NEW Library Services
Hotspots to go, Live Tutors online, MCAS Practice
In fulfilling the Library’s mission to provide access to information and educational resources, the Holyoke Public Library has added the following new library services:
Wi-Fi Hotspot Lending Program-
Wi-Fi Hotspot Lending Program to assist patrons in our community needing Internet access for a limited time. The intention of the Hotspot Lending Program is to provide Internet access for:
- Students to use for help with remote learning, schoolwork and projects.
- Patrons to search and apply for jobs, housing, and other assistance.
- Employees to travel with reliable internet access to meetings and presentations.
- Patrons to have access to the library’s digital resources such as our databases, eBooks, online courses, and other electronic resources from the comfort of their home.
The program is not intended to provide a subsidy of continual Internet access for any one household. To borrow a hotspot kit, patrons must be 18 years of age or older and have a Holyoke Public Library card (in good standing -- i.e. library card is not blocked due to unpaid fines or lost material). The loan period for the hotspot kits are three (3) days or 14 days with no grace period.
Brainfuse HelpNow/JobNow/VetNow connects people who want to learn with experts who love to teach. It is an online resource with live tutors where patrons access real-time assistance through the intuitive Brainfuse online classroom. Brainfuse tutors are trained to not provide answers, but to help users master a problem's underlying academic concepts.
offers tutoring and homework help services in Spanish for all subjects offered in English.
provides live help in job hunting and bridges the divide by connecting users with experienced career coaches and vast resources to assist them during all stages of their job search.
helps veterans and their families understand and apply for the benefits they are eligible for from local, state, or federal programs. From housing and health care to education, mental health, and more, VetNow navigators are ready to help.
Lumos StepUpTM Library Database Resource is a comprehensive supplemental study program for patrons in elementary and middle schools. It provides MCAS aligned assessments and online workbooks with hundreds of practice questions for Math and English Language Arts for students in grades 3-8.Students can conveniently access this program from anywhere using a personal computer, android phone, iPhone or a tablet computer with internet access.
Dial-A-Story
The library has an exciting new service: Dial-A-Story! Available 24/7, our Dial-A-Story provides a selection of wonderful stories read aloud by your local librarians and featured guests such as the fantastic storyteller Mary Jo Maichack!
New stories will be released once a month and we're taking requests; what stories do YOU want to hear on our Dial-A-Story? Email nhayes@holyokelibrary.org with your requests and we'll make them happen!
To listen to our Dial-A-Story, please call 413-420-5600!
Online Story Time
The Children's Room has a bunch of story time videos (in Spanish and in English) available to watch at your fingertips! Check them out here!
Book Bundles
The Children's Room is now offering Book Bundles through our curbside pickup service! Each bag has a selection of books from a certain genre or theme that we think you'll love,
Please call the Children's Room at 413-420-8105 or email nhayes@holyokelibrary.org to get yours today!
At Home Learning
Online Resources
Erasing the line between homework support and fun exploration, The World Almanac for Kids includes exclusive online-only material as well as content from award-winning The World Almanac®, Chelsea House, and Facts On File sets and series. Each topic area provides resources for homework, reports, and projects, and kids—including homeschoolers—can explore age-appropriate subjects while developing online research skills with a trusted content source.
The Mailbox® School & District is packed with 52,000+ fun and engaging ideas, activities, and worksheets that help inspire imaginations. All of the activities and ideas in The Mailbox® School & District are educationally sound, practical, easy to use, error-free, and child-centered and teach essential skills.
The Just for Kids Streaming Collection for public libraries gives children—and their parents—a thoroughly kid-safe, advertisement-free media platform they can freely explore and enjoy. Just for Kids has the educational videos children want to watch—Sesame Street, The Electric Company, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, The Berenstain Bears, Franklin, and thousands more—plus songs, games, and other interactives that are sure to entertain, educate, and inspire young patrons. Plus, the collection is ideal for librarians hosting a video storytelling hour, homework help for students, or resources for remote learning that they can access anywhere, anytime.
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Online Resources available from a number of Federal agencies
"Please note that the materials presented below concerning resources available on a number of Federal agencies' websites are being provided for your convenience as a potential resource for parents, students, schools, teachers, and other educators to use during this challenging time.
They were not developed by the U.S. Department of Education, and we do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this information. Furthermore, the inclusion of any hyperlinks and the content presented is not intended to convey their relative importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed or products or services offered. The Department does not control, direct, or encourage any particular curriculum or the information related to the curriculum. The use of materials or information by a school or educator is strictly a State and local matter."
Department of Defense: Learn about careers in STEM fields
Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics: Kids' Zone
Department of Energy: Games and Activities; Virtual Field Trips to National Energy Labs
Environmental Protection Agency: Games, Quizzes, and Videos about the Environment
The Library of Congress: Presentations and Activities to Help Students Learn about History
NASA: Interactive Lessons about Space, Earth, Solar System, and Universe; Lessons from Astronauts about Living in Space; STEM Activities for Students of All Ages
The Kennedy Center: Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems; Tour the Kennedy Center with The Pigeon
The Smithsonian: Free Smithsonian STEM Games and Simulations; Meet the Animals of the National Zoo; 3D Exhibits and Virtual Tours; Smithsonian Magazine Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit; The Museum of Natural History Virtual Tour; Digital Smithsonian American Art Museum; Distance Learning Resources
NOAA: Use Real-Time Ocean Data to Explore the Environment
USGS: Learn from Home About Physical science, Geography and Maps
Newspapers Online
Explore our new full-color image edition of The Springfield Republican! All you need is a Holyoke library card number.
This digital archive replaces the physical microfilms covering from May 1, 2018 through the current date. Archival issues prior to May 2018 are available on microfilms in the Holyoke History Room. Please contact us for assistance
Other Massachusetts newspapers can be access here.
Electronic Books (e-Books) and Magazines
e-Books Collection
e-Magazines Collection
Kids Collection
Teens Collection
Education
Online Courses and Continue Education Classes
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Online Non-Credit Courses Tutorial
Online Continuing Education Courses Tutorial
Learn New Skills
Language, Music, Arts & Crafts
Listen to Music and Recorded Books
OverDrive Audiobooks Collection
Freegal Music Tutorial
