
Arts & Literature
Literary Reference Center
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.
Business & Jobs
Business Source Premier
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.
Job Seekers Toolkit
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.
Reference Solutions
Search for US Businesses, US Standard White Pages in the directories.
Use US Jobs & Internships, powereed by indeed.com, to look for new oportunities.
Use Historical Businesses to find out about past performance of businesses back to 2003.
Small Business Reference Center
Small Business Reference Center offers exclusive full text for many top consumer small business reference books, as well as tools to address many small business topics. It includes business videos, a help and advice section and details on how to create business plans.
ZipRecruiter
- Jobs near you: ZipRecruiter - Jobs in Bellwood, IL
- Veterans Resource
Unique Benefits of ZipRecruiter
- We currently work with more than 900 Universities and over 1000 Libraries, providing Free Career Development content for their students
- 80% of Jobs on ZipRecruiter cannot be found on other Job sites.
- Our site offers 16 million +jobs for active job seekers and has the #1 rated Job Seeker App on iPhone & Android
Consumer & Auto
Auto Repair Source
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
Consumer Reports.org gives unbiased reviews, information and advice on consumer products and services.
Do It Yourself
Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center
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.
eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMovies
Biblioboard
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.
hoopla digital
*** 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.
Kanopy
Offering free access to thousands of movies streaming on this video platform.
All Kanopy Kids content is currently unlimited.
Health & Wellness
Consumer Health Complete
Valuable Full-Text Consumer Health Information
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.
Medline
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.
History & Genealogy
Bellwood Digital Archive
- Read local newspapers Proviso Star Progress (1937-1950) Star Sentinel (1956-1997) Proviso Star Sentinel (1975-1981) and West Proviso Herald (1978-1982).
- See the yearbooks of Proviso West High School (1961-2017).
- Read about the early history in "Bellwood History 1900-1976" or the program for Bellwood's 50th anniversary, "The Golden Jubilee"
HeritageHub
Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 - today. HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900's, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7.
History Reference Center
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.
K-12 Student Resources
ABCMouse.com
Young learners, ages 2 and up, can play and learn at the library with interactive books, educational games, puzzles and other activities.
EXPLORA - Primary School
Explora Primary is a database for young students.
- Simple search that quickly delivers relevant results
- Easy-to-browse categories organized by popular topic
- Topic overviews that provide students with a starting point for research
- Colorful, mobile-friendly design with feature areas that provide context to student
Middle Search Plus
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
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.
Primary Search
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.
Wolfram|Alpha
This wide-ranging ready reference tool provides access to a phenomenal amount of data and information through simple factual searches.
World Book - Early World of Learning
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.
Access World Book Early World of Learning
World Book Kids
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.
World Book Student
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.
Legal
Illinois Court Help
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.
Legal GPS
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
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.
NuWav Legal Documents
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.
Newspapers and Magazines
Bellwood Newspapers & Yearbooks
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 Digital Magazines
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.
PressReader
Digital newsstand featuring 7000+ of the world's most popular newspapers & magazines.
Instructions:
- To login, choose "Library or Group"
- Enter "Bellwood Public Library" and select our listing
- Sign in using OpenAthens
- Enter your Bellwood Library card number and PIN
Online Classes & Learning
Gale Courses
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.
GCF Global Classroom
Video classes on many topics including technology, work life, core skills and reading & math. Try one today!
LearningExpress Library
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.
Reference & Research
Academic Search Premier
Academic Search Premier is a leading multidisciplinary research database. It provides acclaimed full-text journals, magazines and other valuable resources.
MasterFile Complete
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.
Novelist Plus
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!
Points of View Reference Center
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.
Wolfram|Alpha
This wide-ranging ready reference tool provides access to a phenomenal amount of data and information through simple factual searches.
World Book Advanced
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 & Technology
Science Reference Center
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.