As students head back to school, families may be looking for ways to help them prepare without adding another expense.Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) offers a variety of free resources for students and families with a library card, including tutoring, research tools, computers, study spaces and more.Rachel Martin, a school engagement librarian with PPLD, says families may be surprised by just how much the library has to offer.I think just the quantity that we have, just how much we are able to offer, and that they are free.Students can access live online tutoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week, along with in-person tutoring at select library locations. PPLD also offers research databases for school projects, ACT and SAT preparation, language-learning resources and technology courses.Families can also use public computers, meeting and study rooms, portable Wi-Fi hotspots and up to $7 in free printing each week.For Maggie Greer, a local mother, the library has become a regular part of her family's routine. She uses the PPLD app to request books for her children, then picks them up at the library. Her children also spend time reading, working on puzzles and exploring the children's section.Greer says the library has been especially helpful because her family is new to the area.Its been a great way to meet people and make friends.PPLD also has hands-on educational resources available at its Educational Resource Center at East Library. Families can explore activities involving coding, biology, microscopes, engineering and more.PPLD is bringing the library on the roadPPLD is also expanding access to its services with Booksy, the district's newest mobile library.Booksy is a full-size bookmobile designed to serve rural areas and other communities across El Paso County. Families can place holds online and pick up their books when the mobile library arrives at their local stop.The district says its mobile library services are designed to reach people who may not live near a traditional library location or have difficulty traveling to one.Booksy will be officially welcomed to PPLD's mobile library fleet during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave.The ribbon cutting is part of a Penrose Library open house running from 3 to 5 p.m. The event will include hands-on activities, scavenger hunts, prizes, a pop-up makerspace, a community resource fair and other activities.Families looking for back-to-school resources can find more information through PPLD's online homework and back-to-school resources.https://ppld.org/homework ...read more read less