Chicago Region Research Guide
The Chicago Metropolitan Region is a huge and ethnically area.
This guide will provide resources for doing research for both
the Northeastern Illinois region, and Chicago itself.
The City of Chicago has long been divided into many diverse neighborhoods,
which are officially known as Chicago Community Areas (CCA). These
all have numbers assigned to them by the city government, although
they are not mentioned in journal or news articles. So you need
to know the number of the community area in order to do effective
research in many databases and reference publications. To find
out where ethnic groups are concentrated, look in The Ethnic
Handbook, located in the Reference Collection at F 548.9 .A
1 E 87 1996.
Library Catalogs
Look in the following catalogs for government publications, books,
videos, Internet sites, maps, and other types of audiovisual items:
Outline of the Library of Congress Classification System (what COD uses to shelve its books).
Other Nearby Public and Academic Libraries
Reference Works
Some appropriate reference books are also included with each
section of Internet sites listed below.
Article Indexes and Databases
You must have a valid College of DuPage library
card to access the electronic indexes and databases from off-campus.
- Academic OneFile (formerly Expanded Academic Index ASAP). An index to over 2500 magazines and journals covering a variety of topic areas including anthropology. This database provides references, abstracts, and many times the full-text of articles. A COD library card is required for off-campus use.
- Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) (1990-present) Magazines and journals.
Some full-text.
- Blackwell Synergy. This is an index of articles published in journals that are printed by the Blackwell company. A wide variety of topics and journals are covered, but you only get bibliographic citations, no full-text articles. You can select a particular subject area to search in, or you can select a specific journal to search in by clicking on the broad subject, then selecting a small subject area from that next page, then selecting the particular journal title on the third page. You can move through the categories by clicking on the plus sign [+] to the left of the category name.
- Chicago
Tribune(1985-present).Full-text.
- Chicago Tribune Historical Database (1849-1986)
- FindArticles.com. Citations to millions of journal articles, a free service.
- The Free Library. A database of free magazine and journal articles.
- Google Scholar. This provides access to many free full-text articles, as well as citations to many other articles.
- History Study Center. Use the Journal Search feature on the bottom right column for history articles.
- IngentaConnect. This is an index to millions of journal articles, book chapters, reports, and more. Most are not available as full-text online items.
- JSTOR: Scholarly Journals Archive of Older Issues.
- Military and Government Collection of articles.
- Open Access Journals Directory (free full-text journal articles)
- Project MUSE. This database provides citations and abstracts only.
- SCIRUS. A search engine for citations to journal articles and links to web pages.
- More COD Library journal and newspaper article databases.
- Does the C.O.D. Library own the journal that I need?
- Explanation
of the Difference between Journals and Magazines .
- How
to Read a Research Study Article.
Internet Sites for Organizations
Statistics
- Census
2000: Summary Tables of Social, Economic, & Housing Data for the
77 Community Areas in the City of Chicago (August 20, 2002) Summary
File SF3
- Census
2000 General Profiles for the 77 Chicago Community Areas from
Summary File 1 (January 15, 2002).
- Census
2000 - Illinois Congressional District Demographic Profiles.
- Census
2000 Results for Northeastern Illinois.
- Chicago Area Geographic Information Study (CAGIS)
- Chicago Census Facts Online.
- Chicago City Data Portal
- Chicago
City Factbook Demographics.
- Chicago Communities, including Neighborhood Names and Zip Codes.
- Chicago Community Area Demographics.
- Chicago Community Area Information for Businesses, from Chicago
Community Ventures. This includes Enterprise Zones, Empowerment
Zones, Industrial Corridors, and TIF Zones.
- Chicago Community Area Profiles.
- Chicago Community Area 2000 Census Profiles from the Chicago Tribune.
- Chicago Community Areas Ranked by Population Size.
- Chicago
Community Lending Fact Book.
- Chicago Data Guy.
- Chicago Ethnicity and Income (2006)
- Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. (Lots of economic and business statistics here)
- Chicago In Focus: A Profile from Census 2000. (Brookings Institution, 2003)
- Chicago Police Crime Statistics.
- Chicago Region Fact Finder Census Information (University of Notre Dame, Institute for Latino Studies)
- City Data.com. Lots of different types of statistics for nearby cities.
- City Melt. You can search this site by the town's name, and come up with a lot of different types of data.
- Community Statistics by Zip Code.
- Demographia
- Chicago.
- EveryBlock Chicago. Detailed statistics for very small geographic areas.
- Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
- Guide to Administrative Data Sources for Neighborhood Indicators. (Urban Institute, 2007)
- Illinois
Counties, Cities and Towns, and Chicago Neighborhoods, from the
Chicago Sun-Times.
- Illinois County Statistical Abstract.
- Illinois Statistics Arranged by Subject and Agency.
- Local Census.com. Get census data at the local level.
- Local Community Fact Book : Chicago Metropolitan Area :
Based on the 1970 and 1980 Censuses. Call number: Reference
and General Collections HA 730 .C 5 L 63 1984.
