SAN DIEGO -- Relief for parents struggling to help their children with difficult homework is now just a click away thanks to a program from the San Diego Public Library.

The free service offers online tutoring from Tutor.com to anyone with a library card.

The 2004 program was relaunched last month with $217,000 in new funding from the San Diego Public Library, the San Diego Unified School District and private donations.

Students from fourth through 12th grade can receive one-on-one help with subjects like math, science, social studies and English.

Students will be able to access tutors from computers at the library, school or home. Users log in from the library's Web site and type in their library card number.

A generation that is comfortable with online services seems to be taking to the service.

“They’ve grown up on the Internet. They can’t imagine life without it, and so online tutoring is a perfectly acceptable form of instruction for them,” said Dennis Gooler, assistant to the library director.

In less than two weeks, the service has delivered more than 2,000 tutoring sessions.

“This is the type of technology that our students are using every day. In order to keep education fun and interesting, we’re trying to play on their side of the field,” said Jack Brandais, spokesperson for the San Diego Unified School District.

The move comes as brick-and-mortar libraries are under pressure to justify their usefulness in a world where much research has moved online.

“We want them to avail themselves all of our other electronic resources that we make available, and we want to get them into the library,” said Gooler.

Tutors undergo background checks and special training from Tutor.com.

“I think the company is very aware that these tutors are dealing with children, and they want to make sure that children are absolutely protected,” said Gooler.

The service is available daily from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. with Spanish tutors available Sunday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.