Mid-Hudson Library System
     103 Market Street  |  Poughkeepsie, NY 12601  |  845.471.6060  |  fax      845.454.5940  |  http://midhudson.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 25, 2001

 

Contact: Margaret Keefe, Coordinator of Youth Services, Mid-Hudson Library System, 845.471.6060 x35
or
Maxine Kamin, Coordinator of School Library System, Dutchess BOCES, 845.486.4840

        

Need help with your kids’ homework?

School and public libraries introduce Lifelines…

(Mid-Hudson Valley, NY) – Looking for help with homework assignments for your children in grades Kindergarten through 4? There is a new website called Lifelines which will be very beneficial as you assist your children with their homework. The Lifelines website was developed by the Dutchess County BOCES School Library System and the Mid-Hudson Library System with funding from a NYS Department of Education Technology Literacy Challenge Fund grant (1997-2002) obtained by Dutchess BOCES. Lifelines is designed to support schools and public libraries as they work cooperatively to help all kindergarten - grade 4 (K-4) students achieve mastery in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Lifelines was developed with input from school and public librarians who identified curriculum areas studied in grades K-4 in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Web consultant/ librarian Polly Farrington selected subject-specific online encyclopedia entries, magazine and newspaper articles from databases available free through Mid-Hudson System libraries and other age-appropriate websites. Students and parents can access the site from their local library, school library or their home computer 24 hours a day. The website address is http://midhudson.org/lifelines. Families are encouraged to bookmark this site and refer to it whenever homework questions arise.

The sixteen (16) curriculum areas identified and covered on Lifelines include:  Biographies, Communities, Earth Science, Endangered Species, Environmental Issues, Fire Safety, Habitats, Holiday Customs, Life Cycles, Magnetism & Electricity, NYS History, North American Indians, Plants, Simple Machines, Solar Systems and Weather. There is also information about Science Projects, Homework Tips and Raising a Reader. During the next year the Lifelines website will be expanded to include homework support for important curriculum areas in grades 5-8, thanks to a federal Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) grant for 2002 obtained by the Mid-Hudson Library System through the New York State Library.

Lifelines was developed for students and their parents to help keep them in touch with rapidly changing learning environments. This project is a wonderful example of the enhanced services provided to the community when schools and public libraries work together, using the latest technology to make their collective resources and expertise available in support of the education process.