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Services for Children

Homework Help for Middle School Students

Middle Search Plus(EBSCO)
Middle Search Plus contains full text for more than 140 popular, middle school magazines. All full text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays.

Student Research Center
Aimed at high school and middle school students, Student Research Center brings together articles on a wide range of topics from newspapers, magazines, and reference books. Country reports, biographies, primary source documents, maps, flags, and photos supplement the articles to create a handy homework help center.

MAS Ultra School Edition
Designed specifically for high school libraries, MAS Ultra School Edition contains full text for more than 500 popular high school magazines. All full text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for 85,670 biographies and 105,786 primary source documents.

World Book Discover
World Book Discover is a middle school encyclopedia with a dictionary, atlas and other tools to help students with research.

World Book Reference Center
World Book Encyclopedia has been a trusted resource for students since 1917. Its easy-to-use online resource center supplements articles with historic documents, electronic books, tutorials, images and video.

Homework Help for Elementary Students

Kids InfoBits
Kids InfoBits is a database developed especially for beginning researchers in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Featuring a developmentally appropriate, visually-graphic interface, the most popular search method is moving from a broad subject to a narrower topic using a subject-based topic tree. The curriculum-related, age appropriate, full-text content is from the best elementary reference sources and magazines. This database covers geography, current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, sports and more.

Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia contains over 25,000 articles, covering an array of topics, that may easily be used by young and old.

EBSCO Animals
EBSCO Animals provides students with thousands of easy-to-read entries about mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. Each entry begins with a simple category breakdown of the animal including kingdom, class, order, genus & species, and geographical locale as well as a detailed description. Many entries include colorful images.

Kids Search
Articles from magazines, newspapers, and encyclopedias are mixed with videos and photographs in Kids Search, a homework resource for middle school and older elementary students.

Searchasaurus
Written for elementary students, Searchasaurus provides age-appropriate information about animals, arts & music, health, history, people & places, science & math, sports, and stories. A good source for homework help.

World Book Kids
World Book Kids is an elementary school encyclopedia with a standard search box and a colorful menu for finding articles, maps, photos, science projects, games and learning activities.

World Book Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos
World Book Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos is an elementary school encyclopedia in Spanish with informative articles, maps, photos, news from Spanish language newspapers and learning activities.

Online Databases

Our library is a portal to reputable information 24/7 through online databases. Please visit our Online Research Center to view the Library's entire collection of databases.

Catalog and Computer Instruction

A catalog is a database that organizes materials our library collects and tells us where these materials are located. Our online catalog, SWAN, also gives us the power to share items with other libraries in the Metropolitan Library System. We are happy to show patrons of any age how to find and locate materials using the catalog. We can show you, for instance, how to find books by a title, how to place your own holds, or how to do an advanced search. Please feel free to ask for help at any time, or call us to set up a 30-minute instructional appointment about using our catalog.

Instruction isn’t only limited to our catalog. It’s a wide world on the Internet and we are happy to give you a brief lesson on how to navigate it.

Gaming in the Library

We currently have two computers available for game play in the Library: the Early Literacy Station, which has more than 45 preloaded games for ages 2 through 10, and a Mac for CD-ROM play. Time reservations are not accepted for the computers.

Internet in Children's Services

We offer two stations for Internet and database research. Any patron using our stations must sign an Acceptable Use agreement and hold a valid Library card. A parent or guardian must sign a consent form for any child under the age of 14.

Children under 11 years old may use this service as long as a parent remains with them at the computer. Children 11 and older may use the Internet independently.

Computer use is limited to 30 minutes if others are waiting. Printing is 10 cents per page for black and white and 50 cents per page for color.

The Library does not accept responsibility for the content, quality, validity or currency of any information found on the Internet.

Wi-fi

We are currently wireless throughout the entire Library.

Sneezle Packs

Cough, cough, sneezle! We know it can be a challenge to entertain a sick child, or even a healthy one when you’re sick. Let the Library help by putting together a personalized bag of materials for your child and having it ready to go at the main Circulation Desk. Just call us with your information and we will select books, audios, and a DVD especially for your child.

Reader’s Advisory Services

A favorite part of a Librarian’s job is putting good books in the hands of patrons.

Reader’s Advisory includes:

Helping you find a book that you’ll like based on your personal criteria
Listening to your tastes and offering multiple selections
Responding to a school assignment with suggestions
Working with a child’s reading level to find selections
Helping a guest reader find selections that will engage children
Finding materials on a selected topic that are age or reading level appropriate
Helping a parent find material that answers their children’s questions or engages them in a thoughtful dialogue about world issues

Children's Monthly Calendar

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