Teens Only | I Had That Awful Dream Again...

Cartoon courtesy of miserablemilton.com

And I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm sure most of you have had this same dream. Either you dream you're running way late for school -- and it's the day of a big test. Or you dream that it's the day of a final for a class you forgot to attend all semester! I truly despise these dreams. And I can't figure out, for the life of me, while I'm still having these torturous dreams years (ok, many, many years) after graduating from high school and college.

I remember one time I had the "running way late for school" dream, and I actually woke up, took a shower, got dressed and was almost out the front door with my backpack in hand when I realized it was barely 5 am! There went 2 hours of precious sleep I'll never get back!

So if any of you, dear readers, are plagued by these same nightmares, let me share something with you that you might not know. And while this information won't stop those awful nightmares, being really prepared for school might help you rest a little easier.

The Library has a ton of databases on its website (www.ssjcpl.org) that are FREE and totally helpful for homework assignments. Just go to the website, click on Research, then click on Databases. Some of them might require a library card, but hey, those are free too! Well, your first library card is free at least.

If you've got an assignment for your English class on a famous author, a famous work of literature, whatever...you need to check out Literary Reference Center. There are plot summaries, literary criticisms, and biographies of famous authors. You still need to read that assigned book, but this database will give you a lot of helpful information when you go to write that paper.

Under the Careers and Employment link, there's a new one called JobScout. Not only can you learn the basic Internet skills needed to learn a job, but there are also job listings! It's a user-friendly database that is perfect for new and experienced Internet folks! 

Now if you find yourself having to write a paper on a current (perhaps controversial) topic, you simply must check out the Points of View Reference Center. You'll find this little gem under the Articles & News tab. This covers issues from animal experimentation to gun control to athletes and drugs to tea party activism. And within the articles for each issue are long lists of sources cited, so you can dig even deeper into your issue. It's a great place to start when you're handed this kind of assignment. 

Your public library is your friend! And your public library's website can be a life-saver! So check out these databases! 

And here's to many nights of restless sleep! No school nightmares, please.