Most kids have been back in school for some time now and are
starting to get into the swing of a new year.
Returning to school, of course, brings plenty of homework, papers and
projects. Fortunately, you have
resources to help you…and they are all FREE through your Decatur Public
Library! These services are available
through our website and most are
available 24/7. Pardon the wordiness and length of this post,
but we have some really fantastic resources and we want to tell you about them!
Alabama Virtual Library (AVL)
The Alabama Virtual Library provides all students,
teachers, and citizens of the State of Alabama with online access to essential
library and information resources.
Through AVL, Alabama students of all ages can access Magazines,
Newspapers, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Almanacs, Academic Journals, Literature,
Health, Law, Science, Medical Information, Biographies, and eBooks that
are acceptable as electronic sources for academic papers…no Wikipedia
here! AVL offers a world of information
available anytime day or night, and AVL’s mobile technology allows users to
access premium resources on demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any
mobile device. Whether traveling for business, researching on the go or simply
accessing information from the comfort of home, Alabama residents can take AVL
with them wherever they are. Whether you
need to do extensive research or just look up something quickly in an
encyclopedia, AVL provides an entire digital library.
Homework Alabama
Whether you need help with Math
Homework, an English Paper, Finding a Job or Preparing for a Test, Homework
Alabama can help! It offers FREE online
tutoring and academic resources from Tutor.com for Alabama residents from
kindergarten students through college, plus adult learners. Get help in math,
science, English, social studies or writing from a live tutor. Tutors are
available 3 p.m. - 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. The Tutor.com SkillsCenter
Resource Library is available 24/7. The services can be accessed from an
Alabama public library, from your home computer or from your mobile device.
Receive one-to-one, real-time assistance
with your job search. Online tutors are available to help navigate job sites,
complete applications, write/review resumes and cover letters and even practice
for an interview. You can take a career assessment, search job openings and
download resume samples and templates on the 24/7 SkillsCenter Resource
Library.
Learning Express
LearningExpress
Library provides free basic skills improvement in reading, writing, math, and
basic sciences and test preparation for academic and career testing. Centers—a collection of related materials
organized around a theme or classification of user including School (grades
4–12), College, GED® Test
Prep, College Preparation, Career, Adult Learning, and Recursos para Hispanhoblantes (Spanish) –
help students and adults prepare for success in school and in life.
LearningExpress
tutorials allow you to improve basic skills with answer feedback and
recommended learning paths, including unit and lesson reviews, pre- and
post-tutorial assessment tests and quizzes, and study plans with links to
content for additional learning. Start
at DPL’s website, scroll to the bottom
and click on Learning Express, and you can have online access to these
extremely beneficial learning resources for work and school—anytime, anywhere.
Books on CD and Kits
For those who struggle with reading or want to improve
their reading, we offer different formats. For the audio learner we offer over 2600 books
on CD for the Children’s Department, YA and in the adult collections combined. We also have over 260 kits, which contain
both the printed book and the audio book to allow you to read along.
eBooks & eAudioBooks
We have best-selling and classic eBooks and eAudioBooks available
24/7 from the library’s digital collection via CamelliaNet. You can browse the collection, borrow with
your library card, and enjoy on your computer, tablet, smartphone or eReader
device. Most borrowed eBooks can be enjoyed immediately in your web browser
with OverDrive Read. Or, you can download eBooks into free software, Adobe®
Digital Editions, or send to your Kindle® device or OverDrive app. Downloaded eBooks can be transferred to
eReader devices such as NOOK®, Sony® Reader™ and many more. This service, powered by OverDrive, is free
with your library card.
You can also access eBooks of a more scholarly, textbook-like
variety through EBSCOhost. EBSCO offers thousands of
high-quality eBook titles from leading academic publishers, trade publishers,
and university presses all with a user-friendly search and browse experience
and a simple download process, ensuring you have access to the relevant
materials you need for your research or pleasure reading.
All
of these resources are absolutely free through Decatur Public Library and we
want to make sure as many people as possible take advantage. If you have any questions feel free to
contact our Reference Department via email (reference@decatur.lib.al.us) or via phone (256-353-2993
ext. 117). DPL wants you to have an
outstanding academic year!
