Teen digital resources guide

Here is a list of digital resources to keep teens well informed, educated and entertained.

Help with homework:

Gale in Context: Middle School: Middle school students can research their next topic to find videos, newspaper and magazine articles, primary sources, and more.

This resource is being offered temporarily by the publisher during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ebook Central Academic and Public Library Complete: Support your research with e-books on general nonfiction topics such as school & studying, career development, arts & leisure, and practical life skills.

Teen Health & Wellness Center: Provides middle school and high school students with nonjudgmental, straightforward advice and self-help support. Topics include diseases, drugs, alcohol, nutrition, mental health, suicide, bullying, green living, financial literacy, and more. Submit your own writing to the “Tell Your Story” feature, take part in a poll, submit your questions, and see what’s “In the News.”

Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC): Create a free account to gain access to practice tests, including ACT, PSAT, SAT and AP Exams, as well as basic skills tutorials in English/Writing and Math.

tutor.com: Get free homework help in English or Spanish from a live, online, qualified tutor—up to 10 free tutoring sessions each week! Get help in a wide range of subjects including math, science, English, social studies and essay review.

NOTE: One Access students should enter your Student ID number as your username and your 4-digit birth year as your password.

World Book Encyclopedia: This dynamic and interactive online encyclopedia includes access to a Spanish version, e-books for homework help and research projects, and timelines of historical events. World Book Advanced, specifically for grades 8 and up, has been temporarily added by the publisher in response to COVID-19.

Entertainment:

Freegal: Freegal offers download or streaming access to more than 10 million songs, including Sony Music's catalog of legendary artists. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library customers get 5 free downloads per week (songs count as 1 download and videos count as 2). Streaming has temporarily been extended to 24 hours per day until 9/30/20 by the publisher. Once downloaded, the songs or videos are yours to keep!

hoopla: Access e-books, e-audiobooks, comics, music, movies, and tv. Hoopla has temporarily increased its checkouts to 10 per month but also offers “Bonus Borrowers” which do not count against your 10 checkouts.

kanopy: An award-winning video streaming service providing access to more than 30,000 independent and documentary films. During Library closure for COVID-19, you can view 10 items from Kanopy each month. Look for their “Credit-free Viewing” section to find films that will not count against your 10-item limit.

OverDrive eReading Room: Teen Collection: The OverDrive eReading Room: Teen Collection filters the Library's OverDrive collection to show only Teen content, which gets you to the titles you want faster! OverDrive currently allows up to 20 checkouts at a time.

RBdigital: Downloadable e-audiobooks and e-books in popular, literary, and classic fiction, mystery, biography and nonfiction. Filter to see the “young adult” titles. Due to COVID-19, you can have 20 items checked out with 10 requests. RBdigital also offers popular magazines with no limits.

TeenBook Cloud: An online collection of e-books, enhanced novels, graphic novels, videos and e-audiobooks, which offers teens all reading levels access to an amazing range of content.

This resource is being offered temporarily by the publisher during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn a Skill:

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center: Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center is a comprehensive resource for career exploration and planning that allows you to quickly find the valuable career information you need, whether it’s learning about a profession, school planning resources, or skills and career advice.

lynda.com: Online learning courses in popular fields like web design, web development, IT, education/instruction, media production, and business.

Mango Languages: Language-learning with over 70 world language courses and over 17 ESL/ELL courses, featuring an engaging user interface, voice comparison, fresh design, foreign language films, and cultural anecdotes.

Universal Class: Online learning offering over 540 courses. Take a writing or art class, learn how to knit, improve your cooking or baking skills, or take Babysitting 101.