The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has added new online resources to the POWER Library, Pennsylvania’s electronic library. The state said these additions, which join a collection of more than 25 online resources, include a genealogy database and a language learning platform.
“These outstanding resources will serve the educational, entertainment, and personal needs of Pennsylvanians of all ages,” said Deputy Secretary and State Librarian Susan Banks. “These are resources that residents, libraries, and schools have been asking for – and we are excited to announce they are now available.”
POWER Library is an online portal that all Pennsylvania libraries offer. The library is administered by PDE’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and it provides access to books, newspapers, and historical archives, as well as other resources. The resources are available to any Pennsylvania resident with a public library card, or an eCard issued by POWER Library.
The new resources are:
- MyHeritage Library Edition – A multilingual family history research database that includes billions of historical documents from 48 countries, millions of historical photos, public records, indexes, and additional resources that span the past five centuries.
- Transparent Language Online – A language learning resource that provides education for more than 120 languages.
- Britannica School Elementary – Britannica School Elementary is a comprehensive source of information for learners in pre-K to grade 5. This platform includes curriculum-aligned games, puzzles, and interactive activities, along with read-aloud options for beginning readers. The edition for elementary school learners from grades 3 to 5 features a child-friendly platform that features simplified articles, engaging multimedia, and interactive games.
- Cricket Media Collection – The e-book collection aims to build strong literacy skills in students from pre-K to grade 8 by offering access to award-winning, short-form fiction and nonfiction titles.
- ProQuest SIRS Discoverer – SIRS Discoverer provides information in areas including history, health, language arts, math, science, social studies, and technology. All newspaper, magazine, and reference book content is full text, editorially-selected, and indexed from over 2,200 reliable, high-quality global sources.
