Genealogy & Local History
Researching your family, county, or state history has never been easier! Our online genealogy and local history databases will open the door to a whole world of history.
Online Databases
Business and Consumer
Looking to improve your small business? Maybe you’re planning your next family vacation. Either way, we’ve got the resources you need to make both exceptional!
Language & geography
Explore the world without leaving home! You can learn new skills or brush up on your old foreign language and geography skills with these databases.
Family Resources
Make learning fun for kids! Check out our kid-focused databases to see how you can make learning and reading interactive for your kids or students.
Teen Resources
Whether you’re researching for fun or trying to complete your latest homework project, PGPTL has resources to help you gain the knowledge you need!
DIY
Have a home improvement project you want to tackle? These databases can help you wrap up the project and keep it looking fantastic.
Can Only be accessed from within Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library
Genealogy & Local History
Ancestry Library Edition (Accessible Only From Inside the Library)
Access billions of names in thousands of genealogical databases including Census and Vital Records, birth, marriage and death notices, the Social Security Death Index, Passenger lists and naturalizations, Military and Holocaust Records, City Directories, New York Emigrant Savings Bank records, and African American and Native American Records.
Find My Past (Accessible Only From Inside the Library)
Great collection of genealogical records with a focus on British and Irish records.
Family Search
Operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), this free website offers a variety of genealogical databases, access to unindexed images of genealogical records, the Social Security Death Index, wiki entries describing various types of genealogical research, and access to the Family History Library’s catalog. Free access to the 1940 United States Federal Census.
Fold3
Features premier collections of original military records. These records include the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served in the military. Many of the records come from the U.S. National archives, The National Archives of the U.K. and others.
Hendricks County Cemeteries
A searchable database of Hendricks County, Indiana cemeteries. Data is gathered from cemetery lists and readings, obituaries, and other records.
Hendricks County Obituaries
A searchable database of Hendricks County, Indiana obituaries gleaned from county newspapers from 1847 to the present.
Hendricks County Photographs
A searchable database of Plainfield, Indiana and Hendricks County, Indiana photographs. Digitized images are added weekly!
Hendricks County Flyer
Search full-text articles on local news, issues, events, people and more from current and archived issues of Hendricks County Flyer. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.
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.
The Indianapolis Star (Historic 1903-2004)
Providing digital images of historical issues of the Indianapolis Star newspaper. This database can be accessed remotely with valid PGTPL library card.
Newspapers.com (Expanded!)
Newspapers.com Library Edition is an extensive database that provides online access to 4,000+ historical newspapers. Dating from the early 1700s into the 2000s, Newspapers.com Library Edition contains full runs and portions of runs of well-known, regional and state titles to small local newspapers in the United States and other countries.
Newspaper Archive (Expanded!)
An online database that provides searchable access to 400 hundred years of historical newspapers from all over the United States, dating back to the 17th century. Every part of every page is searchable, including valuable local articles, advertisements, editorials, classified ads, and obituaries.
(Click here to access Newspaper Archive outside the library.)
Indiana Memory
A wealth of digitized resources from Indiana libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions. It is a gateway to Indiana’s history and culture found in digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, and other media.
Business and Consumer
Consumer Reports
Provides access to the online version of Consumer reports magazine, as well as additional features. Includes ratings and recommendations on thousands of products and services in categories including appliances, cars, electronics and computers, home and garden, health and fitness, babies and kids, food, personal finance, and travel. Includes product test videos, interactive guides, advice forums, consumer news, and more.
Foundation Directory
Access an exhaustive database of grantmakers and grants with powerful searching tools. The Foundation Directory Online has information about funders and fundraising opportunities with a comprehensive guide to navigating search results and building prospect lists, discovering and understanding opportunities, and connecting to prospects.
Gale Courses
Gale Courses offers a wide range of highly interactive, instructor led courses that you can take entirely online. As a library card holder in good standing, you are entitled to these courses at no cost. Courses run for six weeks and new sessions begin every month.
Inspire
Includes full-text magazine and journal articles, websites, pamphlets, images, almanacs, full-text historic newspapers, multimedia, library catalogs, and much more. In most cases, INSPIRE provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts of all articles that appear in every periodical with the exception of some newspapers. Only letters to the editor, advertisements, and some images are excluded for copyright reasons. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through the Indiana General Assembly.
Legal Forms
Provides a wide selection of Indiana legal forms across the most popular legal areas. Includes real estate contracts, wills, pre-marital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlord tenant and many others. Also included is a comprehensive attorney state directory and a dictionary of legal definitions explained in easy to understand language.
Reference Solutions
Reference Solutions (formerly Reference USA) is the number 1 source of information on businesses and people for small business owners, marketing professionals, researchers and job seekers. Reference Solutions helps users create marketing plans, conduct competitive analysis, raise funds and locate people.
Value Line
Includes on-line access to Value Line’s leading research publications covering stocks, mutual funds, options and convertible securities as well as our proprietary special situation stocks.
Language & Geography
Mango Languages
Language-learning software that teaches practical conversation in over 70 languages, from Spanish and French to Azerbaijani, English, and even Pirate, all while keeping the vibe fun and encouraging. With free mobile apps, hands-free learning features, and progress tracking, if you’re looking to learn new languages and meet new cultures from near and far, you’ve come to the right place.
Rosetta Stone
Use this award-winning language immersion program to learn the foundations for 30 languages. Core lessons and focused activities for 50+ hours of Level 1 instruction will help you refine your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through INSPIRE.
