Kick Off the School Year At the Library

  • By Baltimore County Public Library

If you feel like you blinked and summer is already over, you’re not alone. Time flies when you’re having fun—like participating in the Summer Reading Challenge. Now that the school year is here, we have the tools to help students start strong and stay successful! Whether you’re looking for in-person events, online resources or interactive programs, we’ve got you covered.  

While anyone in Baltimore County can register for a physical or digital library card, Baltimore County Public School (BCPS) student identification numbers already serve as library cards. Students can check out up to five print, audiobooks or downloadable books and access our online resources for homework help, test prep, research projects and streaming. Then, use your standard library card to browse our Library of Things and borrow video games, movies and more. Read below to learn more or explore our youth offerings. 

Programs 

The library holds in-person and virtual programs nearly every day. Programs include:  

  • Anime, manga and book clubs 
  • Crafts and DIY
  • Gaming and recreation
  • STEM
  • Tween/teen afterschool hangout
  • Writers clubs

Search for programs by date, location and age group.

Digital Library

Our digital library is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Download or stream using a computer, tablet, phone or smart TV. Options include:  

Homework Help  

Learn more about the following homework help resources:  

  • Brainfuse—Get expert help from tutors through a live chat from 2 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Send a question and get an answer within 24 hours. Have your library card number and password available. Spanish-speaking tutors are available.  
  • SkillSurfer—Practice long division, improve reading comprehension and learn other key skills.  
  • Writing Lab—Submit a writing sample and receive feedback on structure, grammar, style and content to help you better organize and present your thoughts and information.   

Research Databases    

Use our online databases for research and school assignments. Many contain full-text articles from magazines, journals, current and historical newspapers, encyclopedias and more. A valid library card or BCPS student identification number is required to access some databases.  

Study Spaces 

If you’re looking for a space to work on a project, practice for a presentation, or a quiet area to study for a test, check out our study rooms. Available at 12 branches, you can reserve the rooms up to 24 hours in advance by booking a room online, calling the branch or visiting the service desk during branch hours. Reservations are available in 15-minute increments with a maximum of one hour reserved per customer per 24 hours. Based on availability, customers can request to reserve the room an additional hour at the service desk after the original block of time has expired. Most branches also offer a “quiet area” open to individuals with no signup.

After-School Snacks 

Starting Tuesday, September 2, seven branches will offer after-school snacks, thanks to a partnership with Good Harvest. Come to the branch after school Monday through Friday to work on homework, hang out with friends, play games and get a snack. Snacks will be available for those 18 and younger while supplies last, at: 

  • Cockeysville
  • Lansdowne
  • Parkville-Carney
  • Reisterstown
  • Rosedale
  • Sollers Point
  • Woodlawn

Children under 8 must be with an adult.

For the Little Ones 

It is never too early to start learning! This summer we launched Mango Language’s Little Pim—a language learning platform made for those ages birth to 6. Enjoy vibrant animation, short video lessons and interactive activities. It’s available in 12 languages, including Spanish, French, German and Russian.

Parents can enroll their children younger than 5 in our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. There is no minimum age to sign up! Reading out loud with your child helps them develop important early literacy skills—such as speaking, listening and communicating—before they start kindergarten. Parents can sign up through Beanstack or by downloading or picking up a paper reading log (PDF) at their home branch. For every 100 books read, children can collect a special sticker. When they get to 1,000 books, there is a completion prize.  

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