-
Metro Chicago Immigration Fact Book, 2003. Also Reference
HA 730 .C 5 P 373 2003.
- PL 94-171
Chicago Community Area (CCA) Profiles (Census 2000)
- SNAPS. From the U.S. Center for Disease Control. Snapshots of various Demographic Census data by zip code.
- Social / Demographic / Economic Statistics Sources. Subdivided into local-, county-, and state-level electronic and printed COD resources. Although developed for marketing classes, it can certainly be utilized for other purposes as well.
- Statistics selected by your Geography from Fed Stats/Map Stats.
- Young Children in Chicago. Statistics and policy reports from Chapin Hall, University of Chicago.
Government
Maps and Atlases
- Chicago and Cook County, Illinois - Digital Atlas.
- Chicago and the Region, old maps.
- Chicago Area Congressional Districts. (map)
- Chicago Landmarks.
- Chicago Neighborhood Map
- Chicago 1990 Census Maps.
- Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) online maps for buses, METRA, and The "EL".
- Chicagoland 6-County Atlas. Reference Desk G 1049 .C
5 A 6 2003.
This has very detailed maps of the Chicago Metro region.
- Cook County old maps.
- Ditigital Atlas of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois.
- Historical Maps Online , from the University of Illinois Library.
- Illinois Counties, old maps.
- Illinois Digital Map Library . From the U.S. Geneaology Web project.
- Illinois Geneaology Maps . Select a county, then scroll down to the Land Records and Maps section for more links.
- Illinois Historic Maps from the University of Texas map collection
- Illinois Historic State Highway Maps (Illinois State Library)
- Illinois Historical Maps , from the University of Illinois Library.
- Illinois 19th Century Township Plats . http://landplats.ilsos.net/Flash/Welcome.html
- Illinois Township Plat Maps, 1804 - 1891.
- Local Transportation Maps. http://www.rtachicago.com/services/systemmpa.asp
- Maps
and Reports on the Region and Chicago Community Areas.
- Northeast Illinois Congressional Districts. (map)
- Northeast Illinois State Legislative Districts. (map)
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlas for Illinois .
- Mapquest (online street
maps) (http://www.mapquest.com/)
- There is a very detailed map of the Chicago region back in
the Philanthropy Center alcove, under the main stairs. There
is also a very colorful map of Chicago's neighborhoods on the
wall by the Atlas stands. The guidebook for this map is found
at the Reference Desk under the call number: G 4104 .C 6 F 7
2001 .L 9.
DuPage County Information Sources
The Wheaton Public Library has a big collection of local history resources.
The other local public libraries in the county may have some materials on the local region also.
A list of other public libraries in DuPage County can be found here: http://www.publiclibraries.com/illinois/dupage.htm
The DuPage County Historical Museum is another place to check out in Wheaton .
A list of other historical societies in DuPage County can be found here: http://www.dupagehistory.org/others.html
Books at the C.O.D. Library
The general call number for books about DuPage County is F 547 .D 9. Click HERE for a list of materials in this call number range.
Combination Atlas map of DuPage County . Reference G 1408 .D 8 T 4 1874. Also online.
DuPage County : a descriptive and historical guide . General F 547 .D 9 F 4 1951. Also online.
DuPage County cultural and historical sites inventory. Reference F 547 .D 9 D 87 1996.
DuPage Roots . (A history of DuPage county.) Reference F 547 .D 9 T 49x 1985. Also online.
Family maps of DuPage County , Illinois : with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries, railroads, and more. Reference F 547 .D 9 B 69 2007.
Inventory of historic landmarks in DuPage County : Interim report . Reference F 547 .D 9 I 5 1974.
The Phoenix land : the natural history of DuPage County . General QH 105 .I 3 L 3 1995.
Online Materials
For NEWSPAPER articles, try the
Chicago Tribune Newspaper Historical Archive Database (1849-1987)
And the Chicago Tribune Newspaper Database (1988-present)
Digital Archive of Illinois Historical Aerial Photographs for DuPage County .
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois . Newton Bateman. (1913).
A History of DuPage County, Illinois . C.W. Richmond. (1857).
History of DuPage County, Illinois . Rufus Blanchard (1874).
GOOGLE searching
In the search box, type in DUPAGE and the name of the town or feature or other location or topic that you are trying to find information on. Up will come a list of hits. Some will be web pages, some will be online reports, and some will be only citations to publications. You have to look carefully at the page and the URL, to see who put this material together, and if there is a sponsoring agency or organization. You want to see if the material comes from a reputable source, like a professor, educational institution, or historical society.
Evaluating Web Sites
Interlibrary Loan
The Library can obtain copies of articles or books from other libraries
for you. Inquire at the Reference Desk. You may also consult journal
title lists from other libraries in the area.
Citing Sources
Reference Desk: 630-942-3364
Dan Blewett, Reference Librarian
(630) 942-2279
Office: SRC 3033
blewett@cod.edu
