Project Gutenberg
Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world’s great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for you to enjoy.
archive.org
The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
NASA
Free science and space-related ebooks.
Hoopla
Instantly borrow digital movies, music, eBooks and more, 24/7 with your library card.
IN Harmony
A great collection of online sheet music, all with an Indiana connection.
Rosetta Stone
Online language learning programs are now available to library card holders of the West Lafayette Public Library! Thanks to the state-funded INSPIRE databases, you can use Rosetta Stone by clicking the link above and logging in through the West Lafayette Public Library.
Inspire A collection of online academic databases and other information resources that Indiana residents can access.
US Newsstream Search the most recent premium U.S. news content and archives that stretch back into the 1980s featuring newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites in active full-text format.
dataaxle Reference Solutions Commercial and residential directory listings, job postings, and data for entrepreneurs to research target customers, competitors and suppliers.
Chilton Automotive Library Search the most authoritative automotive repair information available to car owners.
Gale Indiana Legal Forms Library Access a wide selection of Indiana legal forms and resources across the most popular legal areas.
Ancestry Library Edition Ancestry Library Edition is a comprehensive online source of information for genealogical research, with billions of names in over 6,000 databases. You can use Ancestry Library Edition on any public Library computer or on a personal device that's connected to the Library's WiFi network. Remote access was discontinued on December 29, 2021.
West Lafayette Memories Blog
If you are interested in writing articles or helping with the project email Nick Schenkel, West Lafayette Public Library Director nick@wlaf.lib.in.us or call and leave information for him at the West Lafayette Public Library 765-743-2261. Click here for information if you are interested in donating items to the WLPL Archive.
The Library’s growing collection of West Lafayette archival materials includes:
- Mayoral papers from Mayor Sonya Margerum
- Press clippings form the term of Mayor Williamson
- City Council papers from Councilor Marjorie Gordon
- Neighborhood study research papers from Purdue students
- Scrapbooks from West Lafayette High School Coach Gordon Straley
- Scrapbooks from the West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department
CHiPS West Lafayette blog
CHiPS was formed by Mayor John Dennis and interested citizens in 2017. This group recognized the need to preserve important structures within the City of West Lafayette, Indiana. Its members are responsible for identifying projects and advising the City and other stakeholders on how to best implement these projects.
CHiPS also conducts fundraising to help implement projects and works collaboratively with other organizations to help manage properties acquired.
The West Lafayette Public Library believes in fostering lifelong learning opportunities for patrons of all ages. As such, we have compiled a list of websites meant for a variety of experience levels and age groups that offer free online courses in a multitude of subjects.
Coursera
Cousera offers nearly 4000 courses taught by leading universities and companies. Coursera offers a paid option in which users can earn certificates or degrees through their courses, however many courses can be completed for free without receiving a degree or certificate. Classes are offered in a variety of languages.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a free learning service designed for K-12 instruction. However, much of the content is applicable to a wide variety of grade and age levels. Khan Academy offers courses by subject area and general class, pairing each class with videos, articles, short quizzes, and sometimes projects. Khan Academy also offers testing preparation for AP, SAT, LSAT, and Praxis Core tests as well as life skills help with careers, personal finance, college admissions, and entrepreneurship. Classes are offered in a variety of languages.
Open Culture
Open Culture is a compiled list of free educational audiobooks, classes, lectures, podcasts, movies, textbooks, and more in 20 different subject areas. Open Culture also includes recommended book lists by famous people as well as recordings of famous people lecturing or reading works.
Udemy
Udemy offers a combination of paid and free courses for a total of 130,000 courses in 13 different subject areas. Not all content is free. Classes are offered in a variety of languages.
