Free online tutoring now available from local libraries Kathleen Reif, St. Mary’s County Library Director, announces the library is now offering free, online tutoring for students and their families daily from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. in both English and Spanish. A library card is needed to use this new tutoring service, called HelpNow!. HelpNow is a product of Brainfuse and is being provided by Southern Maryland Regional Library Association. HelpNow provides “live” expert tutors in all core subjects for students in grade 3 through grade 12. There are no session limits for the tutoring. Subjects include math (algebra I, algebra II, geometry, trigonometry and calculus), science (biology, chemistry, physics and earth science), social studies, and English or language arts. Reading and writing assistance is also available, including a writing lab for help with writing a report or paper. Foreign language labs provide live online instruction from fluent language tutors. Besides tutoring, HelpNow! also offers skills-building assistance to help students master a concept or skill through state-aligned lessons, presented by tutors in one-to-one sessions. All online tutors are trained and certified by Brainfuse, and are based in the United States. Tutors have a four-year degree and prior teaching or tutoring experience and are cleared with a thorough background and reference check. “The St. Mary’s County Library Board of Trustees is pleased to provide this new online resource to support the education of our county’s students,” states Alan Dillingham, President of the Board of Library Trustees. “This will be an invaluable addition to the educational resources available in the library and online from the library’s webpage.” HelpNow! can be accessed from the library’s webpage, www.stmalib.org. For more information contact the library.