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Research and Databases A-Z

To access our online databases from home, you must be a Winfield Library cardholder.  Please call (630) 653-7599 for password information or pick up our "Research @ Home" brochure at the library's main desk.

  • Ancestry.com Library Edition
    • Ancestry access is only available in the library, or on your device connected to the library's wifi network.
    • Access the largest online family history resource available.
    • Video tutorial

    • Update: Ancestry.com Library Edition from Home
      During Covid-19, Ancestry allowed home access for library patrons. However, they have now gone back to their previous policy of allowing access in the library only.
  • Auto Repair Source
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Powered by the automotive experts at MOTOR, Auto Repair Source provides the most accurate, authoritative and up-to-date service and repair information for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles.
    • All content comes from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and includes step-by-step repair information, diagrams, maintenance schedules, parts and labor estimates, service bulletins and recalls.
  • Biography Resources
    • Find biographical information with these links from the National Archives.
  • Business Source Complete
    • We've upgraded this resource from Business Source Premier to Business Source Complete! This includes full text business journals and magazines, covering marketing, management, accounting, banking, finance and more. 
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Company and industry profiles, market research reports and more.
  • Consumer Health Complete
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Supports the information needs of patients and fosters an overall understanding of health-related topics.
    • This resource provides content covering all key areas of health and wellness, from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary and holistic medicine.
  • Consumer Reports
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Consumer Reports has been testing, rating and reviewing products since 1936. Get buying advice and product comparisons for more than 5,000 products.
    • The Annual Buying Guide is now exclusively online. To access the Buying Guide, scroll to the bottom of the Consumer Reports database home page. Click on "Magazines and Books," then "CR Magazine Archive," then "Buying Guide."
    • Video tutorial
  • Country-Background Notes
    • Contains "facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations" of countries. Information on this site is from the U.S. Department of State.
  • Creativebug
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Creativebug has thousands of award-winning art & craft video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.
    • Video tutorial
  • Daily Herald Collection (1995-present)
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Access the archives, including obituaries, for free with your Winfield Library card.
    • Access to the image edition is now included.
  • DPLA
    • The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.
    • Video tutorial
  • DPLA Primary Source Sets
  • Driving-Tests.org
    • This service includes free tests, written specifically based on Illinois DMV materials. Practice tests for cars, motorcycle, and CDL, as well as handbooks with pertinent traffic laws are available for free.
  • EBSCOhost Web
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • MasterFILE Premier features full text articles from more than 1,700 magazines and journals.
    • Includes access to several databases, including Business Source, Health Source, and Academic Search Premier.

