In today’s digital age, accessing quality online educational resources is more crucial than ever. For students, educators, and families in California, Compass Online emerges as a beacon, guiding them through the vast sea of digital information towards enriching learning experiences. Officially known as the California Online Media Program for Access and Student Success (COMPASS), this initiative provides a treasure trove of online educational content and tools, completely free of charge to California’s public schools, districts, local libraries, and students.
Unlocking a World of Digital Resources with Compass Online
Compass Online acts as a comprehensive guide, directing students and educators to a wealth of invaluable school and library content and digital tools. Imagine having access to a massive digital library at your fingertips – this is the reality Compass Online delivers. Teachers, school librarians, local library patrons, families, and students can seamlessly explore a vast collection of digital resources designed to enhance learning and foster intellectual growth.
This extensive digital library includes everything from detailed informational articles and engaging magazines to comprehensive online books and cutting-edge scientific research. Users can delve into current events with newspaper articles, visualize data with dynamic graphics, and explore the world through captivating photos. Interactive tools, enriching videos and performances, and insightful educational guides are also readily available. Crucially, all resources are thoughtfully aligned with California’s rigorous educational standards, ensuring relevance and academic rigor.
Accessibility at Your Fingertips: Learning Anytime, Anywhere
The beauty of Compass Online lies in its unparalleled accessibility. Whether you’re using a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, learning is no longer confined to the classroom. Students can seamlessly conduct research, analyze information, and engage with media in a way that is both self-directed and student-focused. This fosters the development of essential digital literacy and critical thinking skills, vital for navigating the modern world.
Educators, empowered by Compass Online, can craft engaging and relevant content tailored to the specific interests and needs of their students. Family members, too, can leverage these resources to support their children’s learning journey. Furthermore, Compass Online prioritizes student data privacy, ensuring a safe and secure digital learning environment for all users.
A Proven Resource: Millions of Interactions and Growing
Since its inception, Compass Online, initially known as the “California K-12 Online Resources Program,” has demonstrated its immense value and widespread adoption. Between the fall of 2018 and the end of 2023, the program facilitated over 515 million unique investigations and searches, a testament to its popularity and utility. Impressively, over 90% of California public schools and 95% of California public libraries are connected to Compass Online, providing access to resources from leading educational providers like Britannica, ProQuest, TeachingBooks, Gale, and Capstone’s PebbleGo Science.
Stay Updated and Connected
To remain informed about the latest updates and additions to Compass Online, users can subscribe to a bi-monthly eNewsletter. Join the State Library’s K-12 mailing list for K-12 education and stay ahead of the curve in digital education resources.
The Foundation of Compass Online: Enhancing School-Library Media
The concept of online content resources and tools through libraries, often referred to as “online library databases,” is not new. Universities and research institutions pioneered the use of digital databases for articles and news. Public and school libraries followed, recognizing the transformative potential of digital resources. Today, these resources have evolved to encompass multimedia content, interactive online tools, streaming video, digital books, and engaging interactive programming, supplementing traditional research and educational materials.
The California State Library’s Compass Online program is specifically designed to supplement the learning experience for all K-12 public school students, both within the classroom and beyond. Launched in June 2017 with state educational funding, the program is a collaborative effort with the Riverside County Office of Education. Following a rigorous selection process, expert evaluation led to the initial selection of three providers in April 2018: ProQuest, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and TeachingBooks.
Compass Online’s reach expanded in June 2020 under Governor Gavin Newsom to encompass STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) subjects. In December 2021, three additional platforms from Gale were incorporated, further enriching the resource pool. The PBS Video Collection from ProQuest was added in Summer 2022, bringing a wealth of video-based learning materials. The expansive performing arts collections from ProQuest’s Alexander Street platform were integrated at the start of the Fall 2023 school year, adding a rich dimension of arts and culture. Most recently, in January 2024, Compass Online broadened its offerings to include STEM resources for younger learners with PebbleGo Science from Capstone.
Funded through public education funds, Compass Online ensures accessibility for all school districts and charter schools to integrate these resources into their learning platforms. California public libraries can also provide access to almost all Compass Online resources for their patrons, extending the reach of this valuable program. Some providers have even voluntarily extended access to select resources to independent schools directly, demonstrating a commitment to broad educational access.
The ongoing funding for Compass Online underscores its importance and sustained value. The State Library and the Riverside Office of Education continuously review and refine the program to ensure it effectively meets the evolving needs of educators, school librarians, students, and families.
Why Choose Compass Online? Navigating Beyond Basic Internet Searches
In an era where information abounds online, it’s easy for students (and adults) to assume that all internet resources are suitable for academic work. While some online sources are indeed valuable, many lack the accuracy, reliability, and depth required for serious learning.
Compass Online distinguishes itself by providing access to traditional library databases and tools. These are meticulously indexed collections of magazines, academic journals, newspaper articles, abstracts, and a wide range of other authoritative information. Content is often curated by expert editors from database providers or sourced from reputable publishers, ensuring accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, Compass Online resources have evolved with digital advancements, now incorporating interactive activities, dynamic data visualizations, streaming video, and sophisticated learning tools, enhancing engagement and comprehension.
School and public libraries recognize the vital role of these resources in supplementing curricula. Compass Online empowers students and educators with robust tools for research and student-directed projects. Educators can leverage these resources to design personalized learning experiences that cater to diverse learning styles, cultural backgrounds, varied interests, and promote deeper understanding.
Beyond content, Compass Online supports learning through technology-driven accessibility features. These include direct language translation, closed captions for videos, citation builders, audio readers, mapping tools, and interviews with authors and experts, enriching the learner’s overall experience. Parents can also utilize these resources to effectively assist their children with homework and foster a love of learning at home.
A significant portion of the content within Compass Online resources is not freely available on the open web and is exclusive to subscribers. Moreover, many open web resources may not adhere to stringent student data privacy standards. Compass Online provides a safe, equitable, and cost-effective solution for California, ensuring access to secure online resources while responsibly utilizing state funds.
With Compass Online, students can confidently research, analyze, and utilize information and media, regardless of location – be it at school, the library, or home. This fosters self-directed, student-focused learning, cultivating essential digital literacy and critical thinking skills through these invaluable K-12 library resources.
Access and Privacy: How Institutions Connect to Compass Online
Districts, charter schools, local libraries, and even independent schools can seamlessly integrate Compass Online resources into their existing learning or library management systems.
To initiate setup, technical and program leads at these institutions simply complete a form hosted by TeachingBooks. This streamlined process automatically shares the necessary information with all Compass Online providers. Each provider then sends welcome letters containing specific instructions for institutional setup. This same form can also be used for updates, such as changes in contact staff, IP addresses, or single-sign-on systems, ensuring ongoing ease of management.
Crucially, all Compass Online providers have signed Student Data Privacy Agreements that comply with current California law, applicable across the entire state. These agreements have been rigorously reviewed by the California Student Privacy Alliance and are listed under the Riverside County Office of Education, the California State Library’s partner for Compass Online.
Learn more about providing access through your district, school, or library.
The statewide scope of these agreements eliminates the need for individual institutions to establish separate student data privacy agreements with Compass Online providers, simplifying the administrative process.
While Britannica, TeachingBooks, and Gale have voluntarily extended direct access to their resources to independent schools, Capstone (PebbleGo Science provider) may consider requests from independent schools on a case-by-case basis. However, ProQuest’s academic database Central Student and the PBS Video Collection from ProQuest are exclusively available to local education agencies (public school districts and charters). The extensive suite of other ProQuest resources, including CultureGrams, eLibrary, and the Alexander Street collections, are accessible to local libraries, ensuring that students and educators from independent schools can also benefit from these valuable resources through their local library access. Notably, The Black Freedom Struggle resource from ProQuest is open access for all, reflecting a commitment to widespread availability of critical historical information.
Tech Talk: Seamless Integration and Grade Level Guidance
With Compass Online providing these valuable resources, institutions face the question of optimal integration within their systems, particularly single-sign-on (SSO) systems. Currently, the decision on how to host these resources rests with each institution and its educational technology (ed tech) and information technology (IT) departments. Resources can be grouped together or segmented based on specific institutional needs and user demographics.
Authentication: Ensuring Secure Access
All Compass Online providers offer automatic authentication for on-campus or physical library location access, provided the institution has submitted IP address information to the State Library via the main State Library access form (hosted by TeachingBooks). Users experiencing authentication issues at a school or library location should contact their institution’s IT staff to notify the State Library at [email protected].
For off-campus or outside-library access, authentication methods vary by provider. Some providers grant access from any IP address within California. Others require integration with single sign-on systems (SSOs) like Clever, Google, and Classlink, which need to be configured by the institution’s IT department. Institutions without SSO infrastructure can utilize InstitutionName/InstitutionPasscode authentication. Students and teachers should first consult their school library, ed tech, or IT departments for authentication assistance. A detailed two-page document outlining each content provider’s authentication method is available here (PDF).
Welcome Letters: Your Setup Guide
Welcome letters from each provider contain essential setup and access information for IT departments and program leads. Ed tech or IT contacts needing to access provider instructions or new staff members who haven’t seen the original welcome letters can resubmit the Tech Setup Form. Only new technical information or contact email addresses need to be updated, streamlining the process for existing institutions.
Provider Help Desks: Dedicated Support
For further assistance with provider resources, setup, or questions regarding usage data, Compass Online providers offer dedicated technical support staff. Contact information and links to their help desks are provided alongside their respective graphic icons, ensuring easy access to expert assistance.
Student Access: Tailored Recommendations
Compass Online offers guidance on segmenting resources based on grade level and aligning them with educational standards across various subjects. A recommendations and guidance document for student access by grade level (PDF) is available, providing a starting point for access configuration. However, institutions have the flexibility to tailor access based on their specific needs and pedagogical approaches. Ideally, educators and educational staff should have comprehensive access to all Compass Online resources.
Stay Tuned for Updates: Continuous Improvement
Compass Online is committed to continuous improvement. Templates and technical information are regularly updated to reflect newly added resources and program enhancements. For questions or assistance, users can reach out to [email protected].
Meet the Content Providers: A Wealth of Expertise
Compass Online partners with leading online content providers, offering a diverse collection of resources suitable for learners from kindergarten through college-level high school seniors. A two-page flyer listing all available Compass Online resources is available for schools to utilize, providing a comprehensive overview of the program’s offerings.
TeachingBooks
TeachingBooks provides a rich suite of instructional resources that enhance the reading experience of fiction and nonfiction books for children and young adults. TeachingBooks for Libraries, previously known as BookConnections before 2024, is a specialized version of the platform designed for public libraries.
Key features include:
Live phone support is available Monday-Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST at (866) 269-5794. For technical and customer support, email [email protected]. Customer support requests can also be submitted via the online form.
Gale
Gale, a part of Cengage Group, delivers original and curated content alongside modern research tools and technology. Gale’s STEAM resources within Compass Online include:
California schools and libraries can find specialized information on the California K-12 page from Gale. For immediate support, call 1-800-877-4253 or email [email protected].
PebbleGo Science by Capstone
PebbleGo Science, from Capstone, is a curriculum-focused content hub specifically designed for K-2 students. Capstone is a children’s publisher and interactive content producer deeply rooted in education.
PebbleGo Science is packed with engaging informational articles, ready-to-use activities, and literacy supports for students of all abilities. It fosters independent learning in science, math, technology, and engineering (STEM) concepts. Content is available in both English and Spanish (PebbleGo Ciencia), and includes 50 Capstone Interactive eBooks on science and STEM subjects in both languages.
