Literary Reference Center is a rich full-text literary database covering all genres and timeframes. It includes thousands of synopses, critical essays, book reviews, literary journals and author biographies, plus full-text classic novels, short stories and poems.
The industry's most widely used business research database, Business Source Premier features full text and searchable cited references for top journals covering a variety of business disciplines.
Created by Bellwood Public Library staff. The resources on this page are curated to help you create or update your resume, write a cover letter, find help with your job search, and ultimately find the best job for you.
Formerly known as Reference USA, Data Axle Reference Solutions is the go-to resource for comprehensive data on both businesses and individuals, tailored to the needs of small business owners, marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and job seekers. It empowers users to create marketing plans, conduct competitive analysis, secure funding, and locate individuals. This platform offers detailed profiles of over 50 million U.S. businesses, 150 million U.S. residents, 2 million job postings, internships, historical business data, and healthcare listings, making it an invaluable research tool for job seekers, businesses, and researchers.
Powered by Weiss Ratings and Grey House Publishing, this website gives you powerful new tools to protect your finances, invest wisely, grow your wealth, and learn more about your finances.
Unique Benefits of ZipRecruiter
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.
Consumer Reports.org gives unbiased reviews, information and advice on consumer products and services.
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.
Through a service provided by RAILS, every library in Illinois has access to free, simultaneous use e-books via the BiblioBoard Library. Select "BiblioBoard Library of Illinois" for instant access to their collection.
Thousands of digital comics and manga for readers of all ages.
*** Starting December 10, 2019, hoopla will require your Bellwood Public Library card's PIN to access the service. For help on updating your hoopla app, click here for 
Android or iOS devices.
You can stream titles instantly through your desktop browser or our mobile app. Titles are automatically returned and removed from your device at the end of the lending period.
If you use the mobile app (App Store, Google Play, Amazon), you can also download titles to your device for offline playback later, where Wi-Fi may be unavailable. Check out up to 8 items a month.
Offering free access to thousands of movies streaming on this video platform.
All Kanopy Kids content is currently unlimited.
Check out up to 20 ebooks, audiobooks or movies at a time.
Consumer Health Complete offers a unique search interface that organizes results by source type so users can easily find the content they're looking for. Source types include journals, magazines, reference books, encyclopedias, pamphlets, images and videos.
This database provides full-text for many of the most-used biomedical and health journals indexed in MEDLINE. Many journals are available with no embargo, allowing doctors, nurses, health professionals and researchers to access to the information as soon as it is published.
Discover the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for genealogical research, 1704 - today
Search a variety of genealogical and historical sources for more than 60 countries, dating as early as 1700. Collections include agricultural and industrial schedules, census map guide, city directories, mortality schedules, U.S. Freedman's Bank Record 1861-1875, and U.S. Indian census rolls.
This is a comprehensive full text history reference database designed for secondary schools, public libraries, junior/community colleges, and undergraduate research. History Refernce Center includes full text for more than 1,620 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books.
Young learners, ages 2 and up, can play and learn at the library with interactive books, educational games, puzzles and other activities.
Explora Primary is a database for young students.
Designed for middle school libraries, Middle Search Plus is a full-text database providing popular middle school magazines and reference books. Covering subjects such as history, current events, science and sports, it also includes thousands of biographies and primary source documents, plus over a million photos, maps and flags.
NoveList K-8 Plus is a comprehensive reading resource for fiction and nonfiction. With a fun and intuitive interface, and extensive proprietary content, NoveList K-8 Plus will help you integrate reading across the curriculum and support young readers.
Designed for elementary school libraries, Primary Search is a full-text database providing popular children’s magazines, easy-to-read encyclopedic entries and a vast image collection. Students can learn about a variety of topics, including endangered species, famous musicians, fitness and space exploration.
This wide-ranging ready reference tool provides access to a phenomenal amount of data and information through simple factual searches.
The Early World of Learning was created for preschoolers and children in the early elementary grades. Developed with the help of experts in early childhood education, the site provides playful and interactive features through a visual encyclopedia, colorful games, a Welcome To Reading feature, and a plethora of videos, photos, and activities.
