I remember the first day of school when I was a kid. Every year, I looked forward to seeing my friends, meeting new teachers and preparing for all the fun that was to happen in the year to come. What I never thought about, however, was all of the studying, tests and schoolwork that was ahead of me. While I typically excelled in some classes, English and social studies, for example, I struggled in math and science classes and needed a little extra help. I would have loved to have the resources available from today’s library.
The Sweetwater County Library System is full of resources for students of all ages. One of my favorite resources is Tutor.com, a free online tutoring service. Through Tutor.com, students can connect with a live, expert tutor. The tutor chats with the student about their homework help needs, reviews papers, offers feedback on work, and helps students work through things such as math problems. That sounds like something I could have used back in the 1980s and 90s when I was in school. Tutors can are available to help students with pretty much all subjects. The tutors are also heavily vetted – they have had thorough background checks. And, of course, the tutors will not simply give students the answers! Tutor.com is available between 4 and 11 p.m. daily for anyone with a library card. To connect to Tutor.com, visit the library’s website at sweetwaterlibraries.com and click on the Tutor.com icon under featured services. It’s available for use both in the library and from home.
The library also has databases available to help students when doing research for papers. For example, we have Britannica Kids, an online encyclopedia that covers pretty much any topic kids need to complete their homework. We also have Middle Search Plus, a database full of articles from popular middle school magazines. Middle Search Plus is good for searching for biographies, historical essays and more. And we have many more options for kids. Check them out by visiting the library’s website and clicking on databases or online services. You will need a valid library card and PIN to access these services.
Another helpful resource for students is our collection of eBooks. Students who need to pick out a book but don’t have time to stop by the library and select one can check out eBooks to read on their tablets and smartphones – they can even simply read them in the Internet browser. The library offers cardholders a wide selection of eBooks through several services – Overdrive, 3M Cloud, Freading and Hoopla -- that are available 24/7. For more information on eBooks, visit the library’s website and click on eBooks or the icon for any of the aforementioned services.
For students who need to type papers or complete homework online, we have computers available to use for free. We also offer free Wi-Fi for use within the library.Students can bring in their laptops or tablets into the library and access the internet for free while the libraries are open.
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