Library

I discovered libraries in kindergarten. Our class would make the pilgrimage every week: walking out of our portable classroom, through the school yard, into the main building, and down the three carpeted steps into the library, with no walls, at the heart of the school. Ms. Covlin, our captivating librarian, would welcome us by reading the class a story. When she was finished, we could ask her questions, run to the picture books, and select our favourites.

Books tucked safely in our little arms, we would make our way up a circular staircase to the reading nook, which seemed to float in the air. From here, you could look down to the shelves below and wave to your friends who were still busy making their choices. I would pick out one of the comfy cushions scattered around and lose myself in the pictures of the book, imagining what the story was about. Library days were the best days.

In honour of the awesomeness of libraries, here are a few free resources that celebrate reading, writing, and learning:

The Internet Archive gives you access to millions of books. Usually I sign out a book for an hour to find a specific piece of information, but you can also sign out books for two weeks. 

Project Gutenberg has digitized over 60,000 books in the public domain. 

ReadWorks is a wonderful place to find engaging articles and stories for children of all ages. 

DK Find Out!, BBC Bitesize, National Geographic Kids, Time for Kids, and Science Journal for Kids and Teens have interesting articles on a variety of subjects. Many of these websites also have educational videos. 

Other educational videos can be found on TED, TED Ed, CrashCourse, and Extra Credits. If the narrator talks too fast, you can slow down the playback speed and use subtitles, both of which can be accessed with the settings icon. 

For fiction, Short Kids Stories, World Stories, and American Literature are good places to look. The Library of Congress has a collection of Aesop Fables. 

If you want help with writing your own story, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has created workbooks for elementary, middle, and high school students. NaNoWriMo also has a collection of brilliant inspirational letters from well-known authors to encourage you in your novel writing endeavours. 

If you want creative activities for booklovers of all ages, The British Library has some lovely ideas. You can also access articles about English, history, religious studies, citizenship, and more. 

For older students, JSTOR is a great place to find scholarly articles. Normally, you are allowed six free articles a month, but during the COVID-19 crisis, the limit increased to one hundred. Articles published before 1923 are always free. The Library of Congress is another good place to explore, especially for primary sources. 

For academic writing, many universities offer resources to help you with essay writing, grammar, and style. The Purdue Online Writing Lab is one I use often.

Finally, there are some amazing free online courses that are offered through Khan Academy, edX, and Coursera. As edX states, “restless learners change the world.” 

Of course, my favourite place to start is with a visit to my local library to find out what resources are available. A library card gives me access to books, magazines, newspapers, movies, digital material, and more. 

Personally, I think there is nothing better than building your own library with a few family favourites. Previously owned books can help keep the costs down. My own collection started with a lost book: The First Book of Codes and Ciphers by Sam and Beryl Epstein. Even though I was pretty good at taking care of my borrowed library materials, I could not find this one book. Eventually, my parents needed to pay the replacement fee. When I discovered the book a few weeks later, I gleefully started my home library. I still have the book today.