The Simi Valley Unified School District has expanded its free access to research databases, including one that allows students and parents to look at college and career resources.

For the past several years, SVUSD has provided free access to various subscription databases that assist with high school classroom research. In an effort to expand services, the school district has purchased a districtwide license for these databases so students and parents can access them from any computer.

Superintendent Kathryn Scroggin said that by obtaining the license the district was able to negotiate better pricing, which allowed them to purchase additional databases and extend the resources.

“We decided to expand these services to include all four high schools and adult (education) to assure that all of our students had access, at school and at home, to resources that would help guide and support them as they prepare for college and the work world,” Scroggin said.

One of the nine databases now available to students is the Testing and Education Resource Center, which provides students with career inventory questionnaires, college search resources, scholarship searches, and online test preparation materials and practice tests for college prep examinations like the PSAT, SAT and Advanced Placement.

The database also includes a step-by-step online resume builder.

Others include subjectarea research in literature, biography, health and controversial issues.

Many of the databases provide information that could be used for college-level research, Scroggin said.

Students and parents can access the databases from any computer by entering a school password.

For more information, SVUSD students and their parents are encouraged to contact their high school libraries.