Info & Research: DIY & Crafts

You have questions about life, the universe...everything. At the library we know how to find what you need. This section of Where Minds Grow deals with common information requests we hear at the Reference Desk and is a great place to begin your search for

DIY is all about finding the knowledge and developing the skills you need to do something yourself. We have the resources you need.

Arts and Crafts

Guides and Reports

Auto Repair Source
Auto Repair Source provides service and repair information for thousands of vehicles from 1974 to the present.
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports tests, rates, and reviews thousands of consumer products and services.
Insurance and Liability Collection
Protection of assets--physical or intellectual--is a concern for those ranging from the individual property owner to multinational corporations. The Insurance & Liability Collection connects researchers to hundreds of thousands of updated articles from leading journals, including: Business Insurance, Claims, Employee Benefit News, National Underwriter Life & Health, Pensions & Investments, Risk Management, and more.

Chilton Auto Repair Manuals
Chilton Repair Manuals help you learn more about your vehicle, while saving you money on its upkeep and operation. Each manual offers do-it-yourselfers of all levels total maintenance, service and repair information in an easy-to-use format. Manuals range from model years 1969 - 2020. Resources are for domestic cars, imports, motorcycles, trucks and vans.

Chilton Manuals are only available in the library and not available for checkout. Patrons are encouraged to make photocopies.

Home and Garden

Gardening, Landscape and Horticulture Collection
The Gardening and Landscaping Collection serves gardening enthusiasts of all levels with articles from more than 100 gardening and landscaping magazines, as well as more than 20 reference books including a Handbook of Flowers; Foliage and Creative Design; Computer Graphics for Landscape Architects; and more.
Culinary Arts Collection
More than five million articles from more than 250 major cooking and nutrition magazines, as well as book reference content from Delmar such as About Wine, Introduction to Catering, Advanced Bread and Pastry, and Eat and Be Fit.
Home Improvement Collection
More than 4.5 million articles from more than 200 home improvement-focused titles, covering topics including architectural techniques, tool and material selection, zoning requirements, and others.