California's K-12 Online Content Project included in 2020-21 state budget
Students, educators and families in California will have access to Britannica, TeachingBooks and ProQuest during the coming school year

The final budget presented by the Legislature and signed by Governor Newsom earlier this week includes $3 million in funding for the California Online Content Project coordinated by the California State Library. Students, educators and families will have access to Britannica, ProQuest and TeachingBooks online resources in 2020-21.

These resources can support literacy and  English language development, STEAM subjects, social science, research skills, and critical thinking -- all through an online environment accessible at home.

"This $3 million investment in our future is another example of Gov. Newsom’s work to close the opportunity gap so all Californians – regardless of circumstance – are connected with the tools they need to succeed,” said Greg Lucas, California State Librarian, in a press release.

More details about the program, training opportunities, quick access page and alternative access methods will be noted in the next issue of this eNewsletter. Questions may be addressed to Mary Beth Barber at marybeth.barber@library.ca.gov.

Also: The Quick Access page and links will remain available past the publicized May date, remaining active through the summer (at least to August) to support educators and their planning for next year. More announcements coming soon. For those who need a quick overview of these resources available through Quick Access, consider sharing the 20-minute video overview (Zoom recording) created by the State Library.

ICYMI: Want a refresher in how to use the K-12 Online Content for distance learning? We've got training recordings for you!

Thank you to the San Bernardino County Office of Education for hosting the training and recording the webinar for future reference.

• Monday, May 11, 2020: Overview of TeachingBooks, Britannica and ProQuest as part of the K-12 Online Content Project
• Wednesday, May 13, 2020: Two-part deep dive, with the first hour devoted to "College and Career Readiness" for grades 7-12, and the second to "Standards and Lesson Plan Supports Online" for grades pre-K to 8. 

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ICYMI: COLLEGE AND CAREER READY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE 
The California Council for the Social Studies' annual peer-reviewed publication for January 2020 had a theme: college and career readiness. To support these efforts, the issue includes an article about the K-12 Online Content Project. It details this school-library resource and the importance of being able to access the resources from Britannica, ProQuest and TeachingBooks for teaching history and social science at all grades. 

You can see the article here or learn more from the State Library's K-12 Online Content Project main page. Please feel free to provide to teachers and administrators who desire more information how to use these resources to help our students with their post-K-12 endeavors.

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We’re trying to build a network of educators, librarians, administrators and others (including parents and the students themselves) to fully utilize this educational opportunity and share best practices. Please share this eNewsletter with others, and encourage them to sign up. And feel free to copy/paste text for your own outreach to teachers, staff and others. Just make sure you get the URLs, credit the State Library somewhere ... and fix any typos or grammar problems. Sometimes we work a little too quick here!

Comments and suggestions are always welcome and may be sent to Marybeth.barber@library.ca.gov.