CHECK IT OUT

For students of all ages, the Newport Beach Public Library is a great

place to click. In addition to traditional print and audiovisual

resources, many online tools are available from any computer with

Internet access. They even work when library doors are closed. A current

Newport Beach Public Library card is all that is needed to access them

from o7 https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org.

f7 Electronic resources especially useful for academic research

include EBSCO, a magazine database with articles that can be used for

reports and projects. For newspaper articles, students can head for

NewsBank, a handy resource for current events and topical research.

Helpful for country reports and social studies assignments is World

Atlas Online, featuring information about population, government,

politics and the history of specific regions -- in addition to state and

country maps.

For science projects, there’s Science Experiments On-Line, offering

possibilities for kindergartners through high school seniors covering

biology, chemistry, physics, space and earth science.

Young scientists also can make use of “The New Book of Popular

Science,” a recent addition to juvenile reference resources. The

six-volume set covers the major fields of science and discusses their

applications in today’s world.

Also added to the children’s print collection this year were “Aquatic

Life of the World,” “Endangered Wildlife and Plants of the World” and

“The Folklore of World Holidays.” The latter includes background about

how countries around the globe mark Christmas and Easter, as well as how

such lesser-known festivals as the “Feast of Excited Insects” and the

“Rats’ Wedding Day” are celebrated.

Virtually all aspects of the world’s visual arts are covered in

GroveArt, an online resource extending from prehistory to the present

day. Students of music will also appreciate GroveMusic,recently added to

online databases, and “The New Grove Dictionary of Music,” a 29-volume

set considered the world’s premier authority on music trends, movements,

forms and composers.

From the Kids Page at o7 https://www.newportbeachlibrary.orgf7 ,

grade schoolers will find links to numerous sites that support school

assignments. Among the best are 50 States and Capitals, Index of

California Mission Information and Natural History of Orange County. From

the online Teen Center link, middle and high school students can locate

Homework Help, leading to a digital dictionary and thesaurus, plus

information about everything from the correct format for bibliography

entries to Web research tips.

When keyboard claustrophobia hits, a visit to the Central Library’s

Teen Center can be just the thing to renew enthusiasm for learning and

leisure reading. It’s also a great place to relax or unwind with friends.

A bright neon sign marks the spot, where tables for group study and funky

print sofas are reserved exclusively for teens every afternoon, and on

weekday evenings during the school year.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Gina Moffitt and Terri Wiest. All titles may be reserved from home or

office computers by accessing the catalog at o7

https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org.f7