These days, local public libraries have online resources for elementary students, middle school students, and high school students that allow them to enrich their learning experience anytime and anywhere. Many of these student resources are free and available with a simple library card.
Whether you’re creating a summer reading challenge, searching for additional study material, or just looking for fun activities to do after school, make sure you are taking advantage of all the digital resources available from your local library.
1. Download a Book or Audiobook
While taking out a hard copy of a book at the public library is always an option, many students can also access thousands of audiobooks, read-alongs, magazines, newspapers, and eBooks from their local library through online partnerships with easy-to-access apps. These include:
Libby
With Libby, anyone can log in using a library card from a participating library to gain access to an unlimited number of audiobooks, eBooks, and magazines.
Hoopla
Hoopla partners with local libraries and offers free streaming and downloads of audiobooks, eBooks, movies, and more.
Open Library
This is a free service that is open to anyone who wants to access books online. There is even a section specifically highlighting a K-12 library. To use some features available on Open Library, you may need to set up an account.
To learn more about downloadable apps, look on your local library’s website or talk to a librarian during your next visit.
2. Stream Movies, Music, or Documentaries
Whether students want to watch a documentary to learn more about a topic they are learning about in school, or they want to throw some entertainment into the mix with movies or music, students can find free streaming content through many different apps through their local library. Here are a couple to consider:
Kanopy offers more than 30,000 free films, including award-winning documentaries, film festival favorites, and of course, the classics.
With Freegal, students can use their library card to access millions of tracks from top artists to international musicians.
Alexander Street Publishing provides popular music, dance, opera, world music, and more. Besides streaming music, the service also offers video performances, and podcasts available. This service provides more niche video and music with much of the content having an educational, or historical background.
3. Online Resources for Students Doing Research
Online student resources for research can be used for school assignments and for those wanting to learn more about their family tree.
Research Family History
Students who are interested in learning more about their roots can use digital library resources to research family history. HeritageQuest and MyHeritage are two popular genealogy databases that many public libraries offer, providing users access to billions of historical records dating back to the 1700s. This data often includes local and family histories, census data, and many historical documents users can use to trace their family back through the generations, like the Revolutionary War Pension and Freedman’s Bank Records.
Assignment Research
Many libraries offer databases tailored to the skill and reading level of the student, providing online resources for elementary students, middle school students, and high school students to research topics for class assignments using material that is more relevant to them.
Elementary school students may like using a program like Kids InfoBits, which introduces elementary school students to database searching through user-friendly tools that provide access to age-appropriate, credible, and curriculum-related knowledge on various study areas.
Middle and high school students may benefit from databases like EBSCO, Gale, and Britannica, which allow students to access peer-reviewed journals, abstracts from reference books, and scientific studies to help them write research papers. Students who are enrolled in Advanced Placement courses or who are dual enrolling at a community college may benefit the most from these resources. *
4. Virtual Storytime
If you’re looking for online resources that promote communication and collaboration, you may want to look into whether your library offers virtual story time sessions. While virtual story time gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, many libraries still hold online reading sessions through their social media pages. This allows children to hear stories while connecting with other children in their communities right from home. Some virtual story times also offer readings by local guest authors.
5. Student Resources to Learn a New Language
Students of all ages who want to learn a new language can seek out language learning tools available through their public libraries for free or at a discounted rate. Courses typically cover everything from vocabulary to pronunciation to culture in addition to building vocabulary in languages such as Spanish, French, Arabic, English for non-native speakers, and many more.
6. Test-Taking Prep Tools
Students of all ages can take advantage of test-taking prep tools that can allow them to achieve their best possible score on exam day. High school students can investigate Method Learning SAT & ACT Test Prep that is available through the Libby app mentioned above. This app includes practice tests and tips to raise scores.
High school and younger students can also take advantage of the LearningExpress Library, available via EBSCO and other popular library resources, which provides test prep techniques that can help with yearly standardized tests students in grades K-12 may have to take.
Accessing these digital resources available through your local library can help your students excel in their schoolwork and open new doors to exciting books, music, and more. The Connections Academy team is always here to provide guidance when it comes to online education resources and more. Reach out to us to learn more!
*Advanced Placement® is a registered trademark of the College Board. Used with permission.
*Advanced Placement® is a registered trademark of the College Board. Used with permission.
