School Tools

Britannica School [Provided by Mel]

Suite of Britannica School resources at four levels – Learning Zone (pre-K), Elementary, Middle, and High.  Each contains resources at the appropriate learning and skill level including primary sources in subjects such as people, countries, science, animals, current events, and biographies.  Everything you ever wanted in the print encyclopedia plus so much more — videos, games, images, quizzes, teacher tie-ins, trusted website links, online dictionary, easy to cite, and easy to jump between the reading levels.  Read aloud and Spanish and translation options as well. Save articles to your own personal Britannica account to study later.

World Book for Kids [Provided by Mel]

World Book Kids: kid friendly encyclopedia.  Geared for a younger audience, even more graphical.  Includes more activities, games, maps, biographies, science projects.  Fun to dig in and explore topics — articles are easy to understand and even easier to cite for school papers.  Read aloud and Spanish and translation options as well. 

Ancestry.com [In-Library Use Only]

Start searching billions of records and discover your family’s story. In-Library Access only starting Jan. 1, 2022.   Watch our Ancestry “Discover your Roots” tutorial.  

My Heritage from MEL[Provided by Mel]

Search census records, newspaper articles and multiple databases of historical records at My Heritage through MeL.

Grand Ledge Area Historical Society

Explore their photo gallery, learn about area history, and view historic buildings right here in Grand Ledge.

More Resources on our Local History webpage includes access to:

• Grand Ledge Independent 1875-2018
• Grand Ledge High School Yearbooks 1904-1989
• Ernst Floeter Photography Collection (almost 15,000 photos from 1964 to 1986 of community events and residents)
• Historical Pictures & Scrapbooks
• Historical Home information
• Birth, Death, and Marriage indexes

Content from Gale 

Magazine, journal, and newspaper articles, audio files, images, interview transcripts to give you great quotes.  All the topics you are looking for — covering geography, current events, the arts, science, health, biographies, history, sports, and more.  Great research tools to keep you organized.  Highlight important facts and add notes, then save your articles and your notes directly to Google drive to stay organized.  Quick access to dictionary, read aloud function, and Spanish and translation options as well.

Gale High School [GLADL Card Req.]

Resources geared for 6th-12th graders with lexile scores and word count to make it easy to find quick facts or longer documents. 

Gale Elementary [GLADL Card Req.]

Resources geared for K-5 with a more graphical interface that encourages discovery. 

Opposing Viewpoints in Context [Provided by Mel]

Provides different views about issues that help students develop critical thinking skills. This resource brings balance and perspective to contemporary issues using arguments from experts.

Tips for doing Online Research – Mel & GLADL resources

Features factual and up-to date information and opinions on hundreds of today’s hottest social issues. Includes pro/con viewpoint essays, topic overviews, primary source documents, biographies, court-case overviews, periodical articles, tables/charts/graphs, and more.  If you need statistics, charts, facts or figures — need evidence to support or argue against your thesis — this is the resource for you.

Have questions?

Biography Reference Center [Provided by Mel]

More than 450,000 biographies. Includes complete full text run of Biography Today and Biography Magazine as well as thousands of narrative biographies.

Explora [Provided by Mel]

Easy access to magazines, ebooks, topic overviews and videos — one stop shopping on thousands of topics. Covers subjects such as art, history, sports, and music. Includes thousands of biographies and primary source documents. Also includes photos, maps, and flags.

Mango [GLADL Card Req.]

Learn a Foreign Language: A fun way to learn a new language.  Utilizes conversation and foreign films to engage learners.  Need a bit of Spanish for a trip or Chinese for a business meeting – Mango can help!  Need a conversation partner for your HS class or haven’t decided which foreign language to take? Mango is a great way to test drive a new language.  Over 70 languages and 20+ ESL courses online and avaiable in the Mango app.

A to Z World Foods [GLADL Card Req.]

Over 6,000 recipes from 174 countries — contains traditional recipes.  Each recipe shows prep and cook time needed and you can easily search for recipes that meet special dietary needs like vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free.

A to Z the USA [GLADL Card Req.]

All 50 states, territories, and U.S.A. in general — Topics include history, geography, demographics, education, food and recipes, government, crime, maps, media outlets, symbols, sports, and more.  Need to do a report or planning your next roadtrip — this resource has all the facts and interesting stories too!

Consumer Reports [Provided by Woodlands Library Cooperative — password access]

Make better purchasing decisions — find the best deal on an LCD TV or research the top recommended vehicles; ConsumerReports has the ratings and reviews for thousands of products.

To access – email questions@gladl.org for Username and Password

DemographicsNow [Provided by Mel]

Business and residential tool providing access to demographic data. Drill down to the city or even neighborhood level. Identify markets and audiences in your community. Ideal for supporting small business and local economic development activities. Strong tool for businesses and non-profits alike.

AtoZ Databases [Provided by Mel]

AtoZdatabases is the Premier Job Search, Reference & Mailing List Database including 30 million business & executive profiles & 240 million residents. Ideal for sales leads, mailing lists, market research, employment opportunities, finding friends and relatives, and much more!

Hoopla

Hoopla provides instant access not only to books but to COMICS, MOVIES, and MUSIC too!  Check out 6 items per month.  No waiting and no holds.

Kanopy

Kanopy offers streaming classic cinema, independent films, and top documentaries. Create an account and link your library card to get start watching up to 10 videos per month.  Available on Roku, Android, and Apple Apps.

Kanopy for Kids

Great access to VIDEO classics, storytime, and science & nature.  Check out up to 10 items per month.  Parents can set parental controls on Kanopy accounts to limit their children’s accounts to only Kanopy Kids.  Create an account and link your library card to get start watching up to 10 videos per month.  Available on Roku, Android, and Apple Apps.

Questions? Lots of Answers on our Content FAQ

Explore

MSU Science Festival — a great festival with resources all year round; Citizen Scientist; resouces for how to!

MSU Extension Educational Resources — from science to financial literacy for toddlers to teenagers

12 Museums offering virtual tours

30 Virtual Field Trips