If you’ve been to the Hennepin County Library’s website recently, you’ve likely noticed its complete revamp. The databases we learned about oh-so-long-ago on elementary school field-trips have moved, the “My Account” settings have all kinds of fancy options, and there are even eBooks.

As always, visiting hclib.org makes me warm and fuzzy inside. The Hennepin County Library system runs homework help programmes, hosts author events, and holds regular adult learning classes. With your library card, you can access world-class databases and archives. Everything from scholarly articles on literature; to digitised images of public and private Minneapolis high school yearbooks years 1859 on; to scores and sheet music; to subscriptions to National Geographic and the New York Times; to virtual homework help from 1-11pm.

So next time you’re struggling with an essay on The Scarlett Letter or completely baffled by a Pre-Calc problem, dig through your drawers and find your trusty library card. Dust it off, plug in your barcode, and enter your pin (probably the last four digits of your phone number). Then take a gander at those databases and test your luck. What you find might surprise you. (And I can guarantee it’ll be wayyy better than SparkNotes.)

So just think, the library is ours––all funded by Hennepin Country property taxes and state and federal tax revenues. It can give us the world- take advantage of that.