Back to school bargains for all ages at the King County Library

If you’re like most of us, back-to-school time is a mix of excitement, stress, questions and a wee shadow of dread of the unknown. Parents worry: Do our kids have all the supplies they need? What if they need help with their studies? Does their wardrobe measure up to peer pressure and good taste without breaking the family budget? How can I get everything ready in time? How can we pay for it?

Perhaps your children are facing challenges of their own. Is your toddler entering preschool or your preschooler entering kindergarten? Will your kindergartner be starting first grade? Are last year’s sixth graders off to a new junior high? Did June’s junior high grad become a freshman at a new high school or your spring high school graduate is off to college, and living at home? They’re all wondering: what will it be like? Will I make new friends? How will I handle the changes? Do I know enough to keep up with the homework?

Even if you don’t have kids in school, you may have that old back-to-school seasonal itch yourself. You may find yourself gazing longingly at new notebooks or cool pens in wild colors, and feeling an urge to read something weighty: how is longitude measured, or when did Hawaii become a state, or what are the principal products of Peru. Or perhaps you’re hoping to enhance your job skills by learning something new: a foreign language, or computer skills, or preparing for a career-enhancing exam.

If any of the scenarios above describe you or someone in your life, the King County Library System can help by providing the answers you need. From fashion-on-a-budget tips in magazines for kids and teens, to books about going to school for the first time, the library can help your child—and you—get ready for school.

You may already know about the library’s free computer work stations, software classes and reference services. Did you also know that your KCLS community library offers free tutoring, and free test preparation services in person and online?

Study Zone Online provides access to Study Zone tutors over the Internet, using the Brainfuse classroom. Students in grades K-12 can join an online Study Zone classroom to get help in math, science, English and social studies. The Study Zone Online is available through computers in all KCLS libraries at www.kcls.org/studyzone/study_zone.cfm

Live Homework Help provides specialized one-on-one tutoring help in the areas of math, science, English and social studies for students in grades K-12, and entry level college and adult learners. This service is also available in Spanish. Professional tutors are available online from 2 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week from any computer with Internet access at www.kcls.org/research/homework/tutoring.cfm

• Tutoring service

Online tutors are available seven days a week from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. to assist students with the MSP, HSPE and SAT. Select your test and grade level and set your own pace with expert tutors provided by Brainfuse at www.kcls.org/teens/wasl.cfm

When you need to know, turn to your library. That’s one thing to remember as you help your family get ready for school—and a lifetime of learning.