New on the Net by Kelly Clark Suzanne Clouthier Haidee Parker Richmond Public Library

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The library has long been known as a place for students to find books, magazines and pamphlets to help with projects and homework assignments. These traditional resources are now joined by many web sites covering topics of interest to students, ranging from astronomy to geography to math.

Finding good web sites for homework can be daunting when there are so many sites available. Start at Canada's SchoolNet where links to sites are arranged by subject and Canadian sites are marked with a Canadian flag. For example, the science section provides a link to Great Canadian Scientists , a Simon Fraser University site with detailed biographies of famous scientists such as Birute Galdikas and Michael Smith.

There are many other science sites for younger students. VolcanoWorld from University of North Dakota features up-to-date facts about currently erupting volcanoes. Starchild http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/ is a learning centre for young astronomers, with information about the solar system and universe as well as pictures and a glossary. YES Mag , a science magazine for kids, covers science and technology news and has a "Do at Home" projects section with step-by-step instructions for activities such as building a geodesic dome house out of newspaper.

Students can brush up on arithmetic skills with Math Baseball , which features drill-style interactive exercises for addition and multiplication practice. Math Magic is aimed at both teachers and students and has lessons suitable for kindergarten to grade 12. Another great homework site is The National Atlas SchoolNet with a wealth of Canadian geography facts and figures, perfect for projects and reports.

Before kids go online, it is strongly recommended that parents inform themselves about child safety on the Internet. A great place to start is The Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace for Parents and Kids , which gives practical tips for Internet safety and emphasizes the importance of parents spending time with their children online. Another feature gives guidelines on how to select web sites, an important consideration as not all Internet sites are of the same quality and some may contain inaccuracies and outdated information. The content of a site should be age-appropriate, accurate, updated regularly and there should be a source clearly identified.

Those without Internet at home may drop in or reserve free-use Internet stations at the library. to reserve, call Brighouse main branch at 231-6415 or Steveston branch at 274-2012. Comments and suggestions for future columns may be e-mailed to column@yourlibrary.ca.