Quick Search
Individual Databases
Unless otherwise noted, these resources are available at all Chicago Public Library locations and from from home, school, or work with a Chicago Public Library card.
America: History & Life »
Search over half a million summaries of articles on U.S. and Canadian history from over 1,700 magazines and journals. Link to the full text online or, where unavailable, ask a librarian for help in finding the complete article in the library's print magazines and journals.
Available at the Harold Washington Library Center, Sulzer Regional Library, and Woodson Regional Library.
Chicago Defender Historical Archive »
The Chicago Defender Historical Archive allows one to search the complete text, including display and classified advertisements, of this nationally-significant African-American newspaper. The database covers the years 1910 to 1975, and work continues to incorporate earlier issues back to the paper's beginnings in 1905. (To search for articles appearing in this paper from 1999 to the present, use Black Newspapers or Illinois Newsstand.)
Chicago Tribune Historical Archive »
This database allows one to search the entire text of the Chicago Tribune, including classified and display advertisements, from 1849 to 1986. (To search for articles appearing after 1986, use Chicago Triubne (1985-present).)
*History Database Search » teen pick
History Database Search is a gateway to six separate databases (African-American History Online, American History Online, American Indian History Online, American Women's History Online, Ancient & Medieval History Online, and Modern World History Online) that provide background and supplemental information for the study of history. Search all six at once or link to individual databases. Each database includes articles from numerous reference works; primary sources (with introductory essays); biographies; timelines; images; and maps, charts, and tables.
History Reference Collection »
Search over fifty encyclopedias and other reference titles related to the study of history. The collection includes both scholarly works as well as works written for students.
Oxford African American Studies Center »
Oxford African American Studies Center offers background and overview information on African American culture and history through encyclopedia articles, images, maps, and charts from reference works such as Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (2nd ed.), Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895, and Black Women in America (2nd ed.), among others.
*ProQuest Magazines & Journals »
ProQuest Magazines and Journals (Research Library) helps one find magazine and journal articles on a wide range of topics. It covers over 2,600 magazines and journals; the complete text of the articles is available for about 60 percent of these. Included are popular magazines, magazines for professionals of all types, and scholarly journals. The database includes both magazines written for children and those for adults.
*World Book » kid friendly teen pick
This online encyclopedia is particularly good for history topics, especially those studied in elementary and high school.
* - indicates that the database is included in the Quick Search above.