Library offers resources for students of all ages—August 26, 2011
Students from preschool to college are finding more and more of what they need at Hastings Public Library. Whether you visit in person at 517 West 4th St or online at www.hastings.lib.ne.us, the library offers a multitude of resources for a successful school year. We welcome young people from early childhood through high school as well as adults resuming or redirecting their studies.
Let's begin within the physical walls of the library, in the children's room.
Preschoolers learning alphabet and number skills will like "Toys ABC, an Alphabet Book" by B. A. Hoena, which employs brief text and bright photos to relate a toy to each letter of the alphabet. New this month is "Help Me Learn Numbers 0-20" by Jean Marzollo. The rhyming text and a game help children learn numbers and number value.
AR (Accelerated Reader) Bookfinder is a homework help which can be accessed either at the library or conveniently from home. Go to the library's website, click on "Kids and Teens" and "Homework help." Search by title or author to find reading level and AR points.
Teens are checking out the library's revamped teen section. All teen fiction along with graphic novels, paperbacks, audio and nonfiction are now located on first floor. Be sure to browse teen nonfiction with titles like "Hot X : Algebra exposed" by Danica McKellar in which actress and math genius McKellar shatters the "math nerd" stereotype by showing girls how to ace middle school math and actually feel "cool" doing it.
High school foreign language students hone their skills with Mango, an online language-learning system offering Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian, Russian and more. All it takes is a valid library card and PIN. Access to Mango is open to all ages through the library's website. Once you've set up your free account, you can access it from home, school, your iPod/iPad/iPhone (download the App), and most DROID smart phones (through the browser.)
When you've put off that weekend research assignment Friday, Saturday and now it's Sunday, remember that HPL Sunday hours resume for the school year beginning Sept. 11. And on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during fall and spring semesters Central Community College students of all ages gather on the library's second floor at the Hastings Campus Learning Center.
What does a hardworking student want after a long day? Food, of course. Try these self-explanatory titles: "Holy Guacamole and Other Scrumptious Snacks" by Nick Fauchald, "Take 5 Ingredients : 95 Delicious Dishes Using Just 5 Ingredients" by James Tanner and "$3 Meals in Minutes : Delicious, Low-cost Dishes for your Family" by Ellen Brown.