Academic Earth
Academic Earth is a compiled list of free courses available online in 18 different subject areas from 25 top universities. Academic Earth also provides guides to online degree programs for those interested in pursuing an online degree.
edx
edX offers over 2500 free courses from 140 institutions. edX offers courses in 21 different subject areas. For a fee, edX also offers “micro degree” and certificate programs that offer either academic credit or industry certifications. Additionally, edX offers a guide to online Master’s degrees programs for those interested in pursuing an online degree. Classes are offered in a variety of languages.
Alison
Alison offers over 2000 courses in 11 different subject areas developed by various organizations or individuals. Many of the courses can be taken for free, however users must pay in order to receive a certificate or degree. Additionally, an account must be made in order to view classes. Classes are offered in a variety of languages.
While the resources listed in the Free Online Classes section also have resources for learning about technology and coding, the below resources are specifically designed to provide a free, accessible coding learning experience for a variety of skill levels.
Code Academy
Codeacademy is a website filled with self-paced coding classes with a variety of paid and free resources, skill tests, and activities. Codecademy offers courses in 14 programming languages with a variety of applications and difficulty levels for each language. Additionally, Codecademy allows the user to take a quiz to determine where they should start, provides videos on non-language specific skills, and gives information about various career paths within programming.
Code.org
Code.org is a website primarily meant for K-12 students as well as educators. It is known for its Hour of Code program, in which it facilitates hour-long activities related to programming online. Code.org offers a large variety of programming languages, activities, and written languages to engage with their programs. They also provide links to other websites that provide code-related educational experiences.
Skillcrush Free Coding Bootcamp
Skillcrush offers both a free coding bootcamp as well as additional paid course packages. In the free coding bootcamp, participants learn about how to build a website, including html, css, user design, and wordpress. All courses offered are meant to help create a portfolio and are generally geared towards preparing participants for employment in the tech industry.
W3Schools
W3Schools provides free quizzes, tutorials, examples, and editors for a variety of programming languages and concepts. It also provides certification exams, however there is a fee associated with taking the certification exams.
Codewars
Codewars is a unique platform that encourages participants to “train” in different languages on problems called “kata”, which gradually increase in difficulty. A very large selection of programming languages is offered.
Tuts+
Tuts+ provides many free how-to articles and courses as well as paid ones. Tuts+ has a focus on technical skill building, especially in programming, art, and design. Courses about a variety of programming languages and softwares are offered.
The Odin Project
The Odin Project is an open-source program that teaches participants how to be web developers for free. The curriculum includes instruction in a variety of languages as well as how to get hired after learning all these skills.
SoloLearn
SoloLearn is a website that offers quizzes and interactive course paths for a variety of coding languages. Completing a course earns participants a free certificate of completion to share on their professional profile.
Free Code Camp
FreeCodeCamp offers thousands of hours of free courses and videos geared towards helping participants build a professional portfolio and become prepared to be a full-time developer.
The resources described below are intended to assist in learning and performing mathematics. These are helpful resources for homework, practice, and individual learning.
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha allows users to input equations and receive an answer in a variety of forms. Additionally, it offers step-by-step solutions and covers a wide range of mathematical areas.
Desmos
Desmos is a website that allows users to graph equations with its graphing calculator function. Additionally, it provides tools for other types of calculations and practice.
Corbettmaths
Corbettmaths provides videos, worksheets, and practice for a variety of mathematical concepts. Additionally, the site provides “5-a-Day” worksheets at a variety of challenge levels.
Greg Tang Math
Greg Tang Math provides a variety of interactive, educational mathematics resources. The materials are primarily for building foundational skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Citizen science consists of open source science projects that community members can contribute to via analyzing photos or videos, taking surveys, taking pictures of local plants, animals, and landscapes, and a variety of other methods. The resources listed below are meant to connect people with citizen science projects that need citizen scientists.
CitizenScience.gov
CitizenScience.gov is a website sponsored by the United States government to assist in citizen science projects being conducted by government agencies such as NASA or the NIH.
SciStarter
SciStarter is a website that assists global citizen science projects by connecting potential citizen scientists with research projects.