Check It Out is a fully searchable database of book reviews created by library staff and teen volunteers at the Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich, Illinois. The genres and subject areas were selected by the Ela Library staff in order to address the types of requests most frequently presented by Library patrons.

Each review will contain information about the author, number of pages, copyright year, age range, and a brief written description. The age range is determined by a variety of professional book review publications. Additionally, each review includes the initials of the staff member or teen volunteer who read the book and wrote the review, as well as the date that the book was read.

Other book selection options include Book Awards, and Books by Grade. Book Awards features a list of reviewed books that have been designated as medal or honor books in the major national book awards programs as well as those that have been awarded the Abraham Lincoln and Caudill Awards, which are specific to Illinois.

This project was a joint effort between the Ela Area Public Library District and Greg Less, a Web developer who generously volunteered his time to develop the backend programming that runs the Check It Out database.

If you have any questions about Check It Out, please contact the Ela Area Public Library Readers' Services Department at readers@eapl.org or 847-438-3433.