Once you enter the ABC-CLIO resource, choose any or all of the areas below

Contains over 4 billion names, more than 4,000 databases, primary-source documents, and a variety of features for family history research. Includes U.S. and U.K. census images and indexes, immigration records and passenger lists, and birth/marriage/death records.

The vendor only allows use within the library. If you are a remote user, please use Heritage Quest.

A.M. Best provides you with a source to the latest and most comprehensive insurance information. Search in Best's Insurance Reports using the quick search or advanced search to find thousands of insurers, reinsurers, and groups to find the most complete picture accessing analytical reports and company related news directly from the Company Overview.

At the Library

                         Access only available in one of the Peoria Public Library locations

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) is the best place to begin a search for information about people. It indexes current, readily available reference sources, as well as the most important retrospective works that cover individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world.

                       At the library or Remote user

   Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive

Expert Help
•Live Help - Live online help from expert tutors
•Skills Building  - Brush up or catch up with a live tutor
•Writing Lab - Expert online writing assistance
•24/7 Center - Send a question - get expert help
•Language Lab - Live help for language learners
Study
•Test Center - Prepare for exams using our practice tests
•FlashBulb - Create and share flash cards
Collaborate
•MEET - Study with friends online
•Brainwave - Create and share movie-like notes and ideas
Tutors available Mon - Sun 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. CST

Click here to use Brainfuse from home.    Click here if you are at the library.

JobNow is a truly unique. Unlike simple editing services for resumes, or static databases for job-seekers, the JobNow suite provides on-demand access to live, expert coaches for every stage of a patron's job search

Live Career Coaching - Our job coaches help patrons determine which jobs fit their particular strengths and career objectives.

Live interview Coaching - Live, one-on-one coaching from JobNow's online instructors, including simulated interview practice in our online classroom.

Interview Toolbox - A continually-updated library of effective interview preparation strategies, common employer questions, and proven techniques to help patrons ace even the toughest interviews.

Career Resources - We work closely with one of the nation's leading workforce centers to assemble the best resources for beginning one's job search, including personality and career assessments, local job listings, and other useful information. Live online JobNow coaches are available to help patrons best use these resources.

Expert Resume Assistance

Resume Lab - Patrons send their resume to one of the JobNow experts, and receive expert analysis within 24 hours.

Resume Templates - To help patrons get started, we have included downloadable templates for the most common resume types

Resume Resources - Patrons enjoy access to an ever expanding library or tried-and-true tips andresources.

Our Job Coaches
•Have been trained in conjunction with one of the nation's leading Workforce centers
•Are U.S. based
•Have 4-year college degrees and prior counseling/training experience
•Have undergone thorough background checks

Click here to use JobNow from the library.      Click here to use JobNow from home.

A powerful, all-in-one collection (atlas, news, biographies, homework help, and more)

Enjoy the convenience of multiple resources in one location (current magazines, videos and multimedia, recommended websites)

The Business & Company Resource Center is a comprehensive research tool for case study work as well as the business research needs of the job seeker or casual investor. It offers dynamic, accurate, and up-to-date topical business information and company and industry intelligence on thousands of global companies.

At the library or Remote user

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive

Consumer Reports offers full product ratings containing buying advice, key features information, and reliability from the experts at Consumer Reports Magazine and Consumers Union.

Contemporary Authors is a primary resource for information on modern authors, including those who were active prior to 1960 and whose works continue to influence contemporary literature.

                      At the library or Remote user

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive

These are the databases accessed through FirstSearch:

General Databases

• WorldCat - Books and other materials in libraries worldwide.
• Article1st - Index of articles from nearly 12,500 journals.

Specialized Databases

• Clase Periodica - Index of Latin American journals in science and humanities.
• Ebooks - Catalog of online electronic books available through libraries worldwide.
• ECO - A collection of scholarly journals.
• ERIC - Journal articles and reports in education.
• GPO - U.S. Government publications.
• MEDLINE - Abstracted articles from medical journals.
• OAIster - A union catalog of more than 19 million digital resources.
• PapersFirst - An index of papers presented at conferences.
• Proceedings - An index of conference publications.
• WorldAlmanac - The World Almanacs.

