Digital Content Resources - Library Resources

These resources have not been examined for compliance with the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA)  and Education Law 2-d, therefore schools that choose to utilize any of these resources must ensure compliance where applicable. For more information on Education Law 2-d and data privacy and security in general  please refer to NYSED’s Data Privacy and Security webpage.     

The sites below are provided as options and sources for ideas and inspiration only. The list is also not exhaustive; there are many quality resources and learning activities available online.

1. New York State Library
   • Individuals qualifying for a NYSL Borrower's Card or a New York State Resident Borrower's Card can access online journals, online newspapers and other online resources 24/7 from work or home. The library's collection of full text eJournals and eBooks remote access is available to registered borrowers with a valid Borrower Card (beginning with "P") and PIN.
   • NY State Library Digital Collections
     • The Library’s Digital Collections consist of over 75,000 documents relating primarily to New York State. There are State publications, including past Regents Exams, and primary source documents such as letters, journals, maps and posters.
2. NOVEL New York(link is external)
   • Free online access for New Yorkers to the full text of hundreds of journals, newspapers, and other educational resources.
     • Britannica Academic: Includes Encyclopedia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools. High school.​
     • Britannica Escolar: Accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish for native Spanish speakers, bilingual students and students learning Spanish. Primary and secondary levels. 
     • Britannica School: A source for all grades and all reading abilities. Available at elementary, middle, and high school levels. Pre-K-12.   
     • Kids InfoBits: Contains over 550 age-appropriate magazines and other sources. Also includes Merriam-Webster's Elementary Dictionary, maps, flags, seals, charts and graphs. Grades K-5.   
     • Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints: Contains a range of perspectives on many important issues, with over 21,000 pro/con viewpoints. Includes a variety of resource types: reference, news, primary sources, multimedia and more. High school.   
     • Gale in Context: Middle School: Contains magazines, newspapers, primary sources and videos. Grades 6-8.  
3. Summer Reading at New York Libraries
   • An updated list of online and E-Resources for families, students, and schools is now available here with recommendations for resources by age group or grade level. 
4. GALE Comprehensive Online Toolkit(link is external)
   • This toolkit provides additional support materials to help find and optimize existing resources already available to you through your library or consortia partners, as well as content and tools to help you enhance instruction, go virtual, share credible health information, and more. This page will be continually updated as we learn more.
5. Find e-books through your public library system (listed by county)
   E-books and other e-resources are well established in NY public libraries. E-books are currently available to New Yorkers through 98% of New York’s 756 public libraries, which have some 1000 outlets. Generally, access to e-books and databases and other e-resources available from a public library are accessed with a library card number or pin code provided to a qualified member of that library or public library system by the library or system. Contact your public library or system if you require a library card or code to access their e-resources.
   • Find Your Public Library
6. Some libraries or library systems may provide services that allows patrons/ library card holders to stream movies and download audiobooks, comics, magazines and movies on a mobile device or desktop computers. What might be available would be specific to each library or system. Individuals with devices and card numbers should be able to view any media available through their library from logging in to their online library catalog.

School Library Systems in New York provide the online library catalog that provides access to the books and other materials in the school library. School Library Systems manage the collection of all of their member school libraries via a Union Catalog which is a requirement for School Library System membership. Contact your school library in your district for the login data to access e-resources available from your school library or system.

• How to access online resources and e-books provided by school libraries
  • Most school libraries in New York provide a broad range of library resources, including e-books and online databases, from a single search. In New York this access is supported in component districts and schools with the support of NYS School Library Systems. Student access to electronic materials is provided by the school librarian. Contact your school library to get credentials required to access the e-resources their school and system provides for them.

7.  Authors Everywhere!(link is external)
   • A YouTube channel created and run by children’s books writers and illustrators. Users will find workshops, readings, activities, art projects, writing games, and writing advice that will offer fun and creative distractions during potential school closures and quarantines.
8. Audible Stories(link is external)
   • Audible Stories is a free website where kids of all ages can listen to hundreds of Audible audio titles across six different languages—English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese.
9. Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)(link is external)
   • To read free e-books, download the SimplyE app for iOS or Android (from your app store) and add Digital Public Library of America as your library to access the DPLA Collection. It provides access to more than 5,000 free ebook titles. DPLA also provides access to Primary Source Sets that explore topics in history, literature, and culture developed by educators, complete with teaching guides. 
10. Jarrett J. Krosoczka—author & illustrator(link is external)
    • New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka offers an expansive list of tutorials, activities, webcasts, etc. on his YouTube channel.
11. Kate Messner(link is external)
    • Children’s author Kate Messner has compiled an extensive list of storytime and activity videos to her main website, each one starring a different children’s book author and illustrator.
12. Renaissance myOn Digital Reading Resources(link is external)
    • Renaissance offering free access to myON for students and families during the current COVID-19 school closures. Students may log in through a single, shared account, to access this collection of curated resources, which includes thousands of digital books, both fiction and nonfiction, covering a variety of topics and themes, as well as five daily myON News articles, written for students by journalists and reviewed by a child psychologist for age appropriateness.
    • To log into myON click the login button at the top of the screen and enter the following information on the login page
      • School name: New York Reads
      • Username: read
      • Password: books
13. Scholastic Learn at Home(link is external)
    1. ​“Day-by-day projects to keep kids learning, thinking and growing.” New learning experiences are built around a story or video daily. Activities are divided into four grade levels: pre-K and kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-5, and grades 6-9. 
14. Storyline Online(link is external)
    • An award-winning children’s literacy website that features videos of celebrated actors reading from children’s books, including Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White, and more. Each curriculum was designed by a certified elementary educator that focuses on strengthening reading comprehension, and verbal and writing skills.
15. 2020 Summer Reading at New York Libraries
    • ​​Summertime means a chance to explore new books and e-books, learn new skills, and check out resources, programs and activities through Summer Reading at New York Libraries. It’s the perfect time for students of all ages to see what their local library has to offer! The 2020 summer reading slogan and theme is “Imagine Your Story,” a celebration of fairy tales, folklore, mythology, and sharing your own unique story and voice.
16. New York State Library Personal History Initiative and Summer Reading 2020 “Imagine Your Story” 
    • Ideas for Summer Reading Projects using the NYSL COVID-19 Personal History Initiative!