School Tools

Use these resources to help you learn no matter your age!

Connect to the GLADL Catalog

Find great books, CDs, or DVDs — links to our online materials too!  If we don’t have it, search MelCat and request it from one of our partner libaries today.

Search MeLCat

MeLCat gives you access to 40 million items from over 430 libraries statewide.  Request books, DVDs, and Books on CDs. Delivered within 5-7 days.

GLADL Book Finder

We love to pick out books for patrons!  Know the title or author you want — we are happy to pull them off the shelf.  Don’t have a title in mind — no problem, tell us what you are interested in and we can choose some titles for you.  Give us a call at 517-627-7014 OR fill out this handy request form and give us at least 4 business hours and you can pick up your next favorite read!

More Resources

Connect to GL Comets Media Centers

Find your school’s online media center.

Delta Twp District Library

One of our nearest library neighbors.  Check out their collections, online programs & services.

NoveList Plus  [Provided by Mel]

NoveList Plus: Looking for your next book? Want to find a new author that’s similar to a favorite? Can’t remember all the titles in a series?  Just look for the area called “Read-alike Recommendations.”  Includes teacher resource “Teaching with Books.”

KDL What’s Next

Trying to figure out what comes in next in your favorite series? KDL has an easy to search place to find your answer.

Tutor.com  [GLADL Card Req.]

Get FREE Homework Help– Live Tutors 2pm – 9pm, 7 days a week! Patrons can access it from any computer or mobile device to get help with math, science, English, social studies and writing, including AP level assistance.

  • Submit essays, papers, letters to the Writing Lab — get the proofing you need in 12 hours!
  • Videos and Worksheets on variety of academic topics available 24/7
  • Practice Tests for SAT, ACT and AP Exams and more
  • Career Coaching and Resume help for Adults

Learning Express Library [Provided by Mel]

Career Prep, Jobs & Career Accelerator, High School Equivalency Center, College Admissions Test Prep, Popular Software Skills Center, and Skill Building Resources for Classroom and Homework Success!

    Khan Academy

    Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

    Chemistry.Coach

    Ace your Chemistry Classes!  Get Access to General Chemistry & Organic Chemistry Study Guides, Exercises and Practice Tests

    Code.org

    What will you create? Try Code Studio

    Bookflix [GLADL Card Req.]

    BookFlix pairs animated stories with nonfiction eBooks — 137 pairs of fiction/non-fiction including 37 Spanish versions.  Streaming Picture Books & read-to-me eBooks – PreK & up — FREE with your Library Card.

    GLADL Early Literacy

    We have several different services to help parents and our young readers — Literacy Booster Packs, Discovery Packs of Learning, and Book Bundles for Busy Families!

    GLADL Children’s Book Bundles

    We love to pick out books for patrons!  Let us find a bundle of books for your young reader, based on their reading level and interests! Give us a call at 517-627-7014 OR fill out this handy request form and give us at least 4 business hours and we will have a Book Bundle ready for you!

    Storyline Online

    Professional actors read aloud children’s books for FREE — Ages 3 & up.

    Big List of Author’s doing online read alouds & activities — FREE

    PBS Kids for Parents

    Offers a weekday newsletter of activities and tips you can use to help kids play and learn at home.  Sign up online.  Lots more FREE resources also available through their Video and Game apps.

    Teach Your Monster to Read

    Playful early literacy games from letter sounds to beginning reading.  Free on computer/Paid App. — Ages 3 & up.

    World Book Early Learning

    FREE from the Michigan eLibrary — Follow Trek and Taffy the cat around the world. Share their love of colors, numbers, and other fun things. Come inside for stories and pictures.  Ages PreK & Up.

    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. 

    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 Food America [GLADL Card Req.]

    Cookbooks for all 50 states, 6 US regions, 33 major US ethnic groups, and over 100 Historic cookbooks dating back to the 1700’s. Over 3,200+ original TV food commercials dating back to the 1940’s. Check out our “What Did They Eat?” articles!

    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!

    A to Z World Travel [GLADL Card Req.]

