Homework, Education, & Testing

With 9,000+ (English/Spanish) interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities, ABCmouse.com’s award-winning online curriculum is an invaluable resource for young learners ages 2 to 8.

How to Checkout a 4-Week License

An ABCmouse license can be checked out for 4-weeks of home use. Follow these steps, and your child/children will be having fun and learning in no time!

• Fill out the online Home Checkout form, opens a new window by selecting California, a San Mateo County Library location, and entering your library card number and PIN.
• If new to ABCmouse, you will be presented with an account confirmation page showing a temporary ABCmouse username and password. We recommend saving for future reference, as it is associated with your library card number.
• You can also customize the login information by visiting the Parent Section under Settings (the gear icon) and clicking on My Account, Account Information, and replacing your temporary login information with your own email address and password.
• If a license is not available, you’ll be asked if you want to be added to a waiting list. You will receive an email when a license is available so please make sure to enter your personal email.
• Build a profile for you and your child/children by answering a series of questions. You can add up to three children to your account.
• At the end of the profile set up, you will be given the choice to do an assessment for your child/children. It is recommended that you do so. This will help you to determine what your child needs to work on in ABCmouse. You will have an opportunity to do another assessment at the end of the four weeks to track progress.
• When the assessment is complete, your child is all set to explore the various games, activities, and features of ABCmouse from the home dashboard.

After Your 4-Week Checkout

When your 4-weeks are up, you will have an opportunity to sign up for another 4-week check out if there are licenses available. If not, you will be given an option to get on the waiting list. Your child's profile and progress will be saved.

You can also use ABCmouse from within the library, opens a new window. It is accessible from the public computers or from your own computer or device when it is connected to the library WiFi. All of your progress will be saved.

Please note: An ABCmouse license for East Palo Alto patrons can only be checked out with an ABCmouse Learning Kit. Please check out a kit at the East Palo Alto Library first.

With 9,000+ (English/Spanish) interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities, ABCmouse.com’s award-winning online curriculum is an invaluable resource for young learners ages 2 to 8.

Search thousands of academic journals at once on a broad range of disciplines.

Academic Search Complete Help, opens a new window

This biographical database offers in-depth profiles from Current Biography and World Authors, the periodical coverage of Biography Index and the specialist content of Junior Authors & Illustrators.

Biography Reference Bank Help, opens a new window

Provides thousands of reliable full-text biographies, including the complete full text of Biography Today and Biography, plus narrative biographies not available in other databases

Biography Reference Center Help, opens a new window

This online database is the go-to site for elementary school research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

Un excelente recurso digital en español que ayuda a enriquecer el aprendizaje de los estudiantes de primaria y secundaria.

An excellent digital resource in Spanish that helps enrich the learning of elementary and middle school students.

Un excelente recurso digital en español que ayuda a enriquecer el aprendizaje de los estudiantes de primaria.

An excellent digital resource in Spanish that helps enrich the learning of elementary school students.

Un excelente recurso digital en español que ayuda a enriquecer el aprendizaje de los estudiantes de secundaria.

An excellent digital resource in Spanish that helps enrich the learning of middle school students.

This online database is the go-to site for high school research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

This online database is the go-to site for middle school research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

This online database is the go-to site for K-12 research. Fifty-three thousand schools throughout the country use Britannica School to build essential information literacy skills, differentiate instruction, and support STEM education.

CA Driver Permit Practice Tests are free to access and require no registration. They include the following:

• 10 car practice tests
• 6 motorcycle practice tests
• 3 CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) practice tests
• 3 online driver’s manuals (car, motorcycle, CDL)
• An FAQ section with detailed answers to 100+ DMV-related questions

Need a Driver License Handbook? You can get them in different languages from CA.gov, opens a new window.

California missions eBooks that can be read online for free.

When asked for a Username and Password please enter Username: missions Password: missions.

• Mission La Purísima Concepción, opens a new window
• Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, opens a new window
• Mission San Antonio de Padua, opens a new window
• Mission San Buenaventura, opens a new window
• Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo, opens a new window
• Mission San Diego de Alcalá, opens a new window
• Mission San Fernando, Rey de España, opens a new window
• Mission San Francisco de Asís, opens a new window
• Mission San Francisco de Solano, opens a new window
• Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, opens a new window
• Mission San José, opens a new window
• Mission San Juan Bautista, opens a new window
• Mission San Juan Capistrano, opens a new window
• Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, opens a new window
• Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, opens a new window
• Mission San Miguel Arcángel, opens a new window
• Mission San Rafael Arcángel , opens a new window
• Mission Santa Bárbara, opens a new window
• Mission Santa Clara de Asís, opens a new window
• Mission Santa Cruz, opens a new window
• Mission Santa Inés, opens a new window

Need to find out about California Mission or California Indians? How about California Governors or Explorers? California Social Studies Fact Cards will help you out with facts at your fingertips for California Indians, Explorers, Missions and Mission life, Ranchos, Datelines and more.

