Young adults

Volunteer this summer

If you are aged 14-18, have fun and volunteer at Essex Libraries. Gain work experience and new skills as a Summer Reading Challenge volunteer helping children to keep reading in the holidays. Great for your CV!

Help with homework

If you are looking for help with homework, just pop into your local library. You will find a variety of reliable resources, and you can chat online to a member of staff.

The online reference library gives you free access to a wide range of information sources,on subjects such as art, literature, music, history, famous people, business information, current affairs, newspapers (both current and historical), dictionaries and foreign language resources. Many of them you can access free from your home computer – just log in with your library card number.

These include:

Encyclopaedia Britannica Library Edition - The world's best known encyclopaedia which includes a students edition (12-18)
Issues online - Topical reports on current social issues
Oxford Language Dictionaries - Not just to find the words but how to use them and even what they should sound like. Includes Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian

Going to university

If you are thinking of going to university, have a look at the UCAS website to find out about Higher, Further and postgraduate education courses and institutions. Many of the larger Essex Libraries also have collections of careers books and University and College prospectuses.

Time for you

And if you are looking for a great read, we have a wide range of novels, including graphic novels, in the Young Adult and Adult sections of the library. Check out the playlist of book trailers for Young Adult books on our YouTube channel.

There are lots of great websites you can go to for reading ideas, and below are some of our favourites. Please remember we have no control over the content of websites outside Essex County Council.