By Joyce Waybright
Special to GUIDON
School Days, school days; schools are starting all over the area.
Bruce C. Clarke Library staff members want to remind everyone studies show that children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifelong learning.
Due to the success of this year’s summer reading program, many children and teens not only enjoyed reading for fun but maintained their reading skills. The library’s summer readers read nearly 234,000 minutes in just six weeks of the program.
Where to find a book to accomplish a homework assignment is a question that is frequently asked in the library. Many times, students will tell the staff that they’ve been directed by their instructors “to use the library,” and “don’t just get your information from the internet.” Often, the student erroneously believes that a physical book is the only resource that they can use. The Clarke Library can also provide access to many print and audio digital materials. Many students will grumble about having to use the library. Their argument is that they can use online resources like Google and Wikipedia to find information. The problem with almost any web search is the accuracy and reliability of the source material. What makes the library databases especially useful, is the materials are kept up to date, can be searched easily, can be cited in bibliographies and are verified to be from published works that are checked for accuracy.
Libraries are always a great place to begin your research when working on a project. Besides having more than 180,000 physical books, the Clarke Library gives you access to thousands of electronic resources to support your research. A few examples of these resources are e-books, electronic journal and newspaper articles, digital images and reference materials. These electronic resources are compiled through library databases. It would be physically impossible for any library to collect and maintain every piece of printed material created, but library databases can connect users with materials far outside the traditional brick and mortar library.
Some databases, available free for students are language-learning materials in several the digital book and audio services such as Mango Languages, Rosetta Stone, Overdrive and RB Digital eBooks. Also available are Student Resources in Context, U.S., and World History, Culture Grams, Opposing Viewpoints, Encyclopedia Britannica, GreenFile, Explora, and Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Especially for students, there is Tutor.com/Military that provides free live online tutoring, available in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day for military families. The tutors are certified teachers, college professors, professional tutors or graduate school students from across the country with expertise in math, science, social studies and English composition (to include proofreading) are available. There is also an area for parents who need help assisting children with homework.
Fun ways to learn by listening to and/or reading books is the TumbleBookLibrary collection for children and middle schoolers. It has story books, puzzle and game books, chapter books, read-a-longs, language books and now short videos from National Geographic. Most books have a related quiz, games and a lesson plan.
They have reading levels by grade, Lexile and AR and include the AR-Accelerated Reader information. The Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force have a digital library collection called Overdrive that includes books and audio-books for children and others.
The library’s monthly S.T.E.A.M. Lab program is scheduled from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 16. Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics projects will include science experiment demonstrations, sample videos and hands-on crafts and activities. This is a self-paced program for children of all ages to come to learn, play, build and create.
For more information on library databases, digital materials, or other library resources, visit the Bruce C. Clarke Library, located at the corner of Nebraska and 1st Street in the MSCoE complex. Patrons can also call the children’s library at 573.563.5857, the main desk at 573.563.4113 or visit www.wood.army.mil/library.
(Editor’s note: Waybright is the chief of community services at the Bruce C. Clarke Library.)