Homework Help
españolOnline tutoring, school report sources, video tutorials and research tools for K-12 students.
Black Newspaper Collection (Historical) includes searchable articles from Black newspapers in the U.S. with select coverage for the years 1893-2010.
- Articles display in PDF format.
- Please check the resource directly for title list and coverage.
- To search obituaries: choose Advanced Search, go to Document Type and check the Obituary box.
Find search tips and more on About ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
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Book Connections provides multimedia content to complement children's and young adult books. Resources include audiobook readings, author videos, book discussion guides and lesson plans for over 40,000 books in English and Spanish.
Access is available to anyone in Texas.
Book Connections has similar content to TeachingBooks.net, and is geared towards public libraries.
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Brainfuse HelpNow
Live online tutoring available every day from 2 PM - 11 PM
Homework help and test prep for students in grades K-12 and adult learners.
Brainfuse HelpNow provides online tutoring for students in grades K-12 and adult learners. Live tutors are available every day from 2 PM - 11 PM.
The Brainfuse HelpNow app is available on iOS and Android devices.
To get a Brainfuse HelpNow login:
- Open Brainfuse HelpNow in a browser.
- Click "Login".
- Click "Sign up".
- Create a user name and password.
- Use your user name and password to login to the app.
Brainfuse HelpNow Highlights:
- Writing Lab: upload a document and get feedback within one business day
- SkillSurfer: test prep & skill-building
- Live Chess Tutoring: Listed under Expert Help. New!
- Send Question: ask the tutors for help outside of tutoring hours — get a reply within one business day
- Language Lab: live practice for learning Spanish
- Español: tutoring in Spanish for many subjects
About Brainfuse HelpNow:
- Students communicate with live tutors using an interactive whiteboard to chat, write, draw, copy/paste text or images and graph homework problems.
- All live sessions are saved and can be replayed as well as shared with friends and teachers by email.
- Registration is not required to get live tutoring help, but it is recommended so that students can track their progress.
- Registration is required for certain modules like The Writing Lab and the SkillSurfer.
- Check out the Brainfuse HelpNow tutorial from Niche Academy.
- View a short video [3:36] for a Brainfuse HelpNow demo.
- Email info@brainfuse.com for technical assistance.
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Britannica Library
Encyclopedia entries, magazine articles, images and videos for all ages
Britannica Library lets you choose from 3 levels to find information suitable for your grade or reading level. You can search for encyclopedia entries, magazine articles, images and videos.
Britannica Children is for students in grades K-5.
Britannica Young Adults is for students in grades 6-8.
Britannica Reference Center is for high school and adult researchers.
Check out the Britannica Library tutorial from Niche Academy.
To get an overview of the Britannica Library, view this two-minute video.
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E-Read Texas offers thousands of eBooks on the BiblioBoard Library site and app. Anyone in Texas can access these eBooks. You don't need an Austin Public Library card. eBooks are always available and you can borrow as many as you'd like.
E-Read Texas offers eBooks not available in APL's BiblioBoard Library collection, including popular nonfiction, adult and teen fiction, and titles from select Texas university presses.
These eBooks are made available through the Texas State Library and Archives Commission's TexShare program.
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E-Read Texas for Kids offers hundreds of eBooks on the BiblioBoard Library site and app. Anyone in Texas can access these eBooks. You don't need an Austin Public Library card. eBooks are always available and you can borrow as many as you'd like.
E-Read Texas for Kids offers eBooks not available in APL's BiblioBoard Library collection.
These eBooks are made available through the Texas State Library and Archives Commission's TexShare program.
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Gale In Context: Biography
Gale In Context: Biography contains more than 600,000 biographical entries covering international figures from all time periods and areas of study. Content includes reference sources, videos, audio selections, images, primary sources, and magazine and journal articles.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
Download the title list [xslx]
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Gale In Context: Elementary provides resources for elementary school student research, grades K-5. Sources include magazine and newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries and images.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
Download the title list [xlsx]
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Gale In Context: Environmental Studies
Gale In Context: Environmental Studies includes case studies, news articles, reference materials, academic journals and videos.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
Download the title list [xslx]
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Gale In Context: High School includes reference content, biographies, primary sources, multimedia, critical essays, news and academic journals for high school student research.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
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Gale In Context: Middle School provides age-appropriate videos, newspapers, magazines and primary sources for middle school student research, defined as grades 6-9.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
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Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints provides over 13,000 essays and articles expressing pro/con views, from capital punishment to stem cells to texting-while-driving.
If you need articles for an argument or position paper, points for a debate or essays for a current events report, this site provides these from different sources including books, magazines, journals and newspapers.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
Watch these video tutorials for search tips.