Summaries and commentary for hundreds of literary classics.

Offers up-to-date business and residential data in the United States. With data axle – reference solutions, you can find jobs, business opportunities, company research, market trends, addresses and phone numbers, and much more.

data axle – reference solutions Help, opens a new window

Use EBSCOhost to select and search reference databases of your choice. This interface is recommended for advanced searchers. For students and general searchers, try one of the Explora databases below:

• General Research
• Elementary School Research
• Middle School Research
• High School Research

EBSCOhost Help, opens a new window

Students can search multiple databases at once for elementary school research (grades K-5). All full-text articles included are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles).

Databases searched:

• Primary Search
• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
• American Heritage Children’s Dictionary
• Topic Overviews K-5

Elementary School Research Help, opens a new window

An authoritative database of indexed and full-text education literature and resources.

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) Help, opens a new window

Your source for population, housing, economic, and geographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Explore Census Data Help, opens a new window

Search multiple databases at once covering general interest topics, business resources, literary reference, news articles and more.

Databases searched:

• MasterFILE Premier (with Consumer Reports)
• Business Source Complete
• Newspaper Source Plus
• Biography Reference Center
• Topic Overviews Public Libraries
• Associated Press Videos

General Research Help, opens a new window

San Mateo County Libraries now offers a fully accredited online high school diploma and career certification program through Career Online High School (COHS). COHS is available via the internet, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. A limited number of scholarships are available to card holders who are California residents and 19 years of age or older.

Connect live with an expert tutor for homework help in English & Spanish, seven days a week from 12 PM – 10 PM PST. Kindergarten - Adult. Requires "29041" library card.

Students can search multiple databases at once for full-text articles, images, videos, and more for high school research (grades 9-12).

Databases searched:

• MAS Complete
• Newspaper Source Plus
• History Reference Center
• Literary Reference Center Plus
• Science Reference Center
• TOPICsearch
• Biography Reference Center
• Topic Overviews 6-12
• Associated Press Videos

High School Research Help, opens a new window

The definitive full-text database covering world history (excluding the United States and Canada) from the 15th century to the present.

Historical Abstracts With Full Text Help, opens a new window

Contains thousands of reliable resources including primary source documents, biographies, photos, maps, and more.

History Reference Center Help, opens a new window

Lynda.com is now LinkedIn Learning! Read more about this upgrade on our blog. 

A constantly growing library of more than 8,500 courses in streaming video format with 40-60 new courses added weekly. Subjects covered range from 3D + Animation; Audio; Business including Office and Google software; Design; Developer; Photography and Video; and Web and social media. Videos use screenshots, narration, live-action, smart boards, charts and graphics, audio and include captioning. Courses are available for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced learning tracks. Requires "29041" library card.

LinkedIn Learning Help, opens a new window

This full-text database that combines information from major respected reference works, books, literary journals as well as original content from EBSCO Publishing.

Literary Reference Center Plus Help, opens a new window

Search and browse full-text articles from magazines, reference books, and other primary source documents.

MasterFILE Premier Help, opens a new window

Students can search multiple databases at once for full-text articles for middle school research (grades 6-8). All full-text articles included are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles).
Databases searched:

• Middle Search Plus
• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia
• Topic Overviews 6-12

Middle School Research Help, opens a new window

Search full-text articles from over 1,200 newspapers, newswires, and news magazines.

Newspaper Source Plus Help, opens a new window

O’Reilly for Public Libraries is an online learning resource designed to help you understand the latest technologies and business strategies. You get unlimited access to over 50,000 technology eBooks as well as video courses, case studies from top companies, learning paths, expert playlists, and more—with nearly 1,000 topics to explore in technology and business.

O'Reilly Help, opens a new window

Contains resources that present diverse perspectives on important issues and events.

Points of View Reference Center Help, opens a new window

A highly specialized database of full-text electronic information especially for educators, professional librarians, and education researchers.

Professional Development Collection Help, opens a new window

Learn a new language with Pronunciator! Choose from any of the 163 languages in Pronunciator and dive in with self-directed lessons, live teachers, movies, music, and more. Learn at your own pace or join a live teaching session. Requires "29041" library card.

A Pronunciator app, written in responsive HTML5, is available and can be used in any browser — including browsers on any mobile device. You must first register an account with Pronunciator to use the app.

Pronunciator Help, opens a new window

Designed to bring instant results to users across thousands of journals, magazines, newspapers, videos, reports, and other types of content. This multidisciplinary resource brings together some of ProQuest’s most used databases in education, humanities, psychology, science, social sciences, and news.