  • Encyclopedia Britannica Online Public Library Edition
  • Explora for Young Learners
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Designed for primary and middle school students with a simple search, topic overviews, and easy to browse categories.
  • Explora for Public Libraries
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Perfect for general research for high school age and above, Explora includes high quality articles, citation help, topic overviews, and multimedia resources.
  • First Search Databases
    • Databases include a variety of topics including science, humanities, education, and business.
    • Please call (630) 653-7599 for our password for home access.
  • GreenFILE
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Covering all aspects of human impact to the environment.
  • HeritageQuest
    • This comprehensive database of American genealogical sources is rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, and US Census data.
    • Log in from home using your 14-digit library bardode number.
  • History of the Great Lakes States
    • A free online history library for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. The historical era covered starts in the 1600s - with French colonization of the region - and ends about 1860. 
  • History Reference Center
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • 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.
  • Home Improvement Reference Center
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Detailed, user-friendly “how-to” information covering a variety of home improvement and repair projects.
  • Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service
    • The Talking Book and Braille Service (TBBS) supports the activities of the Illinois Network of Libraries Serving the Blind and Physically Handicapped in providing excellent public library service to any Illinois resident who is unable to read standard print material due to a permanent or temporary visual or physical disability.
  • Inkie.org
    • Inkie.org is a suite of resources - available to everyone in Illinois at no charge - that supports local authors with online creation and publishing tools and allows readers to access locally-produced content
  • Legal Information Reference Center
    • An online database designed to assist the general public in legal matters of all kinds. It includes exclusive full text for many top consumer legal reference books, as well as thousands of legal forms. 
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
  • Literary Reference Center
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Thousands of full-text poems, short stories, synopses, critical essays, literary journals, reference books and author biographies, plus lesson plans and literary study guides.
    • Gives students a complete foundation of literary reference works.
  • Mango Languages
    • Learn dozens of languages the easy way. Special categories include medical and business terms.
    • Video tutorial
  • Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Thesaurus
  • The New York Times Online
    • Get the same experience as a New York Times subscriber, free online with your Winfield Library card!
    • To access The New York Times from home:
      1. Click here to access.
      2. You'll be taken to a site with a unique code. Click "Redeem." (Write down this code if you would prefer to use the NYT app instead of a web browser. You can log in there with this code for 24 hours.)
      3. Next, create a NYT account.
      4. You will be notified that your access will last 24 hours. You can log in again after that 24 hour period using this same procedure.
    • To access The New York Times using a library computer or our wi-fi:
      1. Register or log in at nytimes.com/register.
      2. Enjoy unlimited access on any library computer or a device connected to our wi-fi.
  • Newsbank
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Click America's News Magazines to access more than 25 national magazines.
    • NewsBank’s Special Reports are news articles, images, videos, maps and other useful content grouped under today's most important topics and themes. Click here for a helpful video about Special Reports.
  • NoveList Plus
    • Log in with your 14-digit library card number.
    • Search by title, author, or series, and view a brief summary of the book, professional reviews, and title and author readalikes. Now including fiction and nonfiction!
    • Video tutorial
  • NoveList Plus K-8
    • Log in with your 14-digit library card number.
    • Search by children's book title, author, or series, and view a brief summary of the book, professional reviews, and title and author readalikes. Now including fiction and nonfiction!
  • Points of View Reference Center
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Containing resources that present multiple sides of an issue, this database provides rich content that can help students assess and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills.
  • PressReader
    • When clicking the Sign In button, be sure to choose "Library or Group."
    • Log in using your 14-digit library barcode.
    • Your PIN is the same password you use for the library catalog and Libby.
    • Unlimited access to more than 2,000 newspapers and 3,000 magazines in 60 languages.
    • Includes the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and more.
  • Reference Solutions (Formerly ReferenceUSA)
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Business and Consumer listings to help small businesses, marketers, researchers, and job seekers.
    • Find residential, business, and health care information for the U.S.A. and Canada.
    • If unable to access Reference Solutions remotely using Google Chrome™, please try using a different internet browser. The most recent version of Chrome has been known to cause access issues.
    • Video tutorial
  • Sanborn Maps
    • Online access through the Library of Congress.
    • "The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Online Checklist provides a searchable database of the fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company..."
  • Science Reference Center
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Full text for hundreds of science magazines, journals, encyclopedias, reference books and a vast collection of images.
  • Small Business Reference Center
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics.
      Includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.
  • Teachables
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number.
    • Teachables from Scholastic is an online database of tens of thousands of searchable and printable educational materials. Created by teachers and precisely leveled, these high-quality, ready-to-use resources support teachers, parents preparing kids for kindergarten readiness, homeschool teachers and learners from Pre-K to grade 6, and young patrons who need extra skills practice.
  • Universal Class
    • Log in using your 14-digit library card number to create an account.
    • Offers more than 500 non-credit online courses, free with your Winfield Library card.
    • You may also access Universal Class through the Libby app.
    • Video tutorial
  • ValChoice
    • ValChoice analyzes home and auto insurance companies annually in each state where they do business. This totals 25,000 separate company's analyzed per year. Every company is analyzed in each state where they do business across the three most important buying criteria: price (value), quality (claims handling) and service.
    • ValChoice Car Insurance Calculator
      • Lets you calculate auto insurance costs customized to your age, location, driving record, vehicle, etc. Your personal information is only used to calculate insurance price.
    • ValChoice Home Insurance Calculator
      • Lets you estimate home insurance costs based on home replacement value and location. Your personal information is only used to calculate insurance price.
    • ValChoice Financial Literacy Videos

 


Privacy Note: When you use a third-party online resource, you are subject to that organization's privacy policies. You can see a list of the policies for most of our online resources here.