It’s the first day of school! The library is here to help your you and your family make this a great school year. Do you know about everything the library offers? From practice tests to quiet study spaces, learn more about all the different ways the library can help out during school:
LearningExpress Library: This resource helps high school students prepare for college with practice exams and tutorials. Improve your skills in a wide variety of subject areas, including science, technology, English, math, and more. You can also take practice ACT, SAT, and AP Exams. LearningExpress Library is available in Spanish
Study Rooms
The library provides free quiet study spaces for students at all of our branches. These study rooms can fit up to ten people, depending on their size. Many of the study rooms also include a whiteboard. With the library’s expanded hours, there are more opportunities to use their rooms during the evening and on weekends. The study rooms page has more information about reserving rooms.
Free WiFi/Computer Access
The library offers free WiFi access to anyone that has a device with working WiFi capabilities. Set up shop at any of the many chairs and tables at our locations and surf the internet or do research on your own computer. We also offer public computers for use to access the internet, create resumes, and more.
World Book Online
A trusted online encyclopedia containing thousands of articles, maps, videos, audio clips, and more. Not only in the World Book Online a great place to start when doing research for a paper or project, but students can use its Citation Builder to accurately cite sources.
EBSCO Host
EBSCO houses several different databases that can help you with specific research or booklists. MasterFILE provides full text for nearly 1,700 periodicals dating back to 1975, while GreenFILE provides information specific to climate change, renewable energy, and more.
Gale OneFile
Gale is similar to EBSCO, but it focuses on newspapers instead of scholarly journals. Dig back in time with articles from The New York Times, The Washington Post and more, as well as video and audio from BBC and National Public Radio.
Pronunciator
Pronunciator: It’s never too late to learn a language. Whether you’re a student or an adult, Pronunciator is a great way to begin your language learning journey. Learn one of 98 languages with personalized courses. It’s not just for English speakers either – Pronunciator provides courses for people who speak 68 different languages, including Spanish, Somali, Arabic, and more.
Kanopy Kids
Who said streaming can’t be educational? Kanopy Kids offers a wide variety of shows and videos that give kids perspectives on science, math, history, and more. Kids can discover the depths of the African jungles and explore the human body’s amazing features. Plus, you can read along with some of your favorite books. It’s all free with your library card!
Teens and Kids on Libby
When kids love what they read, they’re more likely to enjoy reading. Thankfully, the teen and kid sections of the Libby app can help you discover together what your child enjoys! Listen to audiobooks on road trips and read bedtime stories from the tablet each night. You can even set up some parental settings and then let them find a story they want to read on their own.
Yearbooks
Feeling nostalgic? Relive your own days at high school by looking at our digital yearbooks. We have archived yearbooks from Des Moines high schools dating back to 1896! Peak our yearbooks page to take a trip back in time.
Last Modified April 25, 2024
Type:
Kids & Teens