The end of August brought the beginning of the new school year, and no matter what it looks like for your family--homeschool, virtual or hybrid--one thing remains the same...we're here for you.
Thanks to a partnership with both Richland School District One and Richland School District Two, every student in these two districts will be automatically given a library card (more on that soon), but cards are also FREE for everyone who lives in Richland County, and educators--including those who live outside the county but teach in Richland County.
(Get a library card) | (Complete this form to get an Educator card)
Beyond access to our physical collection and spaces, just how can parents and caregivers maximize the use of their card for educational purposes? Glad you asked.
Here are four of our favorite ways...
1. Access decodable readers and curriculum guides in our collection through the library's Education Studio.
Located in the Children's Room at Richland Library Main, the Education Studio offers a carefully-curated collection of books and materials that support learning through a multisensory approach.
And while our physical locations remain closed, the good news is that you can still connect with one of our Reading Specialists, who is trained in multisensory instruction, for a personalized consultation on reading strategies and interventions.
To schedule a one-on-one appointment or access the Education Studio collection, click here.
2. Receive daily homework help from Tutor.com
And while yes, this is more screen time... Students from kindergarten through college can connect with a live tutor daily from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm via Tutor.com. So if like some of us, math wasn't your thing in the 80s and certainly isn't your thing now, help is available.
Students can get help with math, social studies, science and English. They can get live help and use all resources with a guest session or they may save documents, replay tutoring sessions and keep a list of favorite tutors by creating a Tutor.com account.
Plus, the SkillsCenter Resource Library that connects your child to thousands of homework, test prep, and career resources is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Tutor.com is also available on the iPhone, iPad and Android devices for easy access anywhere--including from the back of the car while you're driving them to practice ⚽.
3. Research and learn from different databases, like Gale in Context: Elementary, TumbleBook Library or World Almanac for Kids.
You're probably familiar with some of these but just in case, here's a quick rundown.
Gale in Context: Elementary (formerly called Kids InfoBits) meets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. It features a developmentally appropriate, visually graphic interface, a subject-based topic tree search and full-text, age-appropriate, curriculum-related magazine, newspaper and reference content for information on current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, sports and more.
The TumbleBookLibrary is a collection of TumbleBooks (animated, talking picture books) with fiction, non-fiction and foreign language titles, Read-Alongs (chapter books with sentence highlighting and narration but no animation), TumbleTV which consists of pre-set playlists of a sequence of books, and Tumble Puzzles & Games.
World Almanac for Kids presents articles, videos, games and information on a wide range of subjects in a kid friendly format featuring large pictures, easy to read text, and easy navigation. Find science projects, games, maps and Educator Resources to support homework or classroom learning.
These are just a few of the many databases and research tools the library offers digitally. To explore them all, click here.
4. Identify a specific school subject or area of study, so library staff can make personalized recommendations and put books on hold.
This is a brand new offering from the library and, honestly, one of the things people tell us they love most.
Wow... I have a personal librarian! @accessfreely ROCKS!! https://t.co/BJkxIx2sQp
— JoAnn Turnquist (@JoAnnTurnquist) August 4, 2020
It's a pretty simple setup...
- Fill out the form with as much information as possible.
- Select whether you would like to have a list of recommendations emailed to you or placed directly on hold for pick-up.
- Within one week you’ll receive 3-10 personalized reading recommendations by e-mail or in your holds list.
If you're a teacher or a childcare provider, use this form to request specialized items just for your class.
There are so many ways to use your library card to maximize your child's at-home learning experience. If you need specific help with the resources above or are looking for something different, just give us a call at 803-799-9084, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday - Friday. Remember, we're all in this together!
