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Using library books Using computers in the library
Helpful links
Using library booksEvery library has books on many subjects that you will be doing at school. Most of these you will be able to borrow. Except for the very small libraries, the libraries also have tables and chairs so you can sit and do your homework in the library.
However, there isn't enough space in each library for us to have enough books for every child in your school, on every subject. We will always do everything we can to help you find books for your homework, but you might find that, sometimes, you will only be able to borrow homework books for a few days, or will be limited to only one or two. This is only fair, since it helps share the books around. Of course, if you come to the library as soon as you know about your project, you will have a better chance of getting the books than if you leave it to the last minute.
You can also reserve books from other libraries. Even if everyone in Sandown, for example, is doing the Romans at school, it could be that no-one in Ryde is doing them at all. So sometimes there are lots of books sitting unused on the shelves in another library, even if there is nothing left in your local library. Remember, you can borrow books from any library on the island with your ticket, and don't need to join each individual library.
Your teachers are also able to borrow books from the Schools' Library Service, which has even more books than your local library on homework subjects. So you will often be using library books at school, even if you don't ever go into your local library.
Each library also has a reference section. A reference book is a book that you can't take out of the library. These are usually things like encyclopedias and atlases. Even if all the books on a subject are out of the library, you can often find some very useful information in an encyclopedia. Most libraries have photocopiers, if you need to copy the information.
Remember, if you can't find any books on the subject you need to do, you should ask a librarian. Sometimes there is some very good information hidden away in more general books, and a librarian can help you find it.
At the moment, only Newport and Ryde libraries have computers that you can use. However, very soon all this will change. Libraries on the island are getting about a hundred computers, all with access to the internet. It won't cost you anything to use them. Watch this space to find out when the computers have arrived!
Helpful linksThere are millions of sites on the internet, and sometimes it can be very hard to find something useful on the subject you're doing at school. Here are some sites that can help you.
Ask Jeeves for Kids This is the children's version of a popular search engine. A search engine is something that will search the whole internet for you, and give you a list of the sites that are most likely to help you answer your question. You don't have to know any special computer language. Just type in your question - e.g. "why is the sky blue?" - and Jeeves will help you answer it.
Yahooligans! This is a little bit different from Ask Jeeves. Yahooligans has already searched the web and found lots of sites it thinks you will find useful, and then grouped them together by subject.
Learn.co.uk is a large site that is mostly aimed at High School children, with articles and websites about the subjects you are likely to be studying there. However, it also has a very large list of links to useful sites for all ages, which are arranged by subject.
The Homework Elephant has three sections. One has links to useful sites about a variety of subjects you might be doing at school, one has tips on revision, and one, called The Agony Elephant, is a place you can send in your own questions to be answered.
Homework High is a little like the Homework Elephant, but with slightly fewer subjects. It, too, has a section where you can send in questions - but read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) first to see if someone else has already asked it.
