Whether you’re looking forward to the new school year with excitement, nervousness, or a little of both, your library (that’s us!) is here to support you.
As a new school year approaches, we want to introduce you to some of our favorite learning and skill development resources. Beyond books, we also provide access to online resources on our Research & Learn page that can assist with homework, literacy skills, job prep and so much more. While you can always ask one of our librarians for help finding resources here at the library, this list is made to help you find the perfect learning tools available online—for free—through the library.
Check out the list of resources below for a short summary of each, including recommended ages and what skills they can help with. These resources aren’t just for students or kids, either. They can help with career preparation, language learning, obtaining your GED and much more.
Young Children/Elementary
ABCya is a website that provides access to games and printable sheets focused on learning English, math and science skills. Recommended for pre-k through grade 6.
This resource is best for students in grades K-5. It has games and videos from popular PBS Kids shows such as Curious George and Wild Kratts. Parents can also search for activities based on age, topics, PBS Kids characters or type of activity.
Middle School
For pre-K through middle school, Reading Rockets focuses on developing literacy skills, including reading and writing, through courses, guides for parents and classroom strategies. They also provide resources for social-emotional learning and bilingual skills.
Great for children aged pre-K through middle school to learn literacy skills, RIF Literacy Central is a portal to over 10,000 resources that use classic books to teach literacy skills with tools such as reading logs, interactive puzzles and discussion.
High School and Adult
Our Gale resources, including Gale Power Search and Gale E-books, provide everything from newspapers, magazines, journal articles and e-books, and can help you find read-alikes, book reviews, award-winning books and book lists, opposing viewpoints, biographies, and resources for science and history.
Global Road Warrior carries resources on more than 175 different countries, including guides on the countries’ culture, history, language(s), education information and travel information.
Created to make learning a new language fun, Mango Languages boasts interactive lessons and exercises, cultural insights and real-life conversations. Build your skills in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, culture, comprehension and retention in over 70 languages.
All Ages and Grades
HelpNow is a comprehensive resource for learning for anyone of any age. It provides live tutoring, study tools and virtual group study space. Resources support learning in math, science, reading, writing, social studies and preparing for standardized tests. Help is also available in the Adult Learning Center with GED prep, and at the Writing Lab for feedback on essays, resume assistance and support for citizenship tests.
Khan Academy is a learning resource for K-12 and college students. It was created to support learning math, grammar, science, history, life skills, computing, economics, test preparation tools and more. Learners practice at their own pace with any topic.
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