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Gale in Context: Science provides authoritative information covering all major science topics. It contains newspaper & magazine articles, reference books, images & videos, science experiments, biographies and dictionaries.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
Watch these video tutorials for search tips.
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Gale Interactive: Science is a virtual science lab for middle and high school students. The content is paired with interactive 3D models to deliver a virtual laboratory simulation experience.
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Gale Literature Resource Center offers literary analysis, biographical information, overviews, full-text literary criticism, and reviews on more than 130,000 writers in all disciplines, from all time periods, and from around the world.
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Gale Literature: LitFinder contains literary works and secondary-source materials covering world literature and authors throughout history. Including more than 132,000 full-text poems and 670,000+ poetry citations, as well as short stories, speeches and plays.
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Gale Literature: Twayne’s Author Series
Gale Literature: Twayne’s Author Series provides in-depth critical introductions to the lives and works of major writers.
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Gale OneFile: High School Edition
Gale OneFile: High School Edition is designed for middle- and high-school students and provides access to age-appropriate, authoritative digital content for classroom assignments. Learners can research magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference books covering a wide range of subjects, from science, history, and literature to political science, sports, and environmental studies.
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Gale Presents: Miss Humblebee's Academy
Miss Humblebee’s Academy is an interactive learning program aligned with preschool and elementary standards for children ages three to six.
It offers hundreds of lessons spanning all major academic subjects, including social and emotional learning,for kindergarten readiness.
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Gale Presents: National Geographic Kids
Gale Presents: National Geographic Kids includes the complete run of the magazine from the first issue in 2009 to the present, as well as books, videos and images. Geared towards students in primary through middle school.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
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Gale Presents: National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-2020
Gale Presents: National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-2020 provides full-page magazines from its start in 1888 to 2020.
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hoopla has digital movies, music, TV shows, audiobooks, eBooks and comics.
- Instantly available borrowing.
- No hold queues
- Stream content through your browser on PC/Mac.
- Stream or download with the hoopla digital app for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and Roku.
- Check out 4 items per month.
- Movies & TV shows check out for 3 days.
- Music CDs check out for 7 days.
- Audiobooks, eBooks and comics / graphic novels check out for 21 days.
- Read our hoopla FAQ for more tips.
To get started in your browser:
- Go to hoopla and click "Get Started."
- Create your hoopla account with an email address and password (8-character minimum). The hoopla account is not linked to other Library accounts.
- Under "Choose your library," select "Austin Public Library (TX)".
- Enter your Library card barcode and Library PIN/Password, and you're ready to use hoopla.
You can also create an account directly in the app following similar steps. Get the app from your device’s app store, open it and tap Sign Up.
For more information:
- hoopla has a Help page
- Email them at feedback@hoopladigital.com
- Watch their how-to videos on YouTube
- Check our hoopla FAQ
- Check out the hoopla tutorial from Niche Academy.
- Ask a Librarian
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LearningExpress Library
Academic, civil service, GED, ASVAB, U.S. citizenship, professional and certification practice tests and skill building for all ages.
LearningExpress Library features nearly 1,000 online tutorials, practice tests and eBooks to help learners of all ages. It offers job search and workplace skills improvement; skill building in reading, writing, math, and basic science; career certification and licensure exam prep; college and grad school entrance prep; and GED test prep. It can be used on mobile devices.
Get started:
- Go to LearningExpress Library. You will enter your library card number for verification.
- Click Sign In/Register button in the top menu, and create an account with your email address and password*.
- Browse Learning Centers on the home page, or use the Search box.
- Click on your name in the top menu to access "My Center," where you can track your progress and organize your tests, tutorials and eBooks.
* The LearningExpress Library account is not linked to the My APL catalog login.
Check out the LearningExpress Library tutorial from Niche Academy.
The Video Guides can help with using LearningExpress Library.
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Life Magazine Archive, 1936-2000
Life Magazine Archive, 1936-2000 provides full-text articles and photos from Life Magazine's start in 1936 to 2000.
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MakeMake le ofrece 500 libros electrónicos en español para niños de todas las edades. Ésta colección contiene libros interactivos donde los niños pueden leer y escuchar el texto al mismo tiempo y la interfaz es también en español para facilitar su uso. La mayoría de los títulos en MakeMake son libros escritos por escritores latinoamericanos.
Puede acceder a estos libros por medio de su navegador.
MakeMake has 500 Spanish-language eBooks for children. The collection includes picture books, read-along books and interactive books. The interface and search are also in Spanish.
These eBooks can be read in your browser.