Central Student Help, opens a new window

An online resource of reports on 209 countries, each U.S. state, and all 13 Canadian provinces and territories. Reports contain information on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people, as well as audio, video, images, maps, infographics, and classroom exercises.

Culturegrams Help, opens a new window

Provides authoritative, full-text eBooks in a wide range of subject areas along with powerful tools to find, use, and manage the information. Subjects covered: Business & Economics; Computers & IT; Education; Engineering & Technology; History & Political Science; Humanities; Interdisciplinary & Area Studies; Language, Literature & Linguistics; Law, International Relations & Public Policy; Life Sciences; Medical; Nursing & Allied Health; Physical Sciences; Psychology & Social Work; Religion, Philosophy & Classics; Sociology & Anthropology.

eBook Central Help, opens a new window

A reference collection of periodical and digital media content designed to support middle and high school students, college-prep and college-level researchers, and professional educators.

eLibrary Help, opens a new window

ProQuest is used by researchers and librarians around the world. Through its partnerships, ProQuest has built a growing content collection that now encompasses 90,000 authoritative sources, six billion digital pages and spans six centuries.

Supports information literacy, writing, and research skills instruction occurring in libraries, classrooms, and online learning environments.

Research Companion Help, opens a new window

A general reference database providing safe, reliable, curriculum-aligned content and features for use by students and educators in Primary and early Secondary schools.

SIRS Discoverer Help, opens a new window

Delivers the pros and cons on social issues with relevant, credible information. Analyses and opinions hand selected from thousands of national and international sources such as newspaper and magazine articles, videos, charts, maps, statistics, primary sources and government documents.

SIRS Issues Researcher Help, opens a new window

This full-text Spanish-language database covers subjects inside and outside academia and offers content from a variety of sources, including reference books, general interest magazines, and health reports.

Este base de datos de texto completo en español cubre temas dentro y fuera de la academia y ofrece contenido de una variedad de fuentes, incluidos libros de referencia, revistas de interés general e informes de salud.

Referencia Latina Help/Ayuda, opens a new window

Designed specifically for junior and senior high schools, Science Reference Center is an excellent source of reliable information on life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, technology and more.

Science Reference Center Help, opens a new window

Professional educators can search multiple databases at once for full-text articles from peer-reviewed education journals and educational reports.

Databases searched:

• Professional Development Collection
• ERIC

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.

TeachingBooks.net Help, opens a new window

Find lesson plans, discussion questions, novel units, reader's theater scripts, and other instructional support for the books you're reading in any K–12 classroom.

• Ready-to-use and vetted for quality to save you time
• Stimulate discussions about the books you're teaching
• Use for book clubs and to prompt conversation about books at home
• Choose from thousands of guides for both fiction and nonfiction
• Great for new educators and teachers-in-training

TeachingBooks.net Help, opens a new window

Compile, organize, analyze, and share instructional materials associated with the books in your curriculum.

• Create your own booklists
• Manage text sets
• Analyze text complexity differentiation
• Seamlessly edit, sequence, and annotate lists
• Immediately have instructional materials
• Distribute lists with QR codes, emails, or permanent links

TeachingBooks.net Help, opens a new window

Have the author reveal, anytime, the author's purpose, writing, and research processes with these TeachingBooks.net exclusively created primary source materials.

TeachingBooks.net Help, opens a new window

Have ready-to-use vocabulary lists — often organized by chapter — for the books that you're teaching. Vocabulary lists include:

• Definitions
• Example sentences pulled from each book
• Audio pronunciations

TeachingBooks.net Help, opens a new window

Get to know the latest award-winning books with exclusive primary source recordings that introduce students to authentic writing and research processes.

TeachingBooks.net Help, opens a new window

Include diverse cultural experiences in your instruction as reflected in quality fiction and nonfiction books.

• Identify exceptional multicultural books for all content areas
• Bring culture and race to the forefront of literary conversations with authentic, primary source instructional materials

TeachingBooks.net Help, opens a new window

An online learning platform for San Mateo County Libraries cardholders who want to improve work-related skills or further develop a personal interest. Users can search through more than 4,000 continuously updated, on-demand video courses across 75 categories in business, technology, design, health, mindfulness, and more.

To Use the App:

1. 1. Download the Udemy for Business app in the View available apps below.
   2. Open the app and enter gale.udemy.com as the organization account and click Next.
   3. Under Find Your Institution select Public Library and search for San Mateo County Library.
   4. Click San Mateo County Library and you’ll be taken to the screen where you can enter your library card number and click Sign In.
   5. You’ll be taken to the screen where you can sign in using a Google or Microsoft account.

Udemy Help, opens a new window

Provides live help with VA benefits and resources. Also includes support tools, college skills tools (including free tutoring), and job-hunting help for veterans transitioning from the military to civilian life. Requires "29041" library card.