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Library Services

Educator Cards

Homeschoolers are eligible for educator cards. Simply bring a letter of acknowledgement of homeschooling from your educational service district to your local library branch and ask for an application. Educator cards allow users to place forty holds and check out and renew items for six weeks. The educator card is separate from the educator's personal library card.

Curriculum Support

The library offers subject kits, called Bucket of Books, which offer 24-30 books on a topic, plus a teacher's guide and webliography. If you can't find a Bucket of Books on your topic, check our booklist web site. Also check the Homework Center for a collection of annotated website links on your topic. Or you may request a customized booklist or webliography by visiting the School Corps Assignment Alert site.

Live Homework Help

Live Homework Help. The Library provides access to a homework help service that provides live help from online tutors on a variety of subjects, including a proofreading service, and Spanish and Vietnamese language services.

Portland Children's Museum Pass

Check out the library's family pass to Portland Children's Museum. This pass allows you to visit the museum free of charge.

Literacy Resources

There are three homeschool boook groups at the Fairview library each month. Visit Talk It Up for book discussion guides and information on starting your own book group. Or search Event Finder with the key words "book group" for a group near you.

Have a guy that doesn't like to read? Or just hasn't found the right book? Visit Guys Read at Multnomah County for book suggestions especially for guys.

Your child can improve reading skills and make a new canine friend in the Read to the Dogs program. Children register for half hour sessions to read aloud to a therapy dog from the Dove Lewis Animal Assisted Therapy and Education Program.

On our All Books website, you'll find librarian-selected booklists, book reviews by kids, book awards, and links to author and character websites, reading websites, and online stories.

Technology Training

Your youth librarian will be happy to arrange a library tour or technology training session--including hints and tips to improve library research skills--for any group of six or over. Contact your local branch for more information. The School Corps has prepared several presentations on the library and technology that are available to groups of six or more homeschoolers.

Public computers with internet access, word processing and other programs, as well as wi-fi internet access, are available at all libraries.

Learn how to use software programs, search the Internet, or make a website in free computer lab classes. Search Event Finder with the key word "computer" to locate classes and times.

Early Childhood Resource Centers

Early Childhood Resource Centers are in five Multnomah County Library locations: Hollywood, Hillsdale, Central Children's Library, Holgate, Midland and Gresham. These centers include guides for parent/educators and curriculum bags for use with toddlers and preschoolers. It's in the Bag kits can be placed on hold.

Meeting Room Space

Meeting rooms are available in many library locations. Some are large, others small, but all are available free of charge to community groups as long as the person in charge of a meeting reads and agrees to follow the Library's Meeting Room Policy. To reserve a room, contact your local Multnomah County Library.

...and of course, your youth librarian is available to answer questions about the Library's collections, and to find materials just right for your needs.