    202 World City guides — travel essentials, attractions, insiders’ information, excursions, nightlife, shopping, culture, cuisine, restaurants, health, security, language, maps, hotels, and lots more.  Ever wonder what to tip in Rome or what to order in Athens or what the money looks like in Moscow — be an armchair traveler to get ready for your next big adventure.

    Global World Warrior [GLADL Card Req.]

    Contains 175 COUNTRY guides. Topics include culture & society, travel, education, history, holidays and festivals, language, media outlets, music, maps, money, national symbols, and religion. Illustrated with more than 30,000 photos, maps, and flag images.  Don’t know where to start with your travels, pick a country and explore the global and then try A to Z World Travel to drill down into the Cities.

    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

     

    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

    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!

    Mel for Educators!

    THE destination for help with integrating MeL into Michigan classrooms and curriculum.  Find Curriculum Resources based on age and topic area. Each resource page has code to embed these links on your own site, logos, classroom tips, and promotional materials.  Looking for easy, quick-reference handouts for locating and evaluating resources?  Mel has them ready for you!

    GLADL Teacher Bundles

    Looking for professional development titles or multiple copies of a title (26 copies of Fish in a Tree) or multiple titles for a topic (40 books about bodily functions or soft skills)?  We love to pick out books or get books for TEACHERS!  Items on our shelves we can get ready in just 4 business hoursMelCat requests may take up to 2 weeks for delivery.  But the access to the resources are well worth the wait!

    Give us a call at 517-627-7014 or complete this handy request form.

    OverDrive/Libby

    OverDrive has a wide variety of bestsellers and classics in fiction and non-fiction in eBooks and audiobooks.  Borrow 10 items at a time with Libby, OverDrive’s app for phones and tablets. Checkout is for 21 days.  Test drive the Libby app right in your browser.

    Now in Overdrive Libby — Over 3000 full-color digital magazines for anytime, anywhere reading on any device with no holds, and no limits.

    OverDrive/Libby for Teens

    See what’s new in this always growing YA collection! Check out up to 10 ebooks and audiobooks at time for 21 days.  Try Read or Listen to a Sample to test drive a new book — lots of recommendations to find your next favorite book.  Test drive the Libby right in your browser.

    OverDrive/Libby for Kids

    Content for young readers from read alongs to chapter books to graphic novels.  Filter by AR or Lexile levels.  Borrow up to 10 ebooks or audiobooks at a time with checkout periods of 21 days.

    Hoopla

    Hoopla provides instant access to movies, TV shows, music, comic books, ebooks and audiobooks.  Check out 6 items per month.  No waiting and no holds. 

    ComicsPlus KIDS!

    Borrow and read thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from the library with Comics Plus for Kids!  No holds or waiting lists. Plus, offline access on your computer, tablet, or phone!

    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 documentariesCreate 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

    GLPS Student have eCards!

    If you are GLPS Student then you may already have a Digital Library Card with GLADL!  In April 2020 all students were issued an eCard so they can access all of the Library’s online resources.  Your library card number is your Student ID.  For example if your name is Jane Patron your student id might be “jp23468”  — please note the first two letters must be lower case.  Your initial PIN number was set to 1234.  Log into your Library Account to change your PIN.

    With a Digital Library Card you are ready to start using ALL of our online resources.  If you would like to upgrade your eCard to a full Library Card, just stop by and have your parent/guardian complete the registration process.  Need help — please call 517-627-7017 or email questions@gladl.org

    Contact Us!

    Call 517-627-7014 or eamil questions@gladl.org for assistance — we want to help you!  We are open 7 days a week.

    Getting a Library Card?

    It’s easy to get a GLADL Library Card — you can sign up online through our Online Borrower Registration (a temporary card is good for 21 days) or stop by the Library and register — we are open 7 days a week.  If you register online, please stop by the library to complete your registration and pick up your Library Card.

    Have a Library Card? Check your Account here!

    Ready to get started? Register for a Library Card!

    Tell Us your Purchase Suggestions!