Homework Help for Teens
Authors & Literature | Dictionaries & Encyclopedias | In The Past | Magazines & Newspapers | News & Views | Additional Resources
Online Tutors
Live Homework Help from Tutor.com
Live Homework Help connects students with expert tutors for live, one-on-one help with homework assignments. Use Live Homework Help from your home computer or inside the Library to complete your homework assignments and improve your grades. Available seven days a week for English and Spanish-speaking students in grades K-12 from noon to midnight. In addition, the Skills Center is open 24/7 and offers thousands of worksheets, tutorials, study guides, practice tests, and more.
College Center from Tutor.com
The College Center's Live Tutor service is open from noon to midnight, seven days a week, and offers one-on-one, online tutoring in English and en Español. Available topics for tutoring are Math, Science, English, and Social Studies, along with Resume Help and GED Preparation. Students can also upload a document for review and proofreading by a tutor. In addition, the Skills Center is open 24/7 and offers thousands of worksheets, tutorials, study guides, practice tests, and more.
Authors & Literature
Book Collection: Nonfiction - High School Edition
This collection contains searchable full text for more than twenty-four hundred fifty popular nonfiction books for high school students. The database includes high-interest titles on careers, health, life skills, ethnicity, disabilities, adventure, sports, technology, biographies, music, science, history, civics, and more.
Book Collection: Nonfiction - Middle School Edition
This collection contains searchable full text for more than thirty-one hundred popular nonfiction books for middle school students. The database includes high-interest titles on careers, health, life skills, ethnicity, disabilities, adventure, sports, technology, biographies, history, science, women, civics, and more.
Literature in Context
This resource contains historical documents, timelines, glossaries, and commentary to help today's reader understand the historical, social, and cultural context that shaped classic literature. It features some of the most studied novels in the classroom.
Literature Resource Center
Learn about authors and literature including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, and journalism. You will find extensive author information, critical analysis, timelines, links to related websites, and more. It includes Lit Finder, Scribner Writers Series, and Twayne's Authors Series. [source list]
Literature Resource Center is available on Android and iOS.
Something About the Author Online
Something About the Author Online covers the lives and works of authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. In addition to the information found in the print version of this reference source, the online edition also includes hundreds of specially commissioned autobiographical essays that are illustrated with personal photos and present an entertaining and informative first-person perspective on the lives and careers of these authors and illustrators.
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia Britannica
Search or browse the encyclopedia alphabetically or by subject to find in-depth articles, related websites, video clips, and more. Check out the world atlas, timelines, year in review, and the spotlight archive with exhibits on dinosaurs, thunderstorms, the Titanic, and more.
Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary
You can quickly look up a word, read its definition, and hear it pronounced. Search by typing the beginning or ending of a word, definition, part of speech, and more. Check out the rhyme, crossword, and jumble search. This resource includes word games, a thesaurus, and atlas.
Oxford Reference Online
Simultaneously search over one hundred specialized dictionaries and reference books covering a variety of subjects including language, science, medicine, humanities, social science, and business.
World Book Online
Explore easy to understand encyclopedia articles, as well as links to related websites and magazine articles. An atlas is also included. Entries incorporate sounds, pictures, videos and animations to make the information come alive. Great for students of all ages.
In The Past
Biography in Context
Read biographies of more than one million people including current celebrities, authors, musicians, artists, scientists, and many others from throughout history and around the world. Some biographies include pictures, magazine articles, and links to websites. [source list]
Biography in Context is available on Android and iOS.
Daily Life Through History
Find out what daily life was like for ordinary people in different cultures throughout history. Daily Life Through History includes over six hundred color and black and white images, maps, and illustrations along with authentic recipes, clothing patterns, songs, dances, and games to assist you in your exploration of the past.
U.S. History in Context
Discover American history from pre-colonial times to the present by reading historical documents and articles about the famous individuals in American history and about historical events. This resource includes maps, images, and timelines. [source list]
World Folklore and Folklife
World Folklore and Folklife provides information on the topics of literature, social and religious practices, history, art, music, and languages from different cultures around the world.
