Library has unlimited access to Grolier Online

Date: 1/14/2009

New for 2009, East Longmeadow Library patrons can enjoy free unlimited access to Grolier Online - the extraordinary educational portal designed to make research easier and more productive. Access to this database is now available to East Longmeadow Library card holders both at the library and at home. Grolier Online delivers proven educational content and value through a controlled environment that's safe, easy to use, and supports the different learning styles of children at every grade level.



More than just a suite of award-winning encyclopedias that align with today's curriculum, Grolier Online - the world's only fully integrated database collection and online research portal - has all the features students and educators need to speed the research process:



Hundreds of thousands of prescreened, academically relevant web links, organized by age group and updated monthly

Practical tools, including Homework Help, Research Starters, and Science Projects, to help students explore new topics, learn how to research, and jump-start in-school and after-school projects

Current events and news sources to keep students up-to-date on what's happening now and why it's important historically

Biographies and timelines providing both in-depth and at-a-glance perspective on the people, places, and events that have shaped our world

More than 100,000 full-text periodical and newspaper articles, all directly accessible from encyclopedia entries

Rich multimedia to engage, entertain, and educate students while providing interactive learning experiences tied to the curriculum

Lesson plans, projects, and activities; discussion questions; study guides; and more to help teachers integrate every one of Grolier Online's exceptional databases into the curriculum



It's everything our library patrons want, and then some, to support curriculum content, help students build central research skills, and promote learning and discovery. Grolier Online meets National Educational Technology Standards and No Child Left Behind guidelines, providing equal information access to distance learners and students with special needs, while helping all young people develop sound online research and problem-solving skills through inquiry-based learning techniques that encourage well-formed research strategies.



"Grolier Online is an invaluable resource that we offer free to our patrons that utilize our library," Susan M. Peterson, library director, said. "Its user-friendly model and comprehensive content will enhance ones research and learning experience. Specifically, the library purchased online licenses for the Encyclopedia America, the New Book of Knowledge, and the Lands and Peoples encyclopedia, which is only available online."



Access to Grolier online for East Longmeadow Library card holders is available from the library's webpage: www.eastlongmeadow.org/library/. Please contact the Information Desk at the library (525-5400 x158) for more information.