TumbleBooks
A collection of animated, talking picture books, suited for elementary school children. TumbleBooks are created from existing picture books, adding sound, animation, music, and narration to create stories that come to life for children through engaging animation. The website is easy for children to navigate and allows children to hear stories that are read out loud fluently. There are even options to hear the stories in French or Spanish. Each story comes with puzzles and games geared to ensure reading comprehension.
Apps available:
Teen Resources
Creativebug
Creativebug offers over 1000 video classes in drawing, painting, sketchbooking, sewing, quilting, knitting, jewelry making, and much more. Taught by the world’s top artists, designers and crafters, Creativebug instructors not only teach, they inspire. With hundreds of delectable quick classes and in-depth workshops, Creativebug is the perfect creative companion for those who like to mix imagination and straightforward DIY instruction.
Inspire
Includes full-text magazine and journal articles, websites, pamphlets, images, almanacs, full-text historic newspapers, multimedia, library catalogs, and much more. In most cases, INSPIRE provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts of all articles that appear in every periodical with the exception of some newspapers. Only letters to the editor, advertisements, and some images are excluded for copyright reasons. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through the Indiana General Assembly.
Mango Languages
Language-learning software that teaches practical conversation in over 70 languages, from Spanish and French to Azerbaijani, English, and even Pirate, all while keeping the vibe fun and encouraging. With free mobile apps, hands-free learning features, and progress tracking, if you’re looking to learn new languages and meet new cultures from near and far, you’ve come to the right place.
Rosetta Stone
Use this award-winning language immersion program to learn the foundations for 30 languages. Core lessons and focused activities for 50+ hours of Level 1 instruction will help you refine your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through INSPIRE.
Family Resources
Creativebug
Creativebug offers over 1000 video classes in drawing, painting, sketchbooking, sewing, quilting, knitting, jewelry making, and much more. Taught by the world’s top artists, designers and crafters, Creativebug instructors not only teach, they inspire. With hundreds of delectable quick classes and in-depth workshops, Creativebug is the perfect creative companion for those who like to mix imagination and straightforward DIY instruction.
Inspire
Includes full-text magazine and journal articles, websites, pamphlets, images, almanacs, full-text historic newspapers, multimedia, library catalogs, and much more. In most cases, INSPIRE provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts of all articles that appear in every periodical with the exception of some newspapers. Only letters to the editor, advertisements, and some images are excluded for copyright reasons. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through the Indiana General Assembly.
Mango Languages
Language-learning software that teaches practical conversation in over 70 languages, from Spanish and French to Azerbaijani, English, and even Pirate, all while keeping the vibe fun and encouraging. With free mobile apps, hands-free learning features, and progress tracking, if you’re looking to learn new languages and meet new cultures from near and far, you’ve come to the right place.
Rosetta Stone
Use this award-winning language immersion program to learn the foundations for 30 languages. Core lessons and focused activities for 50+ hours of Level 1 instruction will help you refine your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through INSPIRE.
Scholastic GO!
Scholastic GO!® is designed for children, providing credible, accurate, reliable content on almost every core-curricula subject, Scholastic GO!® offers endless resources for research in a multitude of media. Explore nonfiction texts, world newspapers, videos and more with this easy-to-navigate digital resource designed to strengthen content knowledge, vocabulary, and core proficiency skills.
You will need your library card number to access Scholastic Go! from home.
Scholastic Teachables
Scholastic Teachables is designed for parents, caregivers, and educators. Save hours of prep time with our online treasure trove of ready-to-go lessons and activities for every grade, subject, and skill level.
You will need your library card number to access Scholastic Teachables from home.
TumbleBooks
A collection of animated, talking picture books, suited for elementary school children. TumbleBooks are created from existing picture books, adding sound, animation, music, and narration to create stories that come to life for children through engaging animation. The website is easy for children to navigate and allows children to hear stories that are read out loud fluently. There are even options to hear the stories in French or Spanish. Each story comes with puzzles and games geared to ensure reading comprehension.
Apps available:
DIY
Chilton Library
Supplies a car repair solution for the “do-it-yourselfer” that is easy to use no matter the skill level. Repair, maintenance and specification tables provide critical data on thousands of domestic and imported models of cars and light trucks from 1940 onward.
Creativebug
Creativebug offers over 1000 video classes in drawing, painting, sketchbooking, sewing, quilting, knitting, jewelry making, and much more. Taught by the world’s top artists, designers and crafters, Creativebug instructors not only teach, they inspire. With hundreds of delectable quick classes and in-depth workshops, Creativebug is the perfect creative companion for those who like to mix imagination and straightforward DIY instruction.
Inspire
Includes full-text magazine and journal articles, websites, pamphlets, images, almanacs, full-text historic newspapers, multimedia, library catalogs, and much more. In most cases, INSPIRE provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts of all articles that appear in every periodical with the exception of some newspapers. Only letters to the editor, advertisements, and some images are excluded for copyright reasons. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through the Indiana General Assembly.
Legal Forms
Provides a wide selection of Indiana legal forms across the most popular legal areas. Includes real estate contracts, wills, pre-marital agreements, bankruptcy, divorce, landlord tenant and many others. Also included is a comprehensive attorney state directory and a dictionary of legal definitions explained in easy to understand language.
Mango Languages
Language-learning software that teaches practical conversation in over 70 languages, from Spanish and French to Azerbaijani, English, and even Pirate, all while keeping the vibe fun and encouraging. With free mobile apps, hands-free learning features, and progress tracking, if you’re looking to learn new languages and meet new cultures from near and far, you’ve come to the right place.
Rosetta Stone
Use this award-winning language immersion program to learn the foundations for 30 languages. Core lessons and focused activities for 50+ hours of Level 1 instruction will help you refine your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Provided for FREE to Indiana residents through INSPIRE.
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