Blog

If your busy school schedule has you pressed for time, don't worry. You don't even need to come into the library to take advantage of the online resources we offer for homework help, finding a tutor, researching a topic for a paper, or practicing for your SATs or ACTs.

Getting Started

Getting organized and taking good notes are skills that don’t come naturally to all students. If you feel like you could use some tips in this area, Lynda.com has two great courses to get you started. Evernote for Students shows you how to organize and store class notes, send yourself reminders about upcoming deadlines, and keep assignments and projects on track with task lists. Learning Study Skills provides assistance with reading speed and comprehension, note- and test-taking, and creating study plans.

Homework Help

If you need assistance with your math, science, social studies, or English homework, give Tutor.com a try. Live tutors for students in grades 4 and up are available from 3 - 10 pm every day. Each session lasts about 20 minutes and your Skokie Public Library card allows you to access up to five sessions per week.

Research Projects

From ABCMouse.com, Early World of Learning, and Tumblebooks for our youngest patrons, to CultureGrams Online, Current Biography Illustrated, Science Online, and World Book Online for primary grades and beyond, you'll find a wide variety of resources on our Research a Topic page.

If searching the internet is part of your research process, let NetTrekker guide you in the right direction by narrowing your options to teacher-approved websites and digital resources.

Learn a Language

Need extra help learning a language you are studying in school? Check out Mango Languages for lessons in more than 60 languages. You can download the Mango Languages app to your phone for on-the-go learning.

Test Prep

Becoming familiar with the types of questions asked on standardized tests can help relieve some of the anxiety students experience when taking them.

Third through eighth graders in Illinois take the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam in reading and math, which is based on Common Core standards. PARCC helps you find the right tools and information to prepare for this test.

Lynda.com provides videos you can watch, along with written transcripts you can read, to help you prepare for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and GRE.

You can even prepare for your learners permit or driver’s license test with practice exams from driving-tests.org.

Wi-Fi Hotpots

We now have Wi-Fi hotspots available for checkout. These wireless mobile hotspots will allow access to the internet from any Wi-Fi-capable device so you can access our online resources from home. Adult or high school Skokie Public Library card holders may check one out for a period of three weeks.

We encourage students to take advantage of all our online resources, no matter what your age or the level of education you've completed.