Students & Educators

Youth classroom interior

La Porte County Public Library partners with schools to share resources and provide students and teachers with library accounts. Check out online resources and learn more about the Libraries 360 program below.

Need help? Email libraries360@laportelibrary.org.

Digital Library

BookFlix

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BookFlix has animated books filled with adventure, music, and interactive games that bring eBooks to life. 

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Census Academy

Census Academy

Learn how to access and use Census Bureau data with quick how-to videos and in-depth courses, webinars, and tutorials.

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National Park Service: Educator Resources

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Includes links to teacher workshops, printable lesson plans, virtual learning activities & more! 

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PebbleGo

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Learn more about interesting topics through articles and activities for K-2 students. Additional resources for educators and parents are also available in core subject areas.

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PebbleGo Next

Pebble Go Next logo

Learn more about interesting topics through articles and activities for 3rd-5th grade students. Additional resources for educators and parents are also available in core subject areas.

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ScienceFlix

ScienceFlix logo

ScienceFlix is a student-friendly science database with thousands of articles, interactive units, hands-on projects, multimedia, and more.

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TeachingBooks

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Developed and maintained to include thousands of resources about fiction and nonfiction books used in the K–12 environment, with every resource selected to encourage the integration of multimedia author and book materials into reading and library activities.

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Collections & Services

Libraries 360

Checkouts and Due Dates 

  • Borrow books, audiobooks, and DVDs for 3 weeks. 
  • There's a due date receipt on items delivered to schools. Check that receipt to see the date to return the item to your school library or any La Porte County Public Library location. 
  • Want to keep an item longer? It happens automatically! Items checked out from Libraries 360 will automatically renew up to two times unless someone else has placed a hold on the item. 

Late or Lost Items 

  • La Porte County Public Library does not charge overdue fines for late items. You may be charged for lost or damaged items. 
  • Items kept 28 days (about 4 weeks) past the final due date are assumed lost so a replacement fee for the cost of the item(s) is added to the account. Your account remains un-usable until the items are paid for, returned, or addressed by a librarian. 

Educator Accounts 

All classroom teachers at participating schools automatically have accounts. 

  • You will be assigned a library card to access your account. It will stay the same year after year. The default PIN is the last 4 digits of your school’s phone number.  
  • Libraries 360 delivers almost anything to schools, except R-rated movies. 
  • Educators can borrow up to 100 items at a time, most for 6 weeks. 

Libraries 360 FAQ

Libraries 360 is the way we share the Library’s educational resources and learning materials with students and teachers in La Porte County schools. 

Students at participating schools are issued Libraries 360 accounts through their school homerooms or libraries. 

Email libraries360@laportelibrary.org or call 219-362-6156 option 2. You can also ask school library staff for assistance.

Students may not receive a physical card, but school library staff have their library account information. Teachers receive a physical card. If you need your barcode or a replacement card, visit https://form.jotform.com/230586013868057 to request it.

Library staff have access to student account information like account number and PIN. If your school library staff are unable to assist you, email libraries360@laportelibrary.org or call 219-362-6156 option 2.

  1. Visit libraries360.org and click on your catalog.
  2. Look around for the materials that you want and then click “Place Hold.” Make sure your school is selected for the pick-up location*, and LPCPL will send the items that you want to your school.  

*Students at Michigan City Elementary Schools and La Porte Schools: When you request an item in the catalog, select Main from the drop-down to have it delivered or select the LPCPL location where you want to pick up your item. 

*Students at New Prairie United School Corporation: When you request an item in the catalog, select Rolling Prairie from the drop-down to have it delivered or select the LPCPL location where you want to pick up your item. 

  1. Sign into your account using your ID number and PIN. Ask your school librarian about your PIN if you don’t already know it. 

 Pro tip: Pay attention to whether there are holds on the items you are requesting. If there aren’t any holds, we’ll get things to you as fast as we can. If there are holds, though, you’ll have to wait in line for the item and it might take a while. If there are holds on something that you need right away, check your school library’s shelves to see if you can just grab it there.  

Almost everything! Students are assigned an account type appropriate to their grade level. Schools select the Libraries 360 account type students are assigned. If you would like your child to have more access to the Library, you can sign your child up for an unlimited account at any LPCPL location. 

We’re moving materials all the time! Items are typically delivered to schools once a week. It can sometimes take 2-3 weeks to get an item from the public library to your school library for pickup. 

You can return items you borrowed from your school library to any La Porte County Public Library location. You can also return LPCPL items to your school library.

You can check your account anytime at laportelibrary.org. Or by giving us a call at 219-362-6156 option 2. Overdue notices will also go out to the schools weekly. 

You can recommend items be added to the public library’s collections using this form.

Libraries 360 Tutorial