, science, technology, and social science.
*Login using your library card number, then select this catalog from the drop-down list.

Auto Repair Source
Auto Repair Source provides library users with the most accurate, authoritative and up-to-date “do-it-yourself” service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles.

B

Biography Reference Source
Features over 390,000 biographies, including the full-text run of Biography Today and Biography Magazine as well as thousands of narrative biographies. The companion eBook collection includes content on several popular and important figures in business, film, history, music, politics, sports, and more.

Black Life in America
Provided through NewsBank, Black Life in America archives the experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media. Covering the early 18th century to the early 21st, it covers an array of topics including slavery and flights to freedom, voting rights and voter suppression and disenfranchisement, among many others.

Business Source Complete
This database provides full-text coverage of top business, management, and economics journals and periodicals. Topics include accounting, banking, finance, international business, marketing, sales, and more. The accompanying eBook collection contains thousands of eBooks dedicated to the study of business.

C

Candid Foundation Directory Online Professional (In-Library Access Only)
Foundation Directory Online Professional is Candid’s research tool to help both nonprofit organizations and individuals find the grantmakers most likely to fund their projects as well as scholarships, fellowships, and grants. This database provides information and funding history for 140,000+ foundations, corporations, and federal agencies.

Candid GuideStar (In-Library Access Only)
GuideStar by Candid provides a list of over two million nonprofit organizations. Community members can easily find local nonprofits where they can donate, work, seek out services, or volunteer.

The Chicago Tribune Historical Archive
Images and full-text of historical international, national, regional, and local issues and events, such as major wars and military actions, emerging nations, prohibition, Chicago gangsters, the Great Depression, and Chicago as the center of the Progressive movement. Full-text of death notices and obituaries.

cloudLibrary
cloudLibrary is a downloadable audio and digital book service available to all RPL cardholders. All that is needed is to install the free reader software, and then enter an active RPL library card number to access. Titles automatically expire, so there are no last-minute trips to the library or late fees. They can be read or listened to from the convenience of home, work, or a portable device.

cloudLibrary Kids
cloudLibrary is a downloadable audio and digital book service available to all RPL cardholders. Titles are available for kids as well as adults. Recommended titles of new children’s fiction are available for check out in easy-to-access lists.

Consumer Health Complete
Through EBSCO’s Consumer Health Complete you can access clear and reliable information on important topics like aging, fitness, mental health, specific medications, and much more.

Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is the world’s largest nonprofit product testing organization. Users can compare price, performance, and reliability with expert reviews on key products as well as find reliable consumer health information.

Creativebug
Creativebug provides unlimited access to thousands of online arts and crafts videos and classes, on both the web browser and the mobile app. There are projects for expert crafters as well as fun activities to do with kids for knitting, quilting, cooking, painting, and much more.

The Crusader
The Crusader was produced by Mr. Joseph Scott Saunders, Jr specifically to bring balance to Rockford’s news offerings and to report about the African-American experience within the Rockford community, covering from 1951 to 1958.

E

EBSCO
EBSCOhost is an intuitive online research platform containing articles, magazines, journals, and books. It is now used by thousands of institutions and millions of users worldwide. Users can quickly find information and easily choose between databases to perform detailed searches.

EBSCO Español
EBSCOhost is an intuitive online research platform containing articles, magazines, journals, and books. It is now used by thousands of institutions and millions of users worldwide. Users can quickly find information and easily choose between databases to perform detailed searches. Available in Spanish.

Electronic Collections Online (ECO)
ECO is a collection of scholarly journals, including topics such as agriculture, history, literature, and psychology.

Education Resources Information Center
The Education Resources Information Center is an Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information. Sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education.

Ethnic Diversity Source
This full-text database is a dedicated resource covering the culture, traditions, social treatment, and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America. The corresponding eBook subscription includes over 6,000 titles on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Explora Primary School
Explora Primary School is a full-text database of carefully curated content for elementary school libraries. Combining all of its resources into an easy search, this platform includes full-text for the most popular children’s magazines, e-books, and easy-to-read encyclopedic entries.

Explora Middle School
Explora Middle School includes carefully curated content for middle school libraries. Designed to meet the unique needs of grades 6-8, Explora supports both student research and classroom instruction on a wide variety of subjects with e-books, encyclopedic entries, and popular magazines.

Explora High School
Explora High School includes a variety of resources and databanks to assist students and teachers through grades 9-12 in a variety of subjects including biographies, literary reference, science, history, and more. Users can check all resources in a single search or select particular databanks for their research.

