Libraries

Though libraries have long been treasure houses of knowledge, their use has changed dramatically from their beginnings in the Middle East more than 4,000 years ago. Today’s libraries contain more than books, and a computer is just as important as a library card for performing research. To learn how you can access libraries from all over, use the direct links on the Times Launchpoint Web site.

Go to: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

Level 1

The Internet Public Library Youth Division: Let J.J. the librarian show you great books to read and helpful resources for doing your schoolwork. You can get help with your science fair project, learn to say “hello” in 30 languages and even take a trip around the world.

https://www.ipl.org/youth/

Los Angeles Public Library Kids’ Web Page: This library points you to the best books to read in various categories and makes doing homework easier through its well-organized online reference section.

https://www.lapl.org/admin/kidsweb/index.html

En Espanol: https://www.lapl.org/admin/kidsweb/spanish/index-e.html

New York Public Library: On-Lion for Kids: Read wonderful magazines and stories online and find out about the real Winnie-the-Pooh who lives at this library. Get help with your homework through useful sites on people and places, science, art, literature, holidays and sports.

https://www.nypl.org/branch/kids/

Level 2

Research-It: This extremely useful site has links to dictionaries of several types (English, rhyming, biographical), as well as to Bartlett’s Book of Quotations, Roget’s Thesaurus, a foreign-language translator, maps and other valuable references.

https://www.iTools.com/research-it/research-it.html

Perry-Casta-Fleda Library Map Collection: Discover the world through this wide variety of maps--historical and political maps as well as maps for individual countries and regions.

https://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/Map_collection.html

Eastchester Middle School Library: Just for Middle School Kids: This well-organized set of resources lets you learn about artificial intelligence, try some mathematical puzzles or read special kid editions of magazines like Time and Sports Illustrated.

https://www.westnet.com/~rickd/Kids.html

Level 3

The Library of Congress: With an astonishing assortment of collections, the Library of Congress offers photos, video/sound clips and documents on topics ranging from baseball and Leonard Bernstein to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Civil War and American architecture. Read about current legislation, view historic documents and get in-depth information on 85 countries.

https://www.loc.gov/

Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE: Learn about Jack London or Emma Goldman, California history or American literature. Useful research tools include many online exhibitions and an ImageFinder that searches photo collections from around the world.

https://sunsite.berkeley.edu/

Duke University’s Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library: Whether you’re interested in ancient Egyptian papyrus, presidential campaign memorabilia or the women’s liberation movement, this online library offers a range of historic and cultural exhibitions.

https://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/

EXPLORER’S QUEST: What are two Cherokee words that are part of the English language?

CLUE: See Internet Public Library Youth Division--Say Hello to the World

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 50 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: An endangered species is in danger of becoming extinct, while a threatened species could become endangered if protective measures are not taken.

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Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Veronica Valadez, Michael Ciecek, Kathy Tierney and Anna Manring.