Libraries
Libraries are an important resource for homeschoolers. Parents and children value librarians for the expertise they share when navigating the vast amounts of information found in today's libraries. Libraries also provide lending materials, educational materials, meeting space for support groups, and more.
Colorado Public Libraries
Park County Public Libraries
The mission of the Park County Public Libraries is to educate, encourage, enlighten and entertain.
Douglas County Libraries
Douglas County Libraries is a passionate advocate for literacy and lifelong learning.
Louisville Public Library
The Louisville Public Library's mission is to inform, involve, and inspire the communities we serve.
Spanish Peaks Library District
Library serving the citizens of Walsenburg and the surrounding area.
Eaton Public Library
This library is housed in a historic building that is more than 100 years old.
Durango Public Library
A department of the City of Durango , the Durango Public Library is located along the banks of the Animas River, and is adjacent to the tracks of the popular Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. A short walk from the Animas River Trail, the 42,800 square foot Durango Public Library offers over 108,000 items in print, downloadable, audio and video formats.
John C. Fremont Library District
Serving the citizens of Florence, Colorado.
High Plains Library District
Connecting communities to information, inspiration and entertainment for life.
Fort Morgan Public Library
The Fort Morgan Public Library serves our community as a resource center by providing materials that satisfy the patron's need for recreational reading and information. The Library assists in the achievement of educational goals and offers a creative atmosphere in which children and adults can foster their love of reading.
Boulder County Library
The mission of the Boulder Public Library is to enhance the personal and professional growth of Boulder residents and contribute to the development and sustainability of an engaged community through free access to ideas, information, cultural experiences and educational opportunities.
Jefferson County Public Library
Library system serving all of Jefferson County, Colorado.
Eagle Valley Library District
The Eagle Valley Library District provides exceptional opportunities to read, learn, and grow.
Denver Public Library
The Denver Public Library connects people with information, ideas and experiences to provide enjoyment, enrich lives and strengthen our community.
Delta County Libraries
Delta County Libraries consists of five libraries located in Delta, Hotchkiss, Cedaredge, Paonia, and Crawford. Delta County has a total population of 30,334 and is geographically well-served by the five libraries. The Library District maintains a varied collection which includes hardback, paperback, and large print books, audio and visual materials, downloadable materials, magazines, newspapers, computer databases, and local history materials. Each library provides public access computers and I-Pads as well as printers, copiers and other peripheral equipment.. Each library also provides a lively schedule of programming for preschool and grade school children, teenagers, adults, and families. ESL and GED classes are provided throughout the county at a variety of library and non-library locations.
La Veta Library
It is the La Veta Public Library District’s mission to assemble and organize services, collections of materials and other resources to meet the information needs and interests of the people it serves and to provide free access to diverse ideas in a variety of formats.
Burlington Public Library
The Burlington Public Library brings many opportunities and resources to our community that many residents would otherwise not have access to.
Buena Vista Public Library
The Buena Vista Public Library is part of the Northern Chaffee County Library District.
Alamosa Public Library
To inform, educate, and culturally enrich the population of Alamosa County and the San Luis Valley. We offer a broad range of library materials and information services as part of a larger library community with whom we share resources. Our helpful and expert staff provides quality service and programs in a welcoming environment. We encourage lifelong learning, knowledge through self-education, and the joy of reading!
Security Public Library
The mission of the Security Public Library is to meet the evolving educational, cultural, informational, and recreational needs of the public by providing modern library resources and services.
Arapahoe Library District
We are dedicated to being the best public library for the communities we serve by providing outstanding and personalized service to everyone seeking access to the world of information and ideas.
Loveland Public Library
Loveland Public Library - The need to know...the place to go! Located in beautiful Loveland, Colorado.
Salida Regional Library
Founded in 1894, this library serves the region around Salida.
West Routt Library District
The West Routt Library offers an extensive selection of information, friendly staff, and
help finding most everything!
Pueblo City-County Library
We serve as a foundation for our community by offering welcoming, well equipped and maintained facilities,outstanding collections, and well-trained employees who provide expert service encouraging the joy of reading, supporting lifelong learning and presenting access to information from around the world.
Cortez Public Library
The Cortez Public Library provides information and recreation through its collection of books, audio books, movies, computers and programs.
Wilkinson Public Library
Serving the residents of Telluride, Colorado.
Garfield County Libraries
The Garfield County Public Library District seeks to create, promote, and provide an environment of literacy, education, information, and entertainment for everyone in our communities.
Sterling Public Library
Library serving the citizens of Sterling.
Lafayette Public Library
Lafayette Public Library, a cornerstone of the Lafayette community, offers the space and the tools to learn, explore, discover, and create!
Longmont Public Library
Library system serving the city of Longmont, Colorado.
Summit County Library
Welcome to the Summit County Library. It's our pleasure to provide you with a wide range of materials and services to help you gain the information and knowledge you seek.
Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library
Providing opportunities for all Broomfield residents to pursue lifelong learning, satisfy their reading, viewing and listening interests, receive answers to their questions, achieve personal literacy goals and gather with neighbors in a welcoming place.
