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 formopens a new window. You'll need an email address, your library card number and PIN.
• Create a password for your ABCmouse profile and save your login information. 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.
• 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 give 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 libraryopens 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 Helpopens a new window

Your source for population, housing, economic, and geographic data.

American FactFinder Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens a new window

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.govopens 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 Concepciónopens a new window
• Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledadopens a new window
• Mission San Antonio de Paduaopens a new window
• Mission San Buenaventuraopens a new window
• Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmeloopens a new window
• Mission San Diego de Alcaláopens a new window
• Mission San Fernando, Rey de Españaopens a new window
• Mission San Francisco de Asísopens a new window
• Mission San Francisco de Solanoopens a new window
• Mission San Gabriel Arcángelopens a new window
• Mission San Joséopens a new window
• Mission San Juan Bautistaopens a new window
• Mission San Juan Capistranoopens a new window
• Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosaopens a new window
• Mission San Luis Rey de Franciaopens a new window
• Mission San Miguel Arcángelopens a new window
• Mission San Rafael Arcángel opens a new window
• Mission Santa Bárbaraopens a new window
• Mission Santa Clara de Asísopens a new window
• Mission Santa Cruzopens a new window
• Mission Santa Inésopens 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.

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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens a new window

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

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 1 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens a new window

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

History Reference Center Helpopens 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 Helpopens a new window

Provides a vast library of streaming online instructional videos covering business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. Taught by accomplished teachers and recognized industry experts, lynda.com is a high-quality resource for anyone looking to learn new skills in a wide range of subjects including photography, animation, music, web development, software, and project management. You can take an unlimited number of courses with 24/7 access on your computer or smartphone. Create an account with your library card number & PIN and learn at your own pace.

For Mobile Users:

• Download the Lynda app
• Open the app
• Select Already a member?
• From top of the screen select Organization
• Under Web Portal type - smcl.org and click on Log in
• Use your library card and PIN to Log in

Lynda.com Helpopens a new window

Mango is an online language-learning system that can help you learn languages like Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Mandarin, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Korean & more. Mango can also help second language learners learn English and is available for those speaking Chinese and Spanish. Requires "29041" library card.

Mango Languages Helpopens a new window

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

MasterFILE Premier Helpopens 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 Helpopens a new window

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

Newspaper Source Plus Helpopens a new window

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

Points of View Reference Center Helpopens a new window

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

Professional Development Collection Helpopens 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/Ayudaopens a new window

The best IT and technology eBooks from the best authors and publishers.

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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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 Helpopens 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.