Resources
Please click on the red “+” symbol in each section to open and read.
Reading Resources
- Accelerated Reader Book Find – www.arbookfind.com
- Online Dictionary and Thesaurus – www.merriam-webster.com
- What Should I Read Next – www.whatshouldireadnext.com – Type in a book you like & this website will analyze the large database of readers’ favorite books to give book recommendations & what to read next
For Families and Children
- Homeschool Resources (Word Doc.)
- Sesame Street – www.sesamestreet.org
- PBS Kids – www.pbskids.org/arthur
- Kids Search – kids.prairiecat.info
- Read the Online Tumble Book of the Day – www.daily.tumblebooks.com
- DK Find Out – www.dkfindout.com/us – A great interactive site for students ages seven to 11
For Teens
- Use our computers for schoolwork.
- We have many resources for book reports, just ask.
- Check out our many resources including books, magazines, the internet. Ask one of the librarians for help.
- Practice your driving skills! www.southbeloit.driving-tests.org
- Boys & Girls Club – www.statelinebgc.org
- A website and national teen magazine devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos, and forums- www.TeenInk.com
Preparing For College
- https://studentaid.gov/ U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid
- www.Twitter.com/FAFSA Twitter FAFSA page
- http://bit.ly/AskFAFSA2 Live streams of Q&A sessions
- www.collegeillinois.com College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Program
- www.collegezone.com Illinois Student Assistance Commission
- www.khanacademy.org/sat SAT Practice
Job Resources
careerbuilder.com Job search website
ides.illinois.gov Illinois Department of Employment Security
https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/ada/r/ Illinois career website
Legal Resources
- www.HealthCare.gov Government healthcare assistance
- www.illinoislegalaid.org Online legal aid
- www.courtsystem.org Find court records
- www.immigrantslikeus.org Immigration help
Health Resources
Reputable sources for information about health and medicine.
- MedlinePlus: A medical super-site from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Includes extensive information and links on hundreds of conditions and health issues, drug descriptions, a medical encyclopedia, surgery videos, and more.
- NIH SeniorHealth: Information for older adults, from the National Institutes of Health.
- Illinois Health & Wellness: Official guide to state government programs and resources.
- Senior Guidance: an organization dedicated to providing senior living assistance to the elderly.
- Silver Search Illinois: Silver Search is a coordinated effort to bring awareness, education, and resources to help find and safely return people with Alzheimer’s or dementia that go missing.
- Elderville.org: Resources for all elders.
- Illinois Department of Veteran’s Affairs: Information that serves and supports veterans and military families of Illinois
- nvf.org: Veteran Resources- legal, health, housing, benefits and more.
- familywize.org: Get discounted prescriptions weather you have health insurance or not.
- Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988
- Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 press 1
- Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
- Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network: 1-800-656-4673
- The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ youth): 1-866-488-7386
- National Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-800-931-2237
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year information service in English and Spanish for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness COVID-19 Resource and Information Center: https://bit.ly/2Jw9QdR
- Drug Hotline: 1-888-633-3239 (If you go to their page drughotline.org they have specific hotlines for alcohol, cocaine, heroin, meth, and more).
- Go to https://www.mentalhealth.gov/ to look for resources to help you in your area.
- crisistextline.org In a crisis? Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor, free 24/7 support.
Consumer Resources
Find product and auto reviews, shopping tips, information about recalls, and consumer-protection agencies.
Buying Guides & General Advice
- Consumer Reports: A lot of free and useful information is available, but a paid subscription is required for product reviews and ratings.
- ConsumerSearch: “Reviewing the reviews.” Compiles and analyzes product reviews from magazines and websites. Great starting point.
- Epinions.com: Products rated by people who bought them.
Cars & Trucks
- Car & Driver: Includes the magazine’s road tests and reviews, interactive vehicle comparisons, and Kelley Blue Book values.
- Edmunds.com: Reviews, comparisons, price and value information, and tips for buying new or used vehicles.
- The Truth About Cars: Detailed reviews, written with a sense of humor.
- fueleconomy.gov: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) help you in providing information about fuel economy and the benefits of using more fuel-efficient vehicles and information about buying a vehicle. The South Beloit Library also has some printed versions you may read.
Consumer Protection & Complaints
- AnnualCreditReport.com: The place to get a no-obligation, free copy of your credit report from all three major reporting companies.
- Better Business Bureau: Includes complaints against companies, fraud alerts, and general tips.
- Consumer Protection Division: Part of the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
- Recalls.gov: Product recalls and safety information from the federal government.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Find resources for recovering from or rebuilding after a natural disaster.
Library Resources
If you have a South Beloit Public Library Card, we’ll borrow items from other libraries for you! Delivery from most Illinois libraries is free.
(Items marked with ** require a library card to login.)
- PrairieCat: Catalog for approximately 200 libraries in northern Illinois and eastern Iowa.
- A to Z the USA: **A beautifully illustrated resource teaching the diversity and history of the USA.
- A to Z the World: **A large database covering world history, cultures, languages, foods, religions, and much more.
- A to Z Food America: **Explore America’s regional food culture, recipes, state specialties and ethnic cuisine.
- www.arbookfind.com Accelerated Reader Book Find
- WorldCat via FirstSearch **: A catalog of more than a billion items in libraries worldwide.
- WorldCat.org: An alternate way to search most of the WorldCat catalog, with no login required..
- Open-Access Text Archive: Thousands of public-domain books and other free books, for online viewing or downloading in plain text or scanned formats. Part of the Internet Archive site.
- Library of Congress Digital Collections: A large number of pamphlets, letters, historic documents, pictures, early films and recordings, and other items are available online.
- National Jukebox: The Library of Congress has launched the National Jukebox, a collection of digitized music and spoken work recordings that includes tools for users to make and share their own playlists, also contains historical recordings.
Search Magazines and Newspapers
Online archives and search engines for finding articles from magazines and newspapers.
- BNET Research Center: (Formerly called FindArticles.com.) Index of magazine articles which doesn’t require a login. Many articles are available online for free, but “premium” articles carry a pricetag. Subjects covered include: arts, autos, business, health, home and garden, news, sports, and technology.
- Google News: Search for articles from newspaper, TV news, newswires, and other reporting websites.
Find Fast Facts
(Items marked with ** require a library card to login.)
- WorldAlmanac via FirstSearch **: Includes Funk & Wagnall’s New Encylopedia, the World Almanac and Book of Facts, the World Almanac of the U.S.A., the World Almanac of U.S. Politics, and the World Almanac for Kids.
- Infoplease.com: Information Please Almanac, atlases, and more.
- Wikipedia: “The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”
- OneLook Dictionary Search: Look up words in almost 1000 online dictionaries at the same time.
- Illinoisdata.com: A collection of Illinois information.
Illinois/Local History and Government
Online documents, photos, articles, and other information about the history of Illinois and the local area.
- Illinois Digital Archives: A portal to online exhibits and collections from libraries and museums across the state. A project of the Illinois State Library.
- Cyndi’s List – Illinois: Directory of genealogy and history websites. Also includes links for specific Illinois localities.
- Illinois State Board of Elections: Voter Registration
- Illinois Polling Place Lookup
- Find My Elected Officials
- South Beloit, IL information: www.southbeloit.org
- Local Newspaper: www.beloitdailynews.com
- South Beloit IL schools: www.sbsobos.org
- Rockton IL schools: www.rockton140.org
- www.kinn131.org
- www.prairiehill.org
- www.hononegah.org