Homer Township Public Library

Student Center

Having trouble finding what you need? Ask a Librarian! We're on IM most of the time the Library's open.

For practice/review for AP or college entrance exams, try LearningExpressLibrary!
(You'll need your library card barcode number.)

District 33 C Summer Reading Program

Find It Online:

College guides and financial aid
General resources for research papers
English and literature
History and geography
Math and science
Homework help for middle/elementary school

= Key resource. To login, enter the 14-digit barcode number (without spaces) from your Homer library card.

College guides and financial aid

College 101: "What they won't tell you in the official college handbook."
College Board: Scholarship search, information about PSAT and SAT, application and selection advice, etc.
College Illinois: Prepaid tuition program.
CollegeJournal: Graduate school guide from the Wall Street Journal. Grad/Law/Business school search, financial aid info, practice exams, etc.
FAFSA: Apply online for financial aid. Ths is the official federal form.
FinAid: Information about scholarships, loans, etc.
Illinois Virtual Campus: Guide to distance learning and online classes in Illinois.
LearningExpressLibrary : Includes practice tests and guides for ACT, SAT, and other exams.
LearningExpress Ebooks: Study guides and test-preparation books, in Adobe PDF format.
Peterson's: Popular college and aid guide.
USNews.com: College rankings.

General Resources for Research Papers and Other Assigments

In our Reference Center:
Article Finder: Look here for articles from journals, magazines, or newspapers.
Book Finder: We can get you books and other publications that we don't have.
Citation Styles: How to cite electronic sources in references and bibliographies; covers MLA, APA, Chicago (Turabian), and other styles.
SparkNotes.com: Free study guides on many subjects.
Study Guides and Strategies: Writing basics and other advice for students.

English and Literature

Contemporary Authors : Biographical and other information about writers.
Bartleby.com: Full text of many works of classic literature, plus a good reference library.
Gale Literary Index: Identify reference books (most available in the Library) which discuss a writer or work of literature.
Online Literary Criticism Collection
PinkMonkey.com: Summaries and study notes on hundreds of books.
SparkNotes.com: Free study guides on many subjects.
Voice of the Shuttle: Directory of Web sites for humanities research; includes large sections for literature.
Also see our Book Finder and Article Finder centers.

History and Geography

America the Beautiful : Information about the states; part of Grolier Online. (Link for in-Library use.)
American Memory: Large collections of historical documents, photographs, recordings, and other items from the Library of Congress.
Biography.com: Short biographical essays on thousands of people.
Eyewitness to History: Eyewitness accounts of historic events, from ancient times through the 20th Century.
Facts.com : Includes historical news and clean and simple maps of countries, regions, U.S. states, and Canadian provinces.
IllinoisAtlas.com: Great collection of Illinois and U.S. political and statistical maps.
Library of Congress Maps: Pictures of maps dating from 1500 to the present.
MapMachine: Online atlas from National Geographic.
SparkNotes.com: Free study guides on many subjects.
World Factbook: Produced by the CIA. Country profiles, statistics, flags of the world.
Also see our Book Finder and Article Finder centers.

Math and Science

Ask Dr. Math: Math help for high school, college, and beyond.
Facts.com : Search "Today's Science" for news about scientific developments.
HowStuffWorks: Explanations of how many devices, technologies, and processes work.
Math.com: Practice, help, and calculators for basic math through trigonometry and calculus.
NASA: The U.S. space agency has information and videos available for students of all ages.
New Book of Popular Science : Science encyclopedia that's part of Grolier Online. (Link for in-Library use.)
SparkNotes.com: Free study guides on many subjects.
Also see our Book Finder and Article Finder centers.

Homework Help for Students in Middle or Elementary School

Facts.com : World Almanac, historic events, maps, and more.
Grolier Online : Encyclopedias, dictionaries, science encyclopedia, information about states, news. (Link for in-Library use.)
World Book Online : Encyclopedias, atlas, Illinois resources guide, "behind the headlines," and other features. (Link for in-Library use.)
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government: Historical documents, information, and activities relating to the U.S. government. For elementary and high school students and teachers.
BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper: Homework links and study activities.
Enchanted Learning: Info and activities on many subjects.
Fact Monster: Information Please Almanac, homework center, games and quizzes, and more.
FirstGov for Kids: Links to information on U.S. government Web sites.
GradeWinner: Research tool for middle-school students.
History for Kids: Good info about U.S. and world history. (Annoying pop-ups, though.)
KidsClick!: Directory of useful Web sites, selected and organized by librarians.
MapMachine: Online atlas from National Geographic.
Math help:
- A+ Math: Worksheets, flash cards, games, and other homework help for younger students.
- AAA Math: Practice exercises and games.
- Ask Dr. Math: Math help for all ages.
- Math.com: Practice, help, and calculators.
Science Fair help:
- E-Journal of Student Research: An excellent source for project ideas, though it's old and not easy to search.
- How Stuff Works
- Kathy Schrock's Guide: Science & Technology
- List of "Ask a Scientist" Sites
- Scifair.org: The Ultimate Science Fair Resource
- ScI-Journal
Sign of the Owl: Homework: Links compiled by Chicago Public Library.
Smithsonian Institution: Online exhibits, activities, and other resources on a lot of different subjects.