Free ebooks, free online courses, yes please

Libraries are often seen as stuffy, boring places filled with nothing but dusty books and ancient technology. That is not the case at all. Our library has so much to offer and many of the resources are available online.

“We are so fortunate as Virginia Beach citizens to have a wealth of resources available to us,” said librarian Kristi Patton. 

Some of the resources at the convenience of all VBCPS students are Proquest and Gale databases, which cover nearly any and every subject that a student would need to study or want to learn about. Furthermore, a database made specifically for drama students called Drama Online is also available. Moreover, Virginia Beach students also have access to more free resources provided by the state of Virginia and VA Beach Public Libraries.

Patton goes into detail, saying “One of the newest resources is Sora, a site which is used to access audio and e-books. We can quickly add new digital titles to be accessible by our students, whereas adding a print book is a longer process.”

However, this new addition to the library’s arsenal of resources available to students is just the first. Along with Sora, there are two other extremely handy tools accessible to students called NoodleTool and Universal Class. According to their website, NoodleTools, can be used to help students “develop expert critical-thinking skills, gain confidence, and replace patchwriting and plagiarism with synthesis.” 

Universal Class is another database that can help students learn a wide variety of topics.

“Universal Class is your personal tutor for everything from photography to physics and computers to calligraphy,” said Patton. “There are over 500 online classes so you can learn something new or update your existing skills.”

Although all of these fantastic tools are at all student’s disposal free of charge, there are only a few who are actually taking advantage of these resources.

“I didn’t know that these things were available,” said junior Trenton Winterbottom. “I will be sure to use them in the future.”

To top it all off, these three newer tools, as well as the Gale and Proquest databases, are available to VA Beach students twenty-four seven. To access any of these resources, students can go through the ClassLink launchpad.

“When students come to the library with a teacher for a collaborative lesson, the library media specialist will help the students with the process of accessing and utilizing the proper database for the project,” said Patton. “Feel free to stop by the library for individual help!”