World History in Context
Discover twentieth-century world history by reading historical documents and articles about European, Asian, African, and Latin American history including the two World Wars, the Cold War, mass genocide, the rise and fall of Communism, and more. It includes maps, images, and timelines. [source list]
Magazines & Newspapers
Discovering Collection
Thousands of overview essays, critical analyses, biographies, primary sources, creative works and multimedia elements make it easy for students to research papers and class assignments in five core subject areas: history, literature, biography, science and social studies.
General OneFile
General OneFile is a collection of millions of magazine and journal articles that is great for research papers and projects. It includes articles about business, technology, current events, economics, education, law, literature, art, politics, science, social science, sports, and more. [source list]
InfoTrac Junior Edition
Designed for junior high and middle school students, this database provides access to 300 full-text general interest magazines, thousands of newspaper articles, more than 300 maps and reference books including the Columbia Encyclopedia and World Almanac and Book of Facts and much more. Users can also search by Lexile reading levels.
InfoTrac Student Edition
Specifically designed for secondary school students, this database provides age-appropriate and reliable content from magazines, newspapers and reference books to meet student's needs. Over one thousand full-text titles, thousands of newspaper articles, hundreds of maps and images and full-text content from 14 reference books including Columbia Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates. Users can also search by Lexile reading levels.
MasterFILE Premier
Search articles from over two thousand magazines covering general interest topics including current events, business, health, science, sports, multicultural issues, and more. [source list]
Middle Search Plus
Middle Search Plus contains full text for more than one hundred forty popular middle school magazines, and each article has been assigned a Lexile number. Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays. Additionally, Middle Search Plus contains primary source documents including Essential Documents in American History; reference books including the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia; American Heritage Dictionary; Encyclopedia of Animals; and thousands of relevant photos, maps, and flags.
NewsBank Public Library Collection
Read news articles about important contemporary issues and events selected from a variety of US and international magazines, newspapers, wire services, broadcasts, and documents. [source list]
Student Research Center
Designed for students in grades 6 through 12, this database can be used to locate magazine and newspaper articles about a variety of topics. Searches MAS Ultra - School Edition, Newspaper Source, Health Source: Consumer Edition, American Heritage Dictionary and Columbia Encyclopedia. It also includes a Teacher Research interface, which searches Academic Search Elite, Academic Search Premier, and ERIC.
News & Views
CQ Researcher
Explores a single "hot" issue in the news in-depth each week. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education, science, and technology. Every report is written by an experienced journalist and features comments from experts, lawmakers, and citizens on all sides of every issue.
Issues & Controversies
Issues & Controversies helps researchers understand the crucial issues we face today, exploring more than eight hundred hot topics in business, politics, government, education, and popular culture. Updated weekly, with links to a 12-year back-file, Issues & Controversies offers in-depth articles made to inspire thought-provoking debates. This database is great for research papers and debate prep.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Opposing Viewpoints in Context is a resource for information on today's controversial social issues. It provides access to viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles on provocative and newsworthy topics. [source list]
Science Reference Center
Science Reference Center contains full text for hundreds of science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, and other sources. Topics covered include biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, health and medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science and society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology, and wildlife. Science Reference Center also includes articles for teachers correlated to state and national curriculum standards.
SIRS Issues Researcher
Use SIRS Issues Researcher to locate articles about controversial issues selected from newspapers, magazines, journals, and government publications. It features information about a variety of social, scientific, health, historic, economic, business, political, and global issues from around the world. [source list]
Today's Science
Today's Science bridges the gap between the science that students learn in the classroom and the discoveries pushing the boundaries of science today. Updated weekly and containing thousands of links to a 15-year back-file, Today's Science explains important developments in biology, chemistry, the environment, space, physics, and technology.
Additional Resources:
Using the Library to Write a First-Rate Research Paper - printable tri-fold brochure for teachers and students
