5 Ways the Library Makes Back-to-School Easier

August 5, 2010 by Director Posted in: Children's, Good Books

Find out what they need to know. We have books that list and/or offer short-lessons on the learning requirements for each grade. Review material from the grade before, or get a head start on this year with books like What Your First Grader Needs to Know and the rest of the Core Knowledge series, the Making the Grade series, or Home Learning Year by Year. You can also search West Virginia’s Content Standards and Objectives by grade to see what local schools require.
Use the internet for free and make low-cost print-outs. All of our branches offer free internet services for you or your child. Children under the age of sixteen will need a parent’s permission and anyone wishing to use the internet needs their library card. Visit school websites, print-out academic calendars, and, once school starts, you can print out reports and other homework assignments for ten-cents a page.
Take advantage of our on-line subscriptions to enhance learning. The library subscribes to several on-line databases and research sites that can help kids and adults alike. Visit the library website to use Kids Search and Student Research Center from EBSCO, Grolier Online and Grolier Online Kids, Searchasaurus and more. You may need to obtain a password from the library.
Get help from a reference librarian or a tutor. If there is a question you just can’t find the answer to, you can ask the reference librarian to research it and they will do their best to find the answer for you. Also, if your child needs some extra help on a regular basis this year you might consider one of the many independent tutors that use the library space.
Research education alternatives. If you are considering homeschooling or private school, you can find out more about those topics at your library, too. Many branches maintain a resource file for local home-schoolers, or you might check out some of the following titles: The Parent’s Guide to Alternatives in Education, How to Pick a Perfect Private School, The Homeschooling Book of Answers, The Homeschooling Handbook, or Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling.