Homeschooling Resources

Are you homeschooling or thinking about homeschooling your child(ren)? Lincoln Library has many resources to help you on your path.

Get Started!

• Scholastic Parents presents 8 Steps to Homeschool Success to consider before you begin.
• Moms.com details 10 Types of Homeschooling Parents Should Know Before Starting in this article.

Understand Curriculum Requirements and Legal Issues

• The Illinois State Board of Education’s Homeschooling FAQ may help you decide whether homeschooling is right for your family.
• Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt, religious, membership organization that advocates for homeschooling, defends the civil rights of homeschoolers, and provides assistance to homeschooling families.
• National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) conducts and collects research about homeschooling and publishes the research journal Home School Researcher.
• Access free, comprehensive curriculum guides for preschool to 12th grade through publisher World Book. Each level lists the components of a typical course of study by subject.

Find Resources Online to Support Your Chosen Curriculum 

Cathy Duffy is a trusted resource for information about homeschooling resources. This link takes you to secular and religious online curriculum options and includes both individual courses and all-in-one programs.

Physical Resources at Lincoln Library

• Let the library help you supplement your curriculum! Contact us and let us know what you’re looking for. Select Youth Services from the drop down form. 
• Browse our online catalog to find physical materials as well as e-resources. Place requests using your library card and PIN number. You can also create custom lists to stay organized and remember favorite items. Use the tools along the left hand side of the page to narrow your search and/or set your preferences.
• Helpful subject links to the Library’s catalog:
  • Homeschooling
  • Curriculum
  • Common Core

Custom Collections

Lincoln Library’s Youth Services staff are experts at connecting children to the right resources. We would love to gather materials for your child.

Please let us know what you’re seeking by using this form.

Be sure to include which formats you would like  (books, audiobooks, DVDs, etc.), age/grade level of your child. If the items are for a school assignment, please briefly describe the requirements of the assignment. The more we know, the better we can meet your needs!

Examples: 

• My 5th grader needs to research the Supreme Court and create a poster.
• My 1st grader is struggling with addition and subtraction.
• I am getting ready to potty train my toddler.
• My eight year old loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid and would like more books like it. 
• I am a 3rd grade teacher and my class is studying world geography. I need books on certain countries.

If you are needing a specific item held by Lincoln Library, please place a hold through our catalog, rather than using the form.

If we do not own the item you are looking for, please use this form to request the item. We’ll request it through Interlibrary Loan or purchase the item for our collection. Please allow up to one week for your request to be reviewed.

When your resources are ready for pickup, we will send a message to your preferred contact method (phone or email). You may pick up your items from the library’s self-serve hold shelf (organized by your last name) or set up a time for curbside pickup by calling 217-753-4900 ext 5614.

Questions? We can help!
Youth Services
217-753-4900 ext 5612

Parent and Educator Resource Center

The Parent Educator Resource Center collection has a wide variety of instructional, behavioral, and educational resources to use in your homeschool. In addition to books and kits, the PERC collection also offers downloadable and online resources.

Illinois Reader’s Choice Awards Shelf

Lincoln Library offers multiple copies of each of the nominated titles from the Monarch Award (grades K to 3), Bluestem Award (grades 3 to 5), and Rebecca Caudill Award (grades 4 to 8). In addition, many of these titles are offered as ebooks and audiobooks and are accessible through the library’s online catalog.

Local Public School Resources

• Sangamon County Regional Office of Education
• Springfield Public Schools

Lincoln Library offers a variety of online resources. 

Download and stream offers access to movies, music, and videos, plus download e-magazines, ebooks and e-audiobooks directly to your device with your library card. 

Premium research tools for students are free to access from home using your Lincoln Library card or student e-card. Find articles, media, maps and more!