READY REFERENCE TOOLS & FREE LEGAL RESOURCES
(Links to familiar information tools, as well as web sites, maps, weather, and telephone listings)
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The U.S. and Illinois Constitution Test: TEST PREPARATION (English & Spanish) Test CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
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MapQuest.com / GoogleTranslate.com / SwitchBoard.com
Dictionaries
- OneLook Dictionaries, The Faster Finder
- Webster’s Dictionary from Merriam-Webster
- Acronym Lookup
- Latin-English Dictionary
Encyclopedias
- Britannica Online
Need subscribe for full access, but provides FREE one-week (30-day?) trial membership - Encyclopedia Smithsonian
Not really an encyclopedia in the classic sense, it uses Smithsonian exhibitions to illuminate different facets of its topics
Misc.
- The Online Books Page
Find the full electronic texts of thousands of books. Includes links to other e-text repositories, including Project Bartleby and the Internet Public Library. - Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations
Archived mostly for historical reasons. - The Elements of Style
For improving your writing style.
News
50 States and Capitals
Information for all fifty states and seven territories, including state flags (picture and description), state symbols, political and geographical information, and a direct link to the state’s official web page.
City-Data.com
Find data on many cities in the U.S., including census information, maps, weather, photos, and more. Find similar information on e-podunk.com, with ranked lists of standard and unique statistics.
Official City Sites
Links to official state and city web pages in the U.S. and several European countries.
Sperling’s Best Places
Compare over 3,000 U.S. cities in housing, costs of living, crime, education, economy, health and climate. Choose any two cities and see them displayed side-by-side.
StateLine: State Policy and Politics
Information, news and resoruces on states
Online References
- Research It!
One-stop reference page
Reference Desks and Other Meta-Indices
Words
Zip Codes
You can’t use this to get an exact zip code by street address, but you can view zip codes by city, or find the longitude/latitude of a zip code (or city) here.
LEGAL RESOURCES – – – – – – – – – – >
- Eviction Help Illinois is a new program that offers free legal help for Illinois residents facing potential eviction and landlords not represented by a lawyer. I’ve attached program flyers in English and Spanish.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Look-Up Tool: This tool connects people with local programs that may help with rent and utilities. I’ve attached two graphics that can be used to promote this tool on social media.
- The Rental Assistance Program – Although the Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP) is closed and not currently accepting new applications, there is more funding coming. Referrals can be made to this site, which will have information on both DHS and IHDA rent programs.
Illinois Free Legal Answers
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
Illinois Supreme Court: Standardized State Forms:
Approved State Wide Forms: Circuit Court, Appellate Court & Supreme Court
Approved Statewide Forms – Circuit Forms:
- Answer/Response
Spanish - Appearance
Spanish | Polish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian | Korean - Certificate of Good Conduct
Spanish - Civil Asset Forfeiture
- Divorce, Child Support, and Maintenance
- Eviction
Spanish - Exemption from E-Filing for Good Cause
Spanish - Expungement and Sealing
Spanish - Fee Waiver for Civil Cases
Spanish - Fee/Assessments Waiver for Criminal Cases
- Financial Affidavit
Spanish | Polish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian | Korean - Identity Theft
Spanish - Interpreter Request
Spanish | Polish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian | Korean - Limited Scope
- Mortgage Foreclosure
Spanish