BOOKMARK

Visit the library on your computer!

By Ann Knutson

The Bee, Nov 25, 2009

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Whether you are a fourth grader studying the Oregon Trail, a high school freshman working on biology homework, or a college student trying to nail down a research thesis, the Multnomah County Library’s website offers a wealth of student resources to help you succeed.

Just go to: www.multcolib.org -- and click on the “Research” tab. If you don’t have Internet access at home, come in and use a computer at any neighborhood library in the city.

Seven days a week, from 2 till 10 pm, get help from a live, certified online tutor! The library provides access to Tutor.com for assistance with math, science, language arts, and social studies for students in all grades, and at the college level.

Adults will find help, too – with resume and cover-letter writing, for example, through this service. To access Tutor.com from the Research page, click on “Homework Center” and then “Free online help from real tutors” in the box.

And by the way, did you know you can chat online with a librarian 24/7? Through L-net, librarians from across the state are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to connect you with the information you need. Many questions are answered using online resources that you can access immediately.

You can also e-mail your questions to the library’s “Ask the Librarian” service. Find both L-net and Ask the Librarian under “Get help” on the Research page.

The library’s website also offers round-the-clock access to e-books, research databases, and electronic journals.

The Gale Virtual Reference library allows you to search across more than 1,400 reference e-books, plus every Gale information database the library subscribes to, and find reliable information any time day or night.

NetLibrary also offers access to e-books on many topics, with full-text searching ability to pinpoint just the information you need. These are great resources for students whose schedules may not allow them to get to the library. Find them under “E-books & more” on the Research page.

Of course, actual on-site library staff is still available at every branch of the county library to help you access any of these resources, and numerous others, from your neighborhood library.

But when it’s after hours and you have a deadline looming, the Research section of the library’s website is the place to go to get the help you need, when you need it! Check it out: www.multcolib.org/ref.