For assistance setting up PebbleGo Science, visit the Capstone support page or call 1-800-747-4992. Districts and libraries can also email [email protected] for support.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, renowned for its comprehensive reference compendium, offers summary informational articles across a vast spectrum of subjects. A school-age version launched in the 1940s, followed by online school versions in 2004. Britannica’s online offerings are crafted by research experts and continuously updated, with over 1,000 new articles added monthly.
Two primary Britannica products are available through Compass Online for K-12 students:
Technical and customer support for Britannica is available Monday-Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST by calling 1-800-621-3900 or emailing [email protected]. Britannica also provides an informational page for California with training videos, direct resource links, and other helpful information.
ProQuest by Clarivate
ProQuest, now part of Clarivate, curates six centuries of content, representing the world’s largest collection of journals, eBooks, primary sources, dissertations, news, and video. ProQuest offers powerful workflow solutions to support libraries in acquiring and growing their collections. California schools and libraries benefit from access to numerous ProQuest resources within Compass Online, facilitating research, critical thinking, and arts education. A complete list is provided below.
Technical Assistance
ProQuest provides a dedicated technical support page for Compass Online. A tech support ticket can also be submitted directly. For training, product, or educator support, email [email protected]. Additional contact information is available on the technical support page. The ProQuest library guide (“LibGuide”) offers further assistance to librarians, technical staff, and users.
ProQuest Homework Central
California K-12 students and educators can access a wide array of ProQuest products and collections through Compass Online. These can be integrated individually into SSO systems, or districts can provide ProQuest’s Homework Central interface, offering a single point of access to all ProQuest resources.
Included Products and Collections
- PBS Video Collection: A vast collection of thousands of streaming videos on the Alexander Street platform, featuring exceptional documentaries and series from PBS, covering diverse subjects from science and history to art and business. (Public schools only)
- CultureGrams: Concise cultural information on countries worldwide, offering country reports with basic information and insights into daily life, culture, customs, and lifestyles. (Public schools and local libraries)
- eLibrary: A general reference aggregation of periodical and digital media content with editorial guidance for novice researchers, aiding in topic selection and access to authoritative information. Available with a guided interface or as an academic database. (Public schools and local libraries)
- SIRS Discoverer: Selected content for beginning researchers, particularly elementary and middle school students and educators, providing reliable, age-appropriate resources for classwork, homework, and research. (Public schools and local libraries)
- SIRS Issues Researcher: Examining over 360 complex issues, SIRS Issues Researcher is a curriculum-aligned database for middle and high school students and educators, focusing on current and relevant analyses of important controversial issues. (Public schools and local libraries)
- Research Companion: Tools and tutorials designed to guide students through the research process, developing crucial information literacy and critical thinking skills. (Public schools and local libraries)
- eBooks by ProQuest (School and Educators Complete collection): A subscription database of over 12,000 titles, expanding school library electronic book catalogs and supporting learning across subjects, aligning with educational standards. Includes three drama text collections: American and English historical drama, and Twentieth Century Drama. Accessible via the ProQuest Platform, selecting “books.” (Public schools and local libraries)
- ProQuest Central Student: A database of millions of articles from over 10,000 full-text scholarly journals, covering science, technology, education, social sciences, humanities, and news. Accessible via the ProQuest Platform. (Public schools only)
The Alexander Street platform by ProQuest offers streaming video, audio, and text in the performing arts. Compass Online added multiple Alexander Street collections in Fall 2023, available to all public districts, charter schools, and local libraries. Libraries may be able to integrate records and direct links into their electronic catalogs.
Audio Collections
- Audio Drama: The L.A. Theatre Works Collection: 430 plays from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries performed by leading actors, recorded for online listening.
- Music Online: Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries: A virtual encyclopedia of American folk, blues, soul, jazz, and protest songs, and a broad range of world music through a partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Video Collections
- American History in Video: A varied collection of video content, from primary sources to newsreels and documentaries on significant historical subjects.