Poudre River Public Library
Just as the Poudre River flows through the region and sustains life across the high plains of northern Colorado, The Poudre River Public Library District is where the free flow of information cultivates growth and serves as a steady, limitless source of renewal for all of its communities.
Prospector
Prospector is a unified catalog of academic, public and special libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. Through Prospector you have access to 30 million books, journals, DVDs, CDs, videos and other materials held in these libraries. With a single search you can identify and borrow materials from the collections and have them delivered to your local library.
West Custer County Library
Although located in a small, rural community, the Library reaches out to the broader world through an expanding network of advanced technology to accomplish its goals, to meet the growing needs of the public at large, and to enhance the quality of life for those in Custer County.
Pitkin County Library
The Pitkin County Library is home to one of the greatest library collections in the mountains of Colorado. All of our materials have been selected for the quality of their educational, thought provoking, and entertainment value, and they have all been hand-picked by librarians. The collections of Pitkin County Library have been, and continue to be, meticulously maintained for a sophisticated, diverse, and intelligent community. The library strives to provide materials that will stimulate the mind from a great many perspectives, and cover a wide range of subjects. Highlights of the collection include; the second largest collection of music in the state of Colorado including the rare recordings of the Aspen Music Festival and School, a nonfiction collection that offers a spectacularly robust variety of subjects, and a children’s collection that has grown into a work of art. The library also curates a wide variety of electronic resources that library patrons may gain access to at home or in the library.
Mancos Public Library
The Mancos Public Library strives to be a comfortable and inclusive piece of the heart and soul of the Mancos Valley by fostering intellectual freedom; encouraging life-long learning; providing the resources for self improvement and community building to all members of the community; and supporting and showcasing the arts.
Clear Creek County Library District
Serving the citizens of Clear Creek County. Branches are located in Georgetown and Idaho Springs.
Pikes Peak Library District
The Pikes Peak Library District serves the greater Colorado Springs area.
Englewood Public Library
The Englewood Public Library is a place to Read, Explore And Discover!
Carnegie Library
Library for the citizens of Trinidad, Colorado.
Gilpin County Public Library
Public library serving the residents of Gilpin County. The library is located in Black Hawk, Colorado.
Montrose Regional Library District
The Montrose Regional Library District fosters community by providing resources, encouraging reading and supporting lifelong learning.
Bud Werner Memorial Library
The Bud Werner Memorial Library is your index to the world. We connect you to the information you need, the inspiration you seek and the stories you long to experience.
Bemis Library
The Edwin A. Bemis Public Library is responsible for meeting the informational, educational, recreational, and cultural needs of Littleton citizens.
Town of Vail Public Library
The Town of Vail Public Library offers access to information resources of many types to serve the needs of Vail's guests, residents, businesses and schools. The library holdings include over 52,000 fiction, non-fiction, visual media, and audio books and more than 300 magazine subscriptions and newspapers in print or electronic format.
Westminster Public Library
Library system serving the citizens of Westminster, Colorado.
Aurora Public Library
Four library branches serve Aurora's more than 330,000 residents, providing access not only to hard-copy books and periodicals, but the Internet, online databases, job resources, homework assistance, DVDs, CDs and online books.
Mesa County LIbraries
Mesa County Libraries serve downtown Grand Junction with our Central Library, and seven branch libraries serve communities throughout Mesa County.
Lake County Public Library
Lake County Public Library is the highest public library in North America at over 10,000 feet in altitude. It is located in the historic mining city of Leadville, Colorado. The library houses the rare and interesting Colorado Mountain History Collection of local history and genealogy, documenting the unique history of this "Boom Town," at its peak called the wealthiest mining camp in the world.
Research Libraries in Colorado
Anasazi Heritage Center
Located in Dolores, Colorado, the Anasazi Heritage Center is a museum of the Ancestral Puebloan (or Anasazi) culture and other Native cultures in the Four Corners region. It is also the starting point for visits to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. The museum features exhibits on archaeology, local history, and Native American cultures, interpretive programs, archaeological sites, and a research library.
Carnegie Branch Library for Local History
A branch of the Boulder Public Library, this facility houses a collection of over 200,000 photographs and 700,000 historic documents and is is available to the public and researchers.
Greeley Municipal Archives
Collection of historical documents and photographs managed by the city of Greeley.
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
Nestled along the Front Range in scenic Colorado Springs you will find the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI). Among the museum's attractions, you will find mining artifacts, a 12,000 volume research library available by appointment, a museum store and historic machinery that actually works. WMMI, is a nonprofit educational museum dedicated to preserving the West's mining heritage.
National Libraries
American Memory
American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library's mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.
America's Story from America's Library
This Web site is brought to you from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the largest library in the world and the nation's library. The site was designed especially with young people in mind, but there are great stories for people of all ages.