F

Federal Student Aid Application
Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation. Through it, users can understand aid, apply for aid, and manage their student loans.

Fiero Code
Fiero Code is a self-paced learn-to-code software program for kids ages 8-18. Through fun and engaging tutorials and projects, Fiero Code teaches kids coding languages ― such as HTML, CSS, Python and JavaScript ― that they can use to build their own websites, video games, apps, animations and more.

Freegal

Freegal is a completely free and legal way to access a collection of almost 7 million songs via the Rockford Public Library. Freegal offers many of today’s top artists, a retrospective collection, and music from around the world.

Financial Fit
Financial Fit offers personal finance lessons and guides to help learners with life’s biggest financial decisions. After creating an account, users will be able to view a personal portfolio of lessons. Topics like building credit or buying a house are broken down and explained using videos and easy-to-identify content categories.

Flipster
Flipster is an easy-to-use digital magazine newsstand. Available across multiple devices, it offers top magazines that cover a variety of user needs and interests.

Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia provides access to over 25,000 records, including images and brief biographies, on an array of topics.

G

Gale Business: Entrepreneurship
Gale Business Entrepreneurship provides authoritative periodical and reference content to support prospective and current entrepreneurs as well as business students. It is divided into four key stages- plan, fund, start and manage.

Gale Business: Plan Builder
Gale Business Plan Builder is a step-by-step online planning tool for starting, managing, and optimizing a business or nonprofit. The program’s dashboard walks users through five areas of exploration to develop a business plan focused on long-term success.

Gale Courses
Gale Courses provides more than 360 six-week-long, online programs taught by college instructors. These programs include content such as professional development, technology, and personal enrichment courses.

Gale Legal Forms
Gale Legal Forms offers a selection of state-specific legal forms. Includes wills, premarital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlords and tenet agreements, copyrights, patents, licenses, and more.

Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep
Digital exam and career prep resources can help students and users be better prepared down the road for both college and their careers, using tools such as standardized test preparation, personalized career assessments, and more.

Gale Presents: Udemy
With Gale Presents Udemy, users can access more than 12,000 video-based courses in business, technology, software, and personal development through a curated collection from one of the world’s leading online learning platforms.

H

Health Source: Nursing and Academic
Designed to provide researchers, allied health professionals, nurses, and medical educators access to scholarly journals and magazines covering several medical disciplines.

HeritageHub
Provided through NewsBank, HeritageHub includes over 300 years of historical newspapers, books, pamphlets, and government records. Search over 1,000 newspapers and find obituaries, birth and marriage notices, pension records, and more.

Heritage Quest
Find ancestors using census records from 1790-1930, Revolutionary War files, Freedman’s Bank, and other resources.

Hispanic Life in America
Provided through NewsBank, Hispanic Life in America chronicles the experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today. This primary source collection portrays centuries of Hispanic American history, culture, and daily life – as well as the ways the dominant culture has portrayed and perceived people of Hispanic descent.

History Reference Source
Covering topics in U.S. and world history from the earliest civilizations through the 21st century, this database contains full-text journals, magazines, reference books, and more. The eBook companion subscription contains a rich collection of historical titles, ranging from current global topics to the ancient world.

Hobbies and Crafts Source
This database offers detailed “how-to” instructions and creative ideas to meet the interests of virtually every hobby enthusiast. Full-text is provided from leading hobby and craft magazines.

Home Improvement Source
Find detailed information and guides to undertaking a variety of home improvement projects. Includes articles about decorating, electrical, plumbing, outdoor, and remodeling projects.

Hoopla
Hoopla is a groundbreaking digital media service offered by RPL that allows users to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and TV shows to enjoy on the computer, tablet, phone, and even the TV.

K

Kanopy
Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 of the world’s best films, including award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie, and classic films, and world cinema.

Khan Academy
Khan Academy is an American non-profit educational organization with the goal of creating online tools to help educate students. Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of practices and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more.

L

LearningExpress Computer Skills Center
This learning center guides learners through the fundamentals of computers, the internet, and popular software applications on a user-friendly platform with over 100 self-paced tutorials.

LearningExpress Job and Career Accelerator
The Job and Career Accelerator gives job seekers the tools they need to explore careers and growing industries, find open positions, apply for jobs, and get hired. Find information on careers, take interest assessments, and use tools to create professional resumes and cover letters.

LearningExpress PrepSTEP Academic
PrepSTEP Academic contains resources designed to support success in higher education and preparation for today’s workforce with tutorials, practice tests, eBooks and high-stakes test preparation.

