Many of the following online resources require a San Benito County Free Library card. Community members who do not already have a Library card can sign up for one here. A Library staff member will make contact within 24 hours of registration with a Library card (barcode) number so patrons have access to online resources right away. The physical Library card will be mailed to the address used to register with.
- Archives Unbound: Provides access to more than 290,000 archival documents & primary sources in the areas of U.S. foreign policy; U.S. civil rights; global affairs and colonial studies; and modern history.
- American Museum of Natural History: Online Natural History exhibits, materials for families and teachers, virtual tours, digital backgrounds, and more.
- Brainfuse: Students can interact with live tutors for math, science, reading/writing, social studies, PSAT/SAT/ACT, AP, GED, and state standardized tests.
- Britannica School and Britannica Escolar: the go-to site for learning more about any subject—for all grades and all reading abilities—offering thousands of up-to-date, curated, and curriculum-relevant articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, recommended Web sites, and three separate databases—Elementary, Middle School, or High School. This resource is available in English and Spanish.
- CloudLibrary: Provides access to more than 90,000 ebooks and audiobooks, including fiction and nonfiction titles for children and young adults.
- College Board: Free AP exam study resource as well as online testing for AP exams
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Free reading, math, science, history, and social-emotional learning resources to support continued learning for grades K-12 from educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- iRobot: is making virtual and offline coding projects available for elementary and middle school students for home use, some of which require no particular technology. The company is also providing teachers with free access to a subscription program that comes with the company’s Root coding robot.
- Kanopy Kids: A streaming video service that provides thoughtful entertainment for children aged preschool and up. Parents, teachers, and caregivers can stream videos from a curated selection of educational and enriching videos on Kanopy Kids with developmentally appropriate, age-based ratings from Common Sense Media, as well as additional parental controls to help keep kids safe.
- Khan Academy: Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of trusted, standards-aligned practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. It’s all free for learners and teachers.
- Kids InfoBits: introduces elementary school students to database searching with easy-to-use resources featuring age-appropriate, reliable, curriculum-related content covering a broad range of educational topics.
- Mango Languages: Learn a language with these online language-learning courses. Essential for ESL learners, or for anyone wishing to learn any of the 71 other languages from around the world.
- MasterFILE Premier: This database provides full-text magazines, journal articles, reference books, and primary source documents. Also includes an extensive photo, map, and flag collection.
- Middle Search Plus: A full-text database providing popular middle school magazines and reference books. Covering subjects such as history, current events, science and sports. It also includes thousands of biographies and primary source documents, plus over a million photos, maps and flags.
- Miss Humblebee’s Academy: is an interactive kindergarten-readiness program that introduces children ages three to six to key concepts in math, science, social studies, language and literacy, art, and music. It’s as challenging as it is fun!
- National Constitution Center: a free eight-week series of daily live interactive courses on the Constitution for middle school and high school students. They’ll be led by NCC President and CEO, Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor and constitutional expert, along with other NCC constitutional scholars and educators. The sessions, delivered via Zoom, will allow students to participate in daily lectures and conversations about the basic principles of the U.S. Constitution.
- National Geographic: Curated collections of learning activities to implement at home. By educators. For educators, parents, and caregivers.
- PBS Kids: Educational games and videos from Curious George, Wild Kratts and other PBS KIDS shows.
- PBS Learning Media: curated FREE, standards-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more specifically for California students and educators.
- San Benito County 4-H Youth Development Program: 3 special 4-H projects your family can participate in remotely.
- Scholastic Learn at Home: Day-by-day projects, broken out by grade, to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing during COVID-19 closures.
- Smithsonian Digital Education Resources: Eight topical resources curated by the Smithsonian.
- Space Station Explorers: free learning activities tied to the International Space Station. Those include online videos, a way to request access to the ISS camera, research opportunities and hands-on projects to understand the basics of the ISS.
- The Tech Interactive: free at-home STEM learning resources and activities from The Tech Interactive in San Jose.
- TeachingBooks: A resource for teachers, parents, and students which includes activities and lessons about books and authors for grades PreK-12.
- Universal Class: With a growing catalog of over 500 courses and over 300,000 students around the world, and real instructors guiding the learning though engaging video-based lessons – it is a collaborative learning environment with graded tests, certificates of achievement, and Continuing Education Units available for selected courses.
- World Book Online: World Book Online supports all levels of learning with features perfect for the 21st century educator and learner, including leveled content updated in real time, curriculum correlations, read-aloud functions, STEM activities, educational games, Google and Microsoft OneDrive integration, Webquests, a Citation Builder, lesson plans, and assessment pieces.
