Library has homework help just a click away

Summer’s almost over and the kids will soon be back in school.

There’s nothing worse than having your child tell you about a

paper due the next day that he or she hasn’t even started, but there

is help available from the Newport Beach Public Library. The library

has resources that you can access 24/7, so there’s no more excuses.

Students can get help from home for their reports and research

projects by visiting the Library’s website at

www.newportbeachlibrary.org. Just click on the “Events and Services”

tab, and then click on the Kids Page. Scroll down and check out

“Homework Help” for access to information and links to the California

missions, states and capitals, science projects or animals, to name

just a few options. “Cool Sites” contains the American Library

Assn.’s directory of children’s websites, as well as KidsPsych, which

offers interactive games for parents and their preschool and school

age children.

For a variety of links containing reference information, such as

Familiar Quotations, Elements of Style, an Acronym Dictionary and

Roget’s Thesaurus, go to “The Kids” on the website. Further down the

Kids Page are “Kids Search Tools,” where kid-friendly search engines

cut web searches for answers to homework and other questions.

Kids Page also offers resources for younger users in “Preschool

Play.” Through a myriad of games and activities, preschoolers and

their parents can find opportunities for learning and fun. And for

moms and dads, “Good Stuff for Parents” is a wealth of information on

online safety and resources for home-schoolers.

For junior high and high school students, knowing how and where to

find research information is a key to success. The Teen Center area,

under “Events & Services,” has everything you need to know about

writing a bibliography as well as homework hints.

Need a newspaper or magazine article? Go to the library home page,

then click the “Find Info” tab. Click on “Databases,” then “Proquest”

and browse through articles from your home computer.

So this year, start the school year out right with a visit to the

library, either in-person or online. It will definitely make life

easier.

DID YOU KNOW?

This fall in the Children’s Room, we will be offering a variety of

bookmarks with “Quick Find” directions to books, reference materials

and websites for commonly assigned homework projects and reports,

such as ancient civilizations. The bookmarks are designed to make

searching for topical research materials quick and easy.

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

Library. The Children’s Room staff contributed this week’s column.

All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing

the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more

information on the Central Library or any of the branch locations,

please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800,

option No. 2.