Ventura County Library Website Updated to Include Features Available From Home
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The Ventura County Library (VCL) website has a new look. Vencolibrary.org now highlights library resources available online including free live homework assistance by instructors and a resources page for Spanish speakers.
“Your Library at Home” features pages targeted to kids, teens, and adults. It is a one-stop-shop for individuals, parents, and teachers looking for librarian curated lists of online resources for distance learning as well as for fun.
· Kids’ Reading Resources for children's ebooks and audiobooks and chapter book read-alouds by VCL staff. Also listed are free ebook resources available during the COVID-19 school closures for kids from preschool through middle school.
· Virtual Storytime featuring live storytime events and recorded playlists of stories, songs, and rhymes performed by Ventura County librarians.
· Recursos en Español was created with Ventura County’s Spanish speaking community in mind. The page contains resources for Spanish speakers along with detailed instructions on how to translate various library pages from English to Spanish. Each link includes a description of the resource along with detailed access instructions. The resources are divided into three categories:
o Resources for everyone – fun for the entire family through CloudLibrary ebook and audiobook collection and the Spring Reading Challenge.
o Resources for kids and teens – keep children of all ages engaged while staying at home. Features include the new tutoring service, HelpNow, designed to help students with homework, and the California Science Center where bilingual STEAM activities are added daily.
o Resources for adults – features tools for learning, career, and citizenship, as well as downloadable National Geographic Magazine in Spanish.
· Just for Fun keeps kids busy and entertained with drawing lessons, activities from favorite children’s book authors, and digital escape rooms.
The new pages for kids and teens are:
· Online Learning contains live homework assistance for pre-kindergarten to grade 12 students with tutoring and skill building help through BrainFuse’s Help Now! service, at-a-glance links to VCL’s eLibrary resources organized by school subject, and recommended free online learning resources available during the COVID-19 school closures.
· STEAM Resources for students to explore their curiosity for all things relative to science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Included is the VCL STEAM Fun Playlist from YouTube featuring librarians as they explore fun STEAM topics through interactive lessons.
· Teens Reading features CloudLibrary, other digital book resources, and VCL’s Spring Reading Challenge.
· Boredom Busters has fun ideas to keep teens busy.
· Virtual Volunteering offers online volunteering opportunities for youth who need community service credit for school, or for those who want to help the library. There are also fun activities related to art, music, reading, gaming, and more.
On the new page for adults, find quick access to CloudLibrary, reader’s advisory, the Spring Reading Challenge, and genealogy resources.
Ventura County Library offers the community an online gathering place through its virtual library.
For additional information, contact Dana Vinke, Ventura County Library Deputy Director at (805) 212-9558.