- CNN Video Collection: Special programming on topics impacting today’s world: business, economics, technology, environment, health, women’s studies, and human rights. Documentaries are under 30 minutes.
- Music Online: The Quest TV Collection: Created by Quincy Jones & Reza Ackbaraly, offering valuable materials for music history and cultural studies, preserving diverse live performances across genres.
- Dance Online: Dance in Video: A collection of performances, instructional materials, documentaries, and interviews showcasing dance from ballet to hip hop and modern dance. Hundreds of dance instruction videos were added in 2024.
- Broadway On Demand: Plays, musicals, dance performances, behind-the-scenes series, documentaries, and instructional videos.
- National Theatre Collection: Contemporary video productions and reinterpretations of classic plays featuring acclaimed actors and directors, and archival content.
- The Royal Shakespeare Company Collection: High-definition recordings of Shakespearean actors and directors, with teaching materials designed to bring Shakespeare to life.
- Theatre in Video: Access to plays, documentaries, instructional materials, and interviews with directors, designers, writers, and actors, offering a behind-the-scenes look at productions.
- Classical Music in Video: Influential performances and documentaries demonstrating the development of classical music from past masters to modern composers.
- Opera in Video: A curated selection of opera performances featuring top artists, conductors, and venues.
- The Black Freedom Struggle: Open access resource featuring primary source documents related to key people and events in African American history.
Drama Text Collections
Ten collections of dramatic works are available for performing arts instruction, English language arts, social studies, and Ethnic Studies.
General Collections
- Twentieth Century Drama: Published plays from the English-speaking world, covering modern drama from the 1890s to present day. (ProQuest platform eBook collection)
- Twentieth Century North American Drama: Over 2,050 plays from the United States and Canada, exploring subjects like the Depression and the Cold War.
- North American Women’s Drama: Plays by female playwrights, giving deserved attention to these previously underrecognized works.
- Contemporary World Drama: Examining contemporary theatre and drama from a global context, featuring new works from established and emerging playwrights.
Ethnic Specific Collections
- Asian American Drama: Over 250 plays from prominent Asian American playwrights, with biographical and production information.
- Black Drama: Over 1,700 plays from the mid-1800s to present by over 200 playwrights from North America, Africa, the Caribbean, and the African diaspora.
- Latin American Drama: Hundreds of plays by Latin American playwrights from the 19th-21st centuries.
- North American Indian Drama: Over 250 plays representing stories of American Indian and First Nation playwrights of the 20th century.
Historical Collections (ProQuest platform eBook collections)
- American Drama: Over 1,500 dramatic works from the colonial period to the early 20th century.
- English Drama: Over 3,900 plays from the late 13th century to the early 20th century.
Calendar of Upcoming Trainings
Content providers and State Library staff offer free online webinars, in-person training opportunities, and sessions at meetings and conferences. See the following calendar for upcoming sessions and learn more about our expert trainers.
Webinar Recordings
Recordings of past webinars are available for ongoing learning. Peruse the recordings listed below for recent training sessions.
Articles About Compass Online and School Libraries
The State Library shares relevant articles and websites, and publishes articles and reports directly related to Compass Online (formerly K-12 Online Resources program).
The following list includes articles related to school libraries.
More Library Database Offerings
In addition to Compass Online, other open-source online resources can be used by students and educators. Local libraries may also subscribe to additional resources. Librarians are available to provide guidance. Visit your public library today and get a library card!
(Open educational resources list coming soon)
Frequently Asked Questions
See the frequently asked questions about Compass Online resources. For unanswered questions or suggestions, email [email protected].
eNewsletter Sign-up and Archive
Compass Online publishes a regular newsletter for educators, librarians, administrators, and families. Archived issues are available below.
Contact
For general questions, help desk issues, training requests, and other inquiries about Compass Online (formerly K-12 Online Resources Program) and online library resources, contact Compass Online staff directly at [email protected] or reach out to our staff:
Mary Beth Barber(916) 894-6561[email protected]
Megan Segle(279) 399-8989[email protected]