 
        At the library or Remote user

Please contact the information desk or call the library at
    497-2000 for the Authorization Code and Password

Use the General Reference Center to find articles from magazines, reference books, and newspapers, many with full-text and images. You can find articles on current events, popular culture, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more through this site.

At the library or Remote user

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive

Government Documents contain helpful information on many subjects.

The Health & Wellness Resource Center features the latest news, review a set of subject areas, select a particular resource, or search across the entire database. This information is not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for professional care.

At the library or Remote user

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive

HeritageQuest provides online including census records, for genealogy and family history research.

This essential collection of unique material is for both genealogical and historical researchers, with coverage dating back to the late 1700s. Use HeritageQuest to find your ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled.

HeritageQuest Online combines digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI Genealogy & Local History collection and other valuable content.
 

This is a free online segment of the Legal Self Help Center. This help center is a joint project between the court system and the various Circuit Clerk's of the counties of the 10th Circuit. The goal of the Legal Self Help Center is to provide equal access to justice for all by assisting and educating the public on how to use available legal resources.

At the library or Remote User

Once you enter this resource, you may search any or all of the following areas:

• Children's Literature Review
• Contemporary Literary Criticism
• Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism
• Twentieth Century Literary Criticism

    At the library or Remote user

Please log in and create your profile in order to use this electronic resource.

Mango is an online language-learning system that can help English speakers learn languages like Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian, Russian and more.
37 different languages in all!

There are also English courses for speakers of Arabic (Egyptian), Cantonese, Mandarin, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

Please note that you must use this link from this page. It will not work as a bookmark or if you copy and paste the link.

            At the library or Remote user

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card
 

Illinois Digital Sanborn Maps

Delivers detailed property and land-use records that depict the grid of everyday life in Illinois towns and cities across a century of change.  This database is only available at Peoria Public Library

At the library

Historic Map Works

Over 1.4 million high resolution maps. The new Historic Earth feature allows researchers to compare historical maps to today's modern Google Maps.

At the library or Remote user

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card

NoveList Plus is an online reader's advisory tool that helps readers find titles and authors they like.

NoveList Plus for adults and NoveList Plus K-8 for youth and children.

    At the library         NoveList Plus        NoveList Plus K-8

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card for access   

The ready reference shelf by Gale offers you online access to premier directories.

 At the library or Remote User

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive

From finding old friends and planning vacations to conducting market research and choosing a health care provider, this extensive database offers the information you need - in a fast, convenient format. Included are businesses, U.S. residents, physicians, and dentists.

          At the library or Remote user

Remote users, please use a Peoria Public Library Card

(was OmniFile, was Wilson Web)

These are research databases that were titled OmniFile and before that Wilson Web. This database provides information in seven major areas of study: Applied Science & Technology, Art, Biography, Education, Humanities, Legal, and Library & Information Science. Most articles are provided in a full-text format.

At the library          Remote user

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card

Repair manual schematics for TVs, VCRs, Radios, etc.

This database of schematics is only available at Peoria Public Library - Main.

   At the library

Google
Google search engine employs text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to a user's search.

Yahoo
Probably the easiest and most popular way to find information on the Internet. Yahoo is actually a massive directory of sites rather than a true search engine.

Dogpile
Full Boolean searching of multiple engines (if allowed in the specific database). It can look into ftp sites, Usenet, mailing lists, and web pages simultaneously.

Ask.com
Ask.com offers many innovative tools to help you get the information you need quickly and easily.

HotSheet
HotSheet web quick reference. The original single page web directory, with over 500 carefully selected premier sites. The easy way to the best of the web.

Sites to Sign Up for FREE Email

Sign up for Free Email Service
Peoria Public Library does not directly provide electronic mail (email). These links are provided as a service for our patrons. We are not responsible for the availability or reliability of this service.

Yahoo Mail

• Get your own email address.
• It's free. It's easy.
• Access email from anywhere.

MSN Hotmail

• Access your email account from anywhere
• Get a permanent email address
• Your email is private and secure
• Hotmail is fast and easy to use
• Get additional email accounts for FREE
• Keep your personal email separate from your work email

People Search

Peoria Public Library does not directly provide electronic mail (email). These links are provided as a service for our patrons. We are not responsible for the availability or reliability of this service.