LearningExpress PrepSTEP High School
PrepSTEP High School provides guidance and tools on several topics such as academic and career skill-building, college and career exploration, test readiness, military exploration, and more. Tools such as college and career-related tutorials, practice tests, articles, eBooks, and flashcards support learning and understanding.

LearningExpress Library Complete
Organized into targeted learning centers, LearningExpress Library Complete supports those looking to improve core academic skills, pass a high school equivalency test, prepare for college, explore careers, join the military, study for occupational certification tests, become a U.S. citizen and much more.

Legal Information Source
Legal Information Source offers everyday users the necessary forms, tools, and detailed how-to instructions covering a wide range of legal issues. Includes thousands of legal forms sorted by topic such as Bankruptcy, Divorce, Name Changes, Wills & Estate, and more for multiple states.

Legal Source
A scholarly resource of law reviews and academic journals covering current legal issues, studies, thoughts, and trends. Legal Source is designed to help attorneys, educators, business professionals, law librarians, students, and paralegals.

LexisNexis Library Express
LexisNexis® Library Express is a Web-based research tool tailored for public libraries that delivers comprehensive news, business, and legal information from over 10,000 credible sources.

LexisNexis U.S. Voting Center
The U.S. Voting Laws and Legislation Center through Lexis Nexis provides free, public access to a comprehensive collection of U.S. federal and state election and voting laws. This includes proposed legislation, codes, voting-related information and graphics, as well as providing full-text access and real-time updates to existing and proposed state and federal laws.

LGBTQ+ Source
LGBTQ+ Source provides scholarly and popular LGBTQ+ publications in full-text as well as historically important primary sources such as monographs, magazines, newspapers, and videos. It also includes a specialized LGBTQ+ thesaurus.

Library and Information Science Source
Library and Information Science Source includes full-text journals and articles that help librarians and information science researchers keep pace with the latest trends in the field.

Literary Reference Source Plus
Literary Reference Source Plus is a rich full-text literary database covering all genres and time periods. It includes thousands of synopses, critical essays, book reviews, literary journals, and author biographies, plus full-text classic novels, short stories, and poems.

M

Mango Languages
Mango Languages is an online learning-language site, which focuses on learning through practical conversations. Over 70 languages are available.

Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic is an organization whose mission is to inspire hope and promote health through integrated clinical practice, education, and research. Their website provides valuable information about symptoms, disorders, and numerous health topics.

Merck Manuals
The Merck Manuals are medical references published by the American pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. that cover a wide range of medical topics including disorders, tests, diagnoses, and medications.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary
The dictionary by Merriam-Webster is an online dictionary for English word definitions, meanings, and pronunciation.

Midway Village Museum
The Midway Village Museum Collections Department is pleased to provide online access to some of its most frequently requested photographs, postcards, and documents.

N

The New York Times

The Rockford Public Library now offers free 24 hour access passes to all New York Times content for active library card holders. Wherever you are, get access to quality news, cooking, games, sports news, and more, on both the web browser and mobile apps.

When inside the library and connected to the library wifi, you can simply go to The New York Times website or download and open a New York Times app (including The New York Times Cooking, Audio, and Games apps). Once there, click “Sign In” in the top right and enter your information. You will be prompted either to sign in or create an account.

When outside of a library you can activate a 1-day pass using the link below. Offsite access requires the creation of a New York Times account using a valid email address. After your pass expires, you can re-authenticate your access to The New York Times again. Get a 1-Day pass to The New York Times.

NewsBank
The electronic editions of local, regional, historical, and national U.S. newspapers. Newspapers from all across the United States are updated daily. Includes international newspapers covering historical and modern events.

Newspaper Source Plus
Newspaper Source Plus includes millions of articles from newspapers, newswires, new magazines, and daily updates from popular news sources. Newspapers include St. Louis Post Dispatch, The Washington Post, USA Today, and more.

NoveList
NoveList is a comprehensive readers’ advisory resource, providing information about award winners, read-alikes, expert recommendations, complete series, and discussion guides.

NoveList K-8
NoveList K-8 is a database of book recommendations for younger members of the community. It provides information about read-alikes, complete series, reading levels, recommended reading lists, and resources for parents.

P

Papers First
Papers First is an index of papers presented at conferences worldwide.
*Login using your library card number, then select this catalog from the drop-down list.

Points of View Reference Source
Containing resources that present multiple sides of an issue, Points of View Reference Source provides rich content that can help students assess and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills.

Proceedings
An index of worldwide conference proceedings.
*Login using your library card number, then select this catalog from the drop-down list.

