Study Support: What Can VPL Do For You?

In honour of the advent of Study Hall, which will run from April 11th to the 28th at our three resource branches (Civic Centre, Bathurst Clark, and Pierre Berton) and offer extended hours for studiers (until midnight from Monday to Thursday and until 9pm from Friday to Sunday), I thought I’d bring you some study support to make your preparation for exams, final assignments, or professional requirements a little easier.

Databases

My first database recommendation is Brainfuse HelpNow. This database—accessible for free with a library card—provides resources for students from kindergarten to grade 12, including access to live tutors, live French and Spanish language help, an online writing lab, LEAP learning platform and more.

An Adult Learning Centre is also available, for post-secondary and other needs. Brainfuse also offers help with High School Equivalency preparation, the Canadian Citizenship Exam, Microsoft Office, Career Resources, etc. Explore Brainfuse’s SkillSurfer and find a library of lessons, videos, tests, and other resources. You can even send questions to an expert and get an answer within 24-hours!

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is a free-with-library-card alternative to Skillshare. It has thousands of videos on how to do pretty much anything you can imagine, with a focus on such areas as technology, software development, business skills, project management as well as creative skills like animation and video editing. The courses are taught by recognized industry experts who will guide you along in learning the skills you need for your personal and professional development. They also offer ten different languages for your multilingual needs. Just pop ‘studying’ into the search bar and voila, all the helpful videos appear!

VPL has tons more databases, all for free, all for everything under the sun. I highly recommend checking them out, especially everything under learning.

‘How to Study’ Guides

One common complaint that I encountered both as a student and as a teacher is that…a lot of people don’t know how to study, or how to study effectively. I found handwriting my notes really helped me, personally, even if I never reread the notes; the muscle memory of it worked for me.

I also found that using mnemonics was also helpful. I’d read out the info I needed in a silly voice or to a tune, use acronyms and rhymes, or associate facts and terms with certain unique images, and that would help me recall it later. But if you want to learn different ways of studying or find a study style that suits you, check out these books!

Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades by Daniel G. Amen

With schools becoming more competitive and technology becoming increasingly distracting, today’s students face a minefield of obstacles to academic success. Doing well in school isn’t just a matter of smarts or more studying: It takes good habits, practical tools—and a healthy brain.

Brain health pioneer Dr. Daniel Amen knows what it takes to get the brain ready to succeed. Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades draws on Dr. Amen’s experience as a neuroscientist and psychiatrist as well as the latest brain science to help you study more effectively, learn faster, and stay focused so you can achieve your academic goals.

Outsmart Your Brain by Daniel T. Willingham

When we study, we tend to focus on the tasks we can most easily control—such as highlighting and rereading—but these practices only give the illusion of mastery. As Dan Willingham, professor of psychology and bestselling author, explains, familiarity is not the same as comprehension. Perfect for teachers and students of all ages, Outsmart Your Brain provides real-world practices and the latest research on how to train your brain for better learning.

Each chapter provides clear and specific strategies while also explaining why traditional study processes do not work. Grounded in scientifically backed practical advice, this is the ultimate guide to improving grades and better understanding the power of our own brains.

Eat That Frog! for Students by Brian Tracy

Like adults, students of all ages struggle with how to manage their time. Encountering the necessity of time management for the first time, high schoolers juggle classes, extracurricular activities (all but mandatory for college admissions), jobs, internships, family responsibilities, and more. College brings even more freedom and less structure, making time management even more critical. Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! has helped millions around the world get more done in less time.

Now, this life-changing global bestseller has been adapted to the specific needs of students. Tracy offers readers tips, tools, and techniques for structuring time, setting goals, staying on task (even when you’re not interested), dealing with stress, and developing the skills to achieve far more than you ever thought possible. This is the book that parents and teachers have long been wishing Tracy would write.

Study Your Way to Your Perfect Career by Lucinda Becker

New to university and not sure what you should be doing, or when? This book shows you how to make university work for you.

With a confidence-building tone, helpful tips and a host of relatable examples, this book doesn′t just help you get started at university—it helps you make it count. The Student Success series are essential guides for students of all levels. From how to think critically and write great essays to planning your dream career, the Student Success series helps you study smarter and get the best from your time at university.

Along with ‘how to study’ guides, VPL also have a plethora of study guides for various topics, subjects, novels, and exams. Be sure to check them out!

Study Music

My last study help resource is music! My easily distracted brain focuses much better when a portion of it is occupied by music playing lowly in the background (or even just ambient noise, the kind you might get at a coffeeshop).

If you, like me, find that music helps you study (or at least, helps keep the boredom of studying at bay) check out these playlists, available on our free app, Hoopla.