Edward Koetitz, Vineland's young adult librarian, made presentations about Live Homework Help at 21 schools in the Almaden and Blossom valleys.

"I wanted to make sure parents were aware that this service is available," Koetitz says.

With the launch of Live Homework Help, San Jose's public libraries joined more than 3,700 public and private libraries across the country that have made tutor.com services available to patrons. The online service offers math, science, social science and English help to students in fourth grade through the second year of college.

Students who log on to tutor.com through the library system's website will be matched with a live tutor, certified to provide assistance in that area. Once connected, students and tutors can review specific homework questions, as well as subject-specific concepts using features such as controlled chat, an interactive whiteboard and shared web browsing in the online classroom.

"A lot of kids are very familiar with the online chat format," Koetitz says. "They're very attuned to this type of communication."

Students who aren't familiar with online chats can ask their tutor for help navigating the site and using features such as a math toolbar that allows them to write out complex equations on the whiteboard once they figure out how to use the drawing tool.

Koetitz says bringing students up to speed on the tutoring service hasn't been much of a problem at the Vineland library, particularly since area residents tend to be a web-savvy bunch.

"The Almaden Valley has a high level of Internet saturation," he adds, pointing out that the Vineland library has 37 computers, an Internet café and a technology center, all in response to patrons' requests.

Teachers and administrators at Almaden Valley schools have let families know about Live Homework Help at back-to-school nights and in newsletters.

Koetitz says it's important for individual schools to get the word out about Live Homework Help so that students who don't normally use the library know they can log on from home if they get stuck on a math problem, science project or English paper. The service is also a boon to families that can't afford private tutors, he adds.

"It's a great outlet to help a person not be totally discouraged," says the librarian. "They don't give up in despair. It's a little nudge to get over the hump."

Like Koetitz, staff members from other public library systems have toured local schools to tout the benefits of the online tutoring service. After an aggressive marketing campaign, Georgia's Gwinnet County Public Library system is seeing more than 1,500 patrons a month use the service.

While the Vineland library's numbers aren't yet that high, Koetitz says the service is catching on.

"There are a number of students from both middle and high school who I see in here every day, logging on to the online tutor," he adds.

Students can hook up with an online tutor from home or school, provided they log on through the library's website at www.SJLibrary.org. English-language assistance is available daily, 1-10 p.m., while Spanish language assistance in math and science is available Sunday through Thursday, 1-7 p.m.

Live Homework Help is a free service provided through a grant from the California State Library. Once these grant monies run out in 2006-07, San Jose libraries will look for local funding to cover 25 percent of the costs associated with the service.