Libraries Welcome Everyone
While our doors may be closed, we are open for business online, providing the virtual services and digital content you need more than ever. Access ebooks, movies, music, online classes, newspapers, magazines, and business and research tools. Participate in virtual classes, book discussion groups, reading challenges, social gatherings, and so much more — all from the comfort of your home.
Here are a few stories of how we have connected online. Please share yours with us, at [email protected]
Project Literacy is offering 23 virtual classes covering topics including US Citizenship, English for Beginning Learners, and English Conversation for Parents. Close to 100 students enrolled in the first week prompting HCLS to increase class sizes and add more classes. Each class is 90 minutes long and staff were trained to use the Webex platform for delivery.
Created While Isolated is a collaborative creativity journal from Howard County Library System. During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the drive and opportunity to create is more compelling than ever. We ask our community to share the photographs, art, music, writing, and other things that you have created during this unprecedented time. What has this moment in time inspired you to do? How have things changed? What’s on your mind? What have you #CreatedWhileIsolated? Adults ages 18+ who live, work, or attend classes in Howard County are invited to share their story and creativity with our community. Visit createdwhileisolated.org to see what others in our community are creating, and learn how to submit your own project.
HiTech is offering currently offering 15 virtual classes per week for middle and high school students, including Coding Lab, Science Lab, Digital Design Lab, Infectious Diseases, and various Math Labs which support all levels of middle and high school math. Since the classes began nearly three weeks ago, attendance has reached over 1,000 students. The response to the classes has been so overwhelming that HiTech has increased the registration capacity and the number of classes offered to support a maximum number of students, while still allowing students to interact with the instructors and have their questions answered. HiTech is using Blackboard to teach the classes, which are 30 – 45 minutes each.
While the original Rube Goldberg Challenge was canceled, we encourage students of all ages and their families to showcase their invention skills by joining the free, national Rube Goldberg Bar of Soap Video Challenge. Build a Rube Goldberg Machine in 10-20 steps to drop a bar of soap into someone’s hands. Watch Jennifer George, granddaughter of Rube Goldberg, describe the challenge, and learn more at RubeGoldberg.com. We thank the students and their advisors for all of their hard work and support that was dedicated to this program and look forward to resuming the event next spring!