ProDemand Mitchell Repair (In-Library Access Only)
ProDemand® delivers complete OEM repair, estimating & maintenance information, along with exclusive real-world knowledge in a single lookup, to help automotive technicians repair vehicles more accurately and efficiently.

Professional Development Collection
An electronic database containing specialized information for librarians, teachers, and education researchers.

ProQuest Newsstand
Search current and archived coverage of issues, events, people, government, sports and more with the largest collection of full-text U.S. newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune.

Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection
This collection covers a broad range of subjects in the field of psychology, behavioral sciences, and related disciplines. For psychologists, counselors, researchers, and students.

R

Reference Solutions
Formerly known as ReferenceUSA, Reference Solutions by Data Axle has information on over 70 million U.S businesses and over 89 million households. Users can search for jobs, locations, and industry opportunities.

Regional Business News
Regional business publications for the United States and Canadian provinces from 1990. Includes full-text newspapers, radio and television transcripts, trade publications, magazines, and newswires.

Religion and Philosophy Collection
Containing hundreds of full-text journals and magazines, EBSCO’s Religion and Philosophy Collection covers many religious and philosophical topics such as world religions, religious history, political philosophy, and the philosophy of language.

Rockford Historical Newspapers Archive
Digitized Rockford newspapers dating back to 1871. The database includes Daily Register, Daily Register-Gazette, Morning Star, Register Star, Register-Republic, Republic, Rockford Journal, Rockford Weekly Gazette, and Rockford Weekly Register-Gazette.

Rockford Register Star
Find full-text articles on local news, issues, events, people, and much more from current and archived issues of The Rockford Register Star. Updated daily, it includes obituaries, editorials, announcements, sports, real estate, and more.

RPL’s Catalog
An index of all of our library resources, in print and digital.

RPL Resume Builder
A free resource to help users quickly and easily build their resumes.

S

S&P Capital IQ
The S&P Capital IQ database features market investment news, including detailed screening options for companies and equities, as well as market outlook and analysis articles, industry surveys, comparison charting, and investment advice.

Science Reference Source
Science Reference Source provides high quality videos and images as well as the full-text for hundreds of science magazines, journals, and reference books. The database also contains science experiments and curriculum-aligned lesson plans.

Small Business Source
Small Business Source covers all aspects of starting and operating a business. Includes information on accounting, human resources, management, marketing, tax, and more. State-specific information is included.

Small Engine Repair Source
Small Engine Repair Source provides repair guides for small engines and routine maintenance (tune-ups, brake service, etc.) and covers lawn mowers, motorcycles, tractors, and snowmobiles. This Source also includes guides on extensive repairs such as engine and transmission disassembly. There is information on over 25 years of engine models, with updated and new content added regularly.

U

United States Government Publications
Covers all types of U.S. government documents, including Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and records; judiciary materials; and documents issued by executive departments.

United States Tax Form and Publications
Tax forms are made available through the Internal Revenue Service.

United States Government Manual
As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.

W – Z

The Wall Street Journal
The online Wall Street Journal is available to all active Rockford Public Library card holders. Clicking the link will take you to either login or make your WSJ account. Access will be available on wsj.com for the next three days. After three days, click on the link again and login as an existing user with your created username and password to renew access.

Weiss Financial Ratings
Weiss Financial Ratings is an independent financial rating company that assesses the value and security of stocks, mutual funds, banks, credit unions, Medigap supplemental insurance plans, and insurance companies. They also provide free Merck Manuals guiding users on a variety of financial topics, like initial investing, home ownership, and more. Users can create personal accounts for customized watch lists and searches.

World Book Encyclopedia
World Book Encyclopedia Online is an online database that provides scholarly articles, primary and secondary source documents, eBooks, images, videos, and more on a variety of subjects.

World Book Encyclopedia for Kids
With thousands of articles, multimedia content, and a collection of biographies, World Book Kids is designed to encourage the young learner to be curious. The carefully curated content also supports STEM/STEAM instructional initiatives.

World Book Online Mobile
Contains more than 25,000 encyclopedia articles as well as magazine articles, a dictionary, pictures, sounds, and videos.

WorldCat
WorldCat.org lets users search the collections of libraries in their community and thousands more around the world. Through WorldCat, it is possible to search and request popular books, music CDs and videos, audiobooks, and eBooks.

WorldCat Mobile
An extensive online catalog of books, audiovisual items, Internet resources, and other materials held by libraries worldwide.

Your Money and Advice
Provided by the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois in cooperation with the Financial Planning Association of Illinois, this guide offers various information on financial services.

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