AnyWho
AnyWho is a free directory service with residential, business, and government white and yellow pages listings.

Switchboard
Probably the easiest and most popular way to find people on the Internet.

A general reference database containing thousands of full-text articles exploring social, scientific, health, historic, business, economic, political and global issues.

                                    At the library         Remote user

          Customer No: IL454H
          Password:      61602

Starting a Business
These resources will help you plan, start and market a small business

Starting Your Business in Illinois handbook from the Illinois Department of Commerce
Steps to Starting a Business U.S. Small Business Administration
Illinois WorkNet with links to starting and funding a business
Starting a Small Business 45-minute video, including Introduction, Sole Proprietorship, General Partnership, etc., presented by Illinois Legal Aid
How Do I Start My Own Small Business? Illinois Legal Aid

Creating a Business Plan

How to Write a Business Plan U.S. Small Business Administration
Business Startup and Management Publications from the Illinois Small Business Development Center

Library Resources (library card required when using outside the library)

Databases Suggested databases include:
Business and Company Resource Center
Consumer Reports
First Search
Legal Self Help Center
Mergent
ReferenceUSA
Value Line

Library Catalog

To find small business books, select “Search by Category”, click “Business & Industry”, and click “Small Business”. If we don’t have the specific title that you are looking for, remember that we can Inter-Library Loan most items with your Peoria Public Library card. Suggested search terms include:
Small business
Sales
Marketing
Business finance
Business law
Project management

Downloadable Media Catalog

To find business ebooks, click “Advanced Search”, click the “Subject” dropdown menu, then select “Business”.

Forms

Employer Identification Number online application from the IRS
Federal tax information from the IRS
Illinois tax information from the Illinois Department of Revenue
Forms for Illinois Businesses

Professional Licensing in Illinois

Licenses regulated by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation and the Department of Labor

Local and Area Business Resources

SCORE Peoria
Turner Center for Small Business Bradley University
Peoria Chamber of Commerce
Illinois Business Financial Services Peoria office
Heart of Illinois Better Business Bureau
Economic Development Council for Central Illinois

More Business Resources

Small Business Majority advocacy group founded and run by small business owners
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Illinois Secretary of State Business Services
SCORE free small business advice
U.S. Small Business Administration
OSHA's small business page
Wall Street Journal small business centerhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/
Entrepreneur magazine

The definitive online tool for small engine repair assistance, including: ATVs, commercial mowers, farm tractors, generators, motorcycles, marine (boats), outdoor power equipment, PWC (personal watercraft/jet ski), snowblowers, snowmobiles, tillers and other small engines.

            At the library or Remote user

Remote users, please use your Peoria Public Library Card

Gale’s long-standing (1973) and RUSA award-winning biographical series devoted to children and young adult authors and illustrators.  This critically acclaimed series covers more than 12,000 individuals, ranging from established award winners to authors and illustrators who are just beginning their careers.

 At the library or Remote user

      Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive

Testing & Education Reference Center is a start-to-finish resource with all the information and support materials needed to make informed, confident decisions to shape the rest of your life.

                At the library or Remote User

Please use your Peoria Public Library Card, this resource is case sensitive
 

The Value Line Research Center information includes full-page reports and analyst commentaries on approximately 1,700 stocks. These commentaries include rankings on timeliness and safety.

Information on this site includes the:
• Investment Survey Standard Edition
• Small and Midcap Edition
• Historical Archives

                              At the library                      Remote access

Remote Users: Enter "61602" followed by the 9 numbers from your Peoria Public Library Card to sign into Value Line Research Center.  You do NOT need to include the "D" with your library card number for this resource.  

Recognized globally since 1899 as the premier biographical data provider, Marquis Who's Who provides the ability to conduct searches of achievers from around the globe. Search by name, gender, occupation, geography, hobbies and interests, religion and much more.

                             At the library                    Remote user

Remote Users: Enter "61602" followed by the 9 numbers from your Peoria Public Library Card to sign into Who's Who.  You do NOT need to include the "D" with your library card number for this resource.