Vea el tutorial para comenzar.
Da click aquí
Mango Languages
Learn over 70 world languages, take more than 20 ESL/ELL courses, and improve your proficiency with Mango Movies.
Mango Languages helps you learn over 70 world languages, offers more than 20 ESL/ELL courses, and improves your proficiency with Mango Movies.
- Sign up for an account to track your progress, or try it out as a guest.
- To use the Mango Languages app, sign up for an account in your browser first.
- To see if your language has Mango Movies, a film-based language-learning tool, click on Explore.
- Check out the Mango Languages tutorial from Niche Academy.
- Mango Languages FAQ
- Mango Support
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Newsweek Archive, 1933-2012
Newsweek Archive, 1933-2012 provides full-text articles from Newsweek's start in 1933 to its final print issue in 2012.
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OverDrive / Libby provides eBooks, audiobooks and magazines. Libby Extras has streaming video channels.
- Download Libby for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire.
- Sign in using your Library Card number and Library password.
- Visit Getting Started for device-specific information.
Checkouts & Holds:
- Check out 10 items at time and have 7 holds
- Audiobooks and eBooks: select a check-out period of 7, 14 or 21 days
- Magazines: check out for 21 days. They don't count towards your 10-item checkout limit. Always available, no holds, no limits!
- You have 72 hours to check out a hold once you are notified that it's available
- Extras on Libby:
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Find these in Libby under "Extras" for a 7-day pass. They don't count against your OverDrive checkout limits.
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You will need to create separate accounts for each channel and can stream on almost any device.
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IndieFlix: pop culture favorites, box office hits, award-winning feature films, documentaries, and shorts.
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Qello Concerts: the world’s largest collection of full-length concerts and music documentaries.
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Great Courses: lecture series from world-class professors
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Classica: classical music, operas, and ballets from around the world
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Craftsy: crafting for all creative makers, from basic instruction to advanced techniques
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Craftsy en Español: obtén acceso a expertos de clase mundial que facilitan el aprendizaje de nuevas habilidades.
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Kanopy: thousands of movies and documentaries to stream on any device. Use your Kanopy login to access on the Kanopy app or browser.
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Lucky Day collection: Skip the line for high-demand titles with a 7-day checkout, no holds or renewals. You can borrow 1 Lucky Day title at a time, and it counts against your 10-item checkout limit. If you have a hold on a Lucky Day title, borrowing from Lucky Day won't cancel your hold. See how these titles display in the Libby app.
- OverDrive Help - Search for frequently asked questions by device or format
- OverDrive Support - email tech support specialists 24/7
- Libby Help - one-tap app for eBooks, audiobooks and magazines
- OverDrive / Libby FAQ - search the FAQ or get help from Austin Public Library Adult Services librarians
- OverDrive / Libby tutorial - quick intro from Niche Academy
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ProQuest Historical Newspapers: El Paso Herald/El Paso Times
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: El Paso Herald/El Paso Times provides full-text articles from the El Paso Times (1881-2009) and El Paso Herald Post (1896-1996).
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TeachingBooks.net
Multimedia content to complement children's and young adult books for K-12 students and educators
TeachingBooks.net provides multimedia content to complement children's and young adult books for K-12 students and educators. Resources include audiobook readings, author videos, book discussion guides and lesson plans for over 40,000 books in English and Spanish.
For a similar resource geared towards public libraries, check out Book Connections.
- View the Niche Academy tutorial.
- Watch these video tutorials for more information.
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Texas Driving Permit Practice Tests from Driving-Tests.org provides free driver's permit practice tests. Tests and handbooks include permit, motorcycle and CDL licenses. Tests are available in Spanish.
A library card is not required to use this site.
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Time Magazine Archive, 1923-2000
Time Magazine Archive, 1923-2000 provides full-text articles from Time Magazine's start in 1923 to 2000.
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Transparent Language
Transparent Language Online provides courses in over 110 world languages, American Sign Language, English for speakers of over 30 languages, and KidSpeak courses for children. The instruction is for learners of all levels looking to build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a foreign language.
- Sign up for an account to track your progress, or try it out as a guest.
- To use the Transparent Language Online app, sign up for an account in your browser first.
View the Niche Academy tutorial
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The TumbleBook Library is a collection of animated, talking picture books. Educational games and puzzles are included. Books are available in English, Spanish and French. Accelerated Reader information and book reviews are provided.
TumbleBooks require the latest Flash plugin if you're using a Windows computer. TumbleBook Library has apps for iOS and Android devices.
Haga clic aquí para Biblioteca TumbleBook.
Check out the TumbleBook Library tutorial from Niche Academy.
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