This School Year, Bring the Library with You!

As summer draws to a close, our communities start gearing up for another school year. Students and their parents are busy wrapping up their summer fun, celebrating the return of cooler weather, and finding school supplies for the upcoming year. Don’t add even more to your plate trying to track down resources to support your students—the Library has you covered!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a toddler, teen, or adult; if you have a Library Card, there are so many resources available to support you in your educational journey.

Pre-K and under: Before children are ready to attend school full-time, there are plenty of opportunities to help them build early literacy skills and prepare for their first Back-to-School season. Attend a storytime at any of our branches, or check out a storytime kit and host your own from your living room! One great online resource to try is Early Learning by World Book. This online resource lets young Library users play games, watch videos, and utilize printable activities to explore the world and embrace early learning concepts.

Elementary School: The Library has many resources for our K-5 graders. In participating school districts, every student is given an MCPL Library Card at the start of the school year! Take a look at the online resource CultureGrams for easy-to-access information about every U.S. state and every country in the world—great for history, geography, and current events!

Middle School: Sometimes, middle school can be hard. MCPL hosts tween and teen-centered programs at all our locations – stop by and make some new friends who share interests like gaming, D&D, and anime! If you need extra help with schoolwork, your Library Card gives you free and unlimited access to Tutor.com, an online service that allows you to connect with live tutoring help. (You can drop off your papers for a tutor to review and offer feedback, too.)

High School: Upon entering high school, it may be time to start thinking about your educational future. Visit a branch for a Library program featuring an in-person practice ACT test – or use Peterson’s Test and Career Prep to access eBooks and practice tests for the ACT, SAT, and more.

Educators: We love our friends in education and have resources for them, too! Utilize our Educator Services requests to have local librarians come to your classroom to teach students about Library resources. Or work with a librarian to get a package of Library materials based on your next lesson plan. Use your Library Card to get access to Scholastic Teachables for ready-made lesson plans and activities in the classroom.

For a more comprehensive look at all the Library resources available for students, adults, and educators, visit our Back to School feature page on the MCPL website. See you at school!

-MCPL Outreach Team