Online Tutoring and Other Ferndale Library Services for Kids and Adults
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 20, 2020)
Ferndale, MI – The Ferndale Area District Library is working hard to connect patrons with educational opportunities though the pandemic.
TUTOR.COM
One recent addition to the services is a new online resource for students, providing comprehensive online learning support on-demand through Tutor.com’s Learning Suite.
Any students in the region and across the school district who possess their own valid Ferndale Library card will be able to login to this online resource, where they can get help with their homework, access expert tutoring, prepare for tests, and get writing tips.
Tutor.com’s Learning Suite is designed to be a modern online classroom that meets the needs of all learners, including resource centers for college, adult education, and career development. Tutor.com is designed to help any/all students realize and reach their full potential. Students can access one-on-one on-demand connections with fully-vetted and qualified tutors in more than 100 subjects and test-prep areas. Accessible features include expertly-designed self-study tools and the highly popular Drop-Off Review service for writing assignments of any kind.
“We hope this will help make life a little bit easier for our Ferndale students and parents this school year as they navigate virtual learning. All FPS students are eligible for a Ferndale Library card, so we are hoping that this drives demand for library card sign-ups, which you can find at our website, www.ferndalepubliclibrary.org” says Jordan Wright, Head of Youth Services.
Students will be able to access Tutor.com from the Ferndale Area District Library’s main website. Their Ferndale Library card numbers and 4-digit PIN will be required to get started. There is the option to create a personalized account to access session history, score reports, favorite tutors, and more.
“Even though school looks different this fall, we want to continue meeting the needs of students,” said Wright. “We have a great working partnership with the Ferndale Schools educators and administrators. Our hope is that we can keep finding ways to assist them this year.”
QUARANTINE CORNER
For younger community members, there’s a new early literacy program, a Baby Storytime called Quarantine Corner.
“This is specifically for new parents (or parents of infants) who are currently at home and have missed the opportunities for socializing with other parents.
“During simpler times, when we could host in-person events inside the library, we came to understand that baby storytime was so much more to new parents than just a storytime,” Wright said.
“For a lot of folks it was the one day a week where they could get out of the house and interact with other adults. With all that’s happened since March, we thought that the community could use a social gathering like Quarantine Corner more than ever.”
Meanwhile, there are several online resources that students and learners of all ages can utilize while they are at home, including resources that could aid in the experiences of working-from-home.
LEARNING EXPRESS LIBRARY
Michigan Electronic Library (MeL)’s Learning Express Library, which is accessible on the library’s Online Resources page.
Along with curriculum resources for grades K-12, and more than 700 courses, practice tests, tutorials, eBooks, and flashcards, MeL also offers practice tests for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and TOEFL, as well as trade certification, civil service, math, and reading tests. Students can also visit www.mel.org/kids to access Britannica Fundamentals on learning letters, shapes, and numbers (grades K-3), as well as Britannica databases for elementary and middle school grade levels providing information on countries, animals, maps, and more.
OTHER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Patrons can also find information on geography, geology, and meteorology with A-to-Z Maps Online.
TumbleBooks adds animation, sound, music and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you. TumbleBooks provides a substantial collection of language learning resources and non-fiction material on history, science, and other disciplines.
Ferndale Library cardholders can also access LinkedIn Learning from Lynda.com, featuring video courses taught by industry experts boosting software, creative, and business skills.
Hoopla, which provides instant access to eBooks, Audiobooks, movies, and music, provides a collection of eBooks on Job Hunting.
Any small business owners or marketers will likely find valuable information through Gale Business Demographics Now, helping them make informed and accurate decisions informed by market research.
And Creativebug offers unlimited access to thousands of online art and craft classes that Ferndale Library cardholders can watch anywhere/anytime; it might not pertain directly to a majority of the community’s day jobs, but it provides a vital outlet for creative expression.
All of these databases are accessible at www.ferndalepubliclibrary.org/online-resources.
For more information, and any questions: info@ferndalepubliclibrary.org