With another school year soon to be upon the young residents of Voorhees, the Camden County Library System wants them and their parents to know the Voorhees Library and library system website are available to help with homework needs.
In fact, the CCLS has an entire page of its website dedicated solely to that purpose, with a list detailing what information can be found in the various library branches as well as what services are offered.
By visiting the “Kid’s Zone” section of the CCLS website at www.camdencountylibrary.org and selecting “Homework Help,” young residents and their parents can access all manner of homework assistance.
From search databases filled with subscription articles, to online museums, to biographical directories, to information on science, math, language, art and more, kids who need help with almost any subject can find the help they need.
CCLS associate director David Lisa said while the CCLS has a large collection of print materials in the system’s various branches, the CCLS also recognizes the nature of being able to find information is evolving.
“We also offer a lot of online materials because we know research has kind of evolved, and kids as well as adults want quality online versions of information resources,” Lisa said.
Also located on the page is a link for the “Ask a Librarian” service offered by all the CCLS’ branches, including the M. Allan Vogelson branch in Voorhees.
The service allows users to email, phone or visit any library and ask any library-related question, including those useful to those needing homework help such as how to place books on hold, requesting titles from another branch and more.
Also on the Homework Help section of the website is a link to Tutor.com, where any library cardholder can gain free access to online tutoring sessions that take place one-on-one between the child needing help and one of the site’s knowledgeable experts.
“Having quality sources available through the library website I think really helps kids with preparing their homework,” Lisa said.
Students will also have access to several resources they can navigate on their own, including access to “Searchasaurus” through which students can search through an online general encyclopedia and animal encyclopedia.
Searchasaurus also features a dinosaur theme to keep young users interested and help them develop their own search and database use skills.
Homework Help also offers dictionaries, translation services, art galleries, geography help, essay writing tips, math tutorials and information on general topics such as history, religion, current events, New Jersey and the U.S. government.
Lisa said having the resources available on the site helps direct students toward credible sources rather than having them jump into a random Internet search on their own.
“They can go through what the library has already made available and do the same search through resources the library set up specifically in advance,” Lisa said.
Parents who are cardholders are also encouraged to help their children take advantage of free passes offered by the library for about a dozen or so local museums and other area attractions.
The pass program is similar to borrowing a book, in that adult cardholders in good standing with the library can “check out” a museum pass for their entire family and use that pass for free admission to a specific museum or attraction for up to four days.
The Voorhees Branch of the CCLS has passes available for the Academy of Natural Sciences, Camden Children’s Garden, Garden State Discovery Museum, Grounds for Sculpture, Morris Arboretum, Wheaton Arts and Woodford Wildlife Refuge, The Guggenheim, Penn Museum of Archaeology, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Roebling Museum.