Libraries & Homeschoolers: Working Together
Homeschoolers and the Public Library
Public libraries are invaluable tools for DIY educators and home education. Home-based educators utilize various curriculum sources to assist in teaching. The National Center for Educational Statistics published a survey from 2012, in which 70% of homeschooled parents cite the public library as their most valued resource. This article, written for the American Library Association, details how librarians can meet the needs and work in partnership with homeschooling families.
Homeschooling and Libraries
This blog is written by Adrienne Furness and represents efforts to explore the homeschooling world and help librarians build good relationships with homeschooling families. Adrienne is a freelance writer and Children's Librarian at the Webster Public Library outside of Rochester, New York.
Public Libraries Welcome Growing Homeschool Community
Public libraries around the country are finding new ways to serve the growing population of homeschoolers through physical spaces and creative programs catered to homeschooling families’ needs. This article takes a look at what libraries in Illinois, Colorado, and Tennessee are doing to meet the diverse needs of homeschooling families.
Homeschooling and Libraries: New Solutions and Opportunities
Homeschools are alwsy looking for alternative ways of schooling that do not necessarily reflect what a typical classroom looks like. Since homeschooling is so diverse across families, information institutions, including public, academic, school, and special libraries may find it challenging to meet all their needs and desires. This collection of essays offers approaches and strategies from library professionals and veteran homeschoolers on how to best serve the needs and experiences of homeschooled youth. This book includes information on special needs homeschooling, gifted students, and African American students as well.
A Home Away from Home: Libraries & Homeschoolers
According to a 2003 study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), when homeschoolers were asked about their primary source of books and/or curriculum, 78 percent named their public library. This article offers ideas for outreach and support to homeschooling families, including ideas for creating a homeschool information hot spot, touring the library with homeschool groups, offering targeted programs and more.
Serving Homeschooled Teens and Their Parents (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series)
This guide for librarians addresses the needs of homeschooled teens and how a library can meet those needs. Includes ideas like developing a homeschool resource and book collection to creating special homeschool programs. While this book was written for library staff, it is also an insightful guide into how homeschoolers and libraries can work together.
The Perfect Partnership: Public Libraries and Homeschoolers
As a community partner, the public library can assist this growing population’s needs. The best scenario is one in which the library staff works with the local homeschool community.
Homeschoolers and Public Libraries: A Synergistic Relationship
Homeschoolers are commonly heavy users of their local libraries. Statistics show that more than 78 percent of home educators use the public library as their primary resource for curriculum supported materials. So, how do libraries become educational “hubs” for homeschoolers? They develop programs and services to support this burgeoning population by offering programs, digital information, and events that support homeschooling families. The energy and vibrant curiosity that home-educated children have, and the commitment and support their parents contribute, make libraries a better place for all.
Homeschoolers’ Experiences with the Public Library
The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of homeschoolers using the public library. A phenomenological design using interviews, a survey, and a writing prompt was used to give voice to the public library experiences of seven homeschool participants. From the data, three primary themes surfaced. First, most of the participants felt that the library was a home away from home. Next, many of the participants valued how the public library saved them money, and finally, many of the participants voiced a desire for more library daytime programs, especially daytime programs that catered to older, homeschooled children.
19 Ways to Get the Most from Your Library
We all know the library is the homeschooler’s best friend. Where else can you go to find all those wonderful books, DVDs, and more for free? But your librarian can be even more helpful than you had realized. Here are some tips for getting the most from your library.
Homeschooling Families Tap into Library Services, from Storytime to Science Equipment
Across the country, librarians are stepping up to serve families who choose to educate their children themselves. Libraries have an important role in advancing education in whatever format. Many libraries offer events for homeschool families and offer programs and services that cater to home educators.
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Featured Resources
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Montessori Method
This book is Montessori's own exposition of the theory behind her innovative educational techniques. She shows parents, teachers and administrators how to "free a child to learn through his own efforts".
The Story of the World
This book series by Susan Wise Bauer is another that is best enjoyed as a read aloud rather than seen as a history textbook. It is full of engaging stories, mixing facts and historical legends. The companion study guides offer questions, narration exercises, activities, crafts, and reproducible pages. There are also lists for each chapter of supplemental books that are easily found at your local library.
Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 1: Ancient Times (From the Ear...
Choosing & Using Curriculum: For Your Special Child
Homeschooling a child with special needs can be challenging. This book lays out a discussion of different reading and math programs, how to adapt materials for special situations, resources for blind, deaf and speech/language, and curriculum types and styles. It will help you find the resource you need to make your homeschooling successful.
Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition
The educators of ancient Greece and Rome gave the world a vision of what education should be. The medieval and Renaissance teachers valued their insights and lofty goals. Christian educators such as Augustine, Erasmus, Milton, and Comenius drew from the teaching of Plato, Aristotle, and Quintilian those truths which they found universal and potent. Charlotte Mason developed her own philosophy of education from the riches of the past, not accidentally but purposefully. She and the other founding...
Drawn Into the Heart of Reading
Drawn Into the Heart of Reading was developed for use with students of multiple ages at the same time, perfect for the homeschooling family. It is designed for use as an entire reading program or as a supplement to an existing program for students in grades 2-8.