Make learning more fun! World Book Kids was developed especially for younger users with a wealth of engaging games, science projects, and activities. It features an intuitive user interface, simple navigation and browsing capabilities, and thousands of easy-to-read articles packed with stunning illustrations, videos, and interactive maps.
Tailored for elementary and middle school users, World Book Student is a comprehensive site that includes a collection of content, features, and tools specifically developed to make online knowledge accessible and easy to integrate into school assignments. The site features the entire World Book Encyclopedia with high-interest content written at an age-appropriate level to engage students in learning. Student is loaded with practical features to help users develop their research skills and enhance their projects.
Illinois Courts recently launched a new product to help connect people to the information they need to represent themselves in a court case. Illinois Court Help is a free service that library staff can recommend to patrons.
Staff and patrons can also access this Illinois Court Help Digital Toolkit for informational materials in English and Spanish. The toolkit contains ready-to-print flyers and posters and a business card librarians can share with patrons, as well as other materials such as social media content.
Like Turbotax for the law, Legal GPS is an interactive platform that gives business owners step-by-step, customized directions to complete 50+ legal essentials. It saves owners $4500 in legal fees and 60+ hours. Simply answer a few questions, complete step-by-step legal directions personalized for their business, then receive a personalized Legal GPS Status Report containing a legal scorecard, a quick guide sheet to help them legally in the future, and a completion certificate. See how it works here.
Legal Information Reference Center is 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.
Easily compose legal documents in categories like Divorce, Wills, Power of Attorney, Lease Agreements, Bankruptcy, Landlord/Tenant disputes and more. You have the option to edit documents, print a blank version, or enter the required information. In minutes, you’ve completed a ready-to-use copy.
This collection includes:
Proviso West High School Yearbooks, "The Mural," (1961-2017)
Newspapers Covering Bellwood: The Star Progress (1937-1956), Star Sentinel (1956-1997), West Proviso Herald (1978-1982)
Village History Titles: Bellwood's Golden Jubilee program booklet celebrating 1900-1950, Bellwood History: 1900-1975 (1975)
Originals are available for viewing at the library. No circulations of local history materials is allowed.
More years of the newspapers are coming soon!
Flipster, the digital newsstand, offers magazines across all of your favorite devices. With access to the top magazines combined with an easy to use interface, Flipster offers users a unique reading experience that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.
Database of US based news sources.
Access instructions:
Gale Courses offers instructor-led online courses for some of the most requested adult education topics. Courses are self-paced and led by a real instructor who can give feedback, answer questions, and offer personalized guidance. The quality of instruction is similar to online courses offered by an accredited college, with most instructors having advanced degrees and extensive teaching experience in a university setting.
Video classes on many topics including technology, work life, core skills and reading & math. Try one today!
LearningExpress Library supports those looking to improve core academic skills, pass the GED, prepare for college, join the military, obtain occupational certification, find a job, change careers, become a U.S. citizen and much more.
Academic Search Premier is a leading multidisciplinary research database. It provides acclaimed full-text journals, magazines and other valuable resources.
Full-text articles from 1,700 periodicals, 500 reference books, and 100,000 primary source documents.
MasterfileComplete includes reference, business, health, education, science, and multicultural issues and an image collection of photos, maps, and flags.
This is a popular readers’ advisory service that helps readers find fiction and nonfiction books. It includes reviews, book covers, booklists, links to author web pages & much more!
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.
Database of US based news sources.
Access instructions:
This wide-ranging ready reference tool provides access to a phenomenal amount of data and information through simple factual searches.
A powerful reference tool designed to meet the research needs of users at the high school level and above, World Book Advanced is chock-full of facts and features to help users conduct research projects. The site features the entire World Book Encyclopedia, an atlas, a dictionary, world newspapers, and local and country research guides. Advanced integrates all primary and secondary source databases and up to 18 different content types in a single search.
Science Reference Center is a full-text database that covers earth science, life science, technology, health and other popular topics discussed by today's science researchers.
Designed specifically for junior and senior high schools, Science Reference Center is an excellent source of reliable information on life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, technology and more.