Schaumburg library offers plethora of online school resources

"What's amazing is, if young people understood how doing well in school makes the rest of their life so more much interesting, they would be more motivated," said Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates.

"It's so far away in time that they can't appreciate what it means for their whole life."

Students may not "appreciate what it means," but they may value the plethora of Schaumburg Library school resources that can help them shine as they work their way from kindergarten through college. From online homework help to practice tests and textbooks, the library is ready for the new school year.

Let's start with tangible items available within the library's walls. Come to kidsZone to find picture books for preschoolers and kindergarten kids, easy readers for those just learning to read, and plenty of biographies, along with science, history, literary and art books for homework assignments.

If kids need a novel, they can turn to the library for fiction at all grade levels. When students forget a textbook, they can borrow one from the library's current collection for school Districts 54 and 211, as well as St. Peter Lutheran School, Schaumburg Christian School and St. Hubert Catholic School.

Not sure where to start? Librarians are happy to help and are available during all hours the library is open.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Online, from the comfort of home, students can get homework help from tutors, learn a language, and even prepare for kindergarten.

All of these valuable online resources can be found at www.SchaumburgLibrary.org. Once on the homepage, click on "E-Library," then "Online Learning" to see the full list of options, all available for free to Schaumburg Library cardholders.

Kids heading to kindergarten can virtually attend Miss Humblebee's Academy for interactive lessons in math, science, language and more.

For live tutoring sessions, kids can use Brainfuse from 2-9 p.m. every day. Online tutors will provide homework help with math, science, English and social studies. For high school and college students, as well as adults, Brainfuse offers practice tests for the ACT, SAT, AP classes, GED, TOEFL and the U.S. Citizenship test.

Students taking a language in school, or those who want to keep up their language studies on summer and winter breaks, can use Mango Languages, another of the library's free online learning resources.

With Mango, students can take lessons in more than 70 languages. Our newest language learning option is Pronunciator, where language lessons are enhanced with live chat.

Adults have the opportunity to acquire valuable skills for the workplace by using the six-week Gale Courses led by experts in business, technology, health care training and personal development.

Another option for adults and college students is LyndaLibrary, which provides video tutorials on a wide range of technology and career skills.

Beginner to advanced courses taught by experts in subjects like web design, web development, mobile development and game development are available from Treehouse, another of the library's online offerings.

And, finally, you'll find Safari Books Online, a resource that allows users to access complete books and in-depth training videos on technology topics.

It's easy to see that the Schaumburg Library has students covered from preschool through college and beyond. And once those school years come to a close, the library is ready to help with career paths and job searches.

For details on all the library has to offer, go to www.SchaumburgLibrary.org and check out our online resources, upcoming programs and ongoing services.