Looking for materials to complement the curriculum or enhance your lesson plans? Let us save you time and effort by putting together a custom Classroom Collection for you! From gathering books on a particular subject to providing multiple copies of a single title, we can do it all. We’re here to research, collect, and deliver. Your Teen or Children Services Librarian can help with special requests. 

Request a Collection

Are your students working on a big assignment, project or research paper? We’ve got your back! Give us a heads-up with an Assignment Alert, and we’ll gather resources and provide suggestions related to the topic to have ready and available for your students at the closest Branch. Just fill out an easy online form or email your Teen or Children Services Librarian directly, then we’ll:

• Email a list of Library e-resources you can share with your students 
• Prepare suggestions and offer one-on-one guidance in the Library 
• Pull and reserve specific books directly to the closest Branch for easy student access to materials that support their assignment. 
• Feel free to also fill out a Classroom Collection form to have materials delivered directly to your classroom! 

We believe that educators deserve special privileges because, well, you’re special! A Dayton Metro Library Educator Card lets you keep your personal card personal, and also lets you check out MORE items than typical patrons and for LONGER… up to 6 weeks! Apply for an Educator Card in person at your Branch and start checking out materials to support your classroom!  

Get a Card at YOUR Library

HOMEWORK HELP to the rescue! We offer in-person assistance at our Homework Help Centers at selected branches. Trained HOMEWORK HELP CENTER staff and volunteers can review assignments, improve study skills, and guide students in the use of Library resources. Give us a call to set up an appointment, or simply drop in during open hours!  

Our Learn at Home Homework Help Guide features online tools for students in elementary through secondary school and sorts them based on audience or subject area. Trusted databases like Academic Search Premier, CultureGrams, Explora, Science Reference Center, World Book Online and many more are all free and available 24/7. Simply have your Library card handy to log in!

Explore Our Homework Guide

Featuring: HelpNow

Free LIVE Online Tutoring + Homework Resources for grades K-12 in all subject areas 

All students should have the access they need to keep learning. If you have students who can’t get to the Library, who are having trouble getting a parent/guardian signature for a Library Card, or whose own card is inactivated due to overdue fines, e-Cards and Student Cards offer solutions. Parent/guardian signatures are not required. Classroom, grade level, school, and district-wide solutions are available – simply get in touch with the Youth Services and Programming Director. 

E-Cards

• Sign up online for INSTANT, unlimited access to all DML digital collections and online resources  
• No printed forms, no need to go to the Library. Students can sign up on their own. 
• Access from anywhere, 24/7 
• No overdue fines – when the loan period ends, the content disappears 
• Allows access to in-Library computers 

Student Cards - Same deal as the E-Cards...

• PLUS, check out up to three print items (books or magazines) from the Library 
• No adult signature required 

It can be challenging to help students discern the good information from the bad online. For homework help, research projects or special assignments, DML connects you and your students to a world of credible information, 24/7, from anywhere – with just a Library Card number and PIN. Here are some of the best: 

• Academic Search Premiere
• CultureGrams
• EBSCOHOST
• Explora Secondary School
• Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Mango Languages
• Novelist K-8 Plus
• Points of View Reference Center
• Science Reference Center
• World Book Online

Instantly borrow free digital movies, music, eBooks and more through a web browser, smart phone or tablet. Plus, get unlimited access to DML’s amazing online research tools wherever you have an internet connection. Our collections are FREE and always there when you need them – even at 3 a.m.!

• Libby (app) - Books, eAudiobooks, digital magazines, comics and manga - 20 Item Checkout  
• Overdrive (web platform) - Includes the same books and materials as Libby, but contains wishlist and book request functions -20 item checkout
• Hoopla (app or web platform) – movies, music, eBooks, TV shows, ebooks, eAudiobooks, comics - 20 Item Checkout 
• Kanopy(web platform) – Classic + Indie Films, Top Documentaries - 8 Item Checkout 
• PressReader (web platform) – digital magazines and newspapers - Unlimited checkout  
• ComicsPlus (web platform) -digital comics, graphic novels, and manga - Unlimited checkout 
• Tumblebooks - animated, talking picture books available online with just your Library card! 
• Over 50 digital research databases
      - Unlimited access

Career Cruising gives educators a powerful tool to help students think about their future. This exploration and planning software can help middle and high schoolers see the connection between their schoolwork and real life. Intuitive and accessible – students can explore their interests and match them with career possibilities, creating an online portfolio they can access anytime. It’s a one-stop shop for planning life after high school!  

Try Career Cruising

FIRST CLUB is the Library’s annual campaign to make sure all first graders have their own Library Cards. Children Services Librarians visit first grade classrooms across Montgomery County or host a field trip to share an original picture book and send students home with card applications and incentives, then deliver those cards directly back to students at school. It’s a lively, fun, and practical introduction to the Library for children who are learning to read and explore their world.  

Dayton Metro Library supports children of all ages with out-of-school learning through our SUMMER CHALLENGE. Research shows that children who participate in summer reading programs improve their reading achievement, are more motivated, return to school ready to learn, and are more confident in classroom activities. The Summer Challenge is open to kids from birth through age 18 – ask your Librarian how you can get your classroom involved!