You Don’t Have to Leave Your Couch to Visit the Library
Access books, movies, and other materials from your library’s digital collection
Libraries have long promoted online services to their patrons, but interest and access rose during the pandemic.
The library is promoted as more than physical books and in-person programming, giving patrons access to online resources in exchange for nothing more than their library card. Heck, during the pandemic, some libraries promoted online programming such as book clubs, training, and storytimes.
Online resources are accessible not only on your computer but also on your mobile device. The range of content allows those unable to access the physical library to do so from home. Digital audio and video materials are made accessible to patrons with hearing or visual impairments through closed captioning and screen readers.
Accessing online resources cements the library's value for the community and enhances the patron’s experience. It also shows that libraries are not afraid to use technology (a long-held misconception) and are even at the forefront of this use!
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Plus, how cool is it that you can access these resources anytime and anywhere? I especially love grabbing ebooks and magazines when I’m done with my current read and the physical libraries are closed. There is great joy in returning an ebook for another patron and being able to check out another book at 11 p.m.! And there is also the excitement of having a question at 2 a.m. that can only be answered by accessing one of the library’s online research databases. (Yes, I am a night owl.)
There are other creative ways that online resources are a boon to their local community, such as providing virtual meeting spaces and virtual Ask-a-Librarian services via email or a chatbot. In addition to virtual Ask-a-Librarian, some libraries also book online reference sessions for those with more in-depth questions.
Online resources also foster collaboration for the patron’s needs.
How do libraries assess their online needs to meet their communities’ needs? Much like the procurement of physical materials, libraries look at who their communities are. For example, if there is a large population of Spanish speakers, the library might offer translation services for its website or provide online resources in Spanish. Some libraries also offer ESL training in person and online. Another example is online resources available to underserved populations needing access to health and wellness services. As many libraries provide free computer access (or lend out laptops and hotspots), there is less gatekeeping in accessing those online resources.
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You may be thinking, “Wow! I had no idea, but this sounds really great! What’s the catch?” No catch. Just sign up for a library card at your local library. Online resources are typically accessed with your library card number and password or pin. That’s it—no cash exchanges hands.
Well, I shouldn’t say “no catch.” While libraries are nonprofits (which means any surplus income goes back into the library), these and other services do cost money. You can further support your library by voting “Yes” to millages or laws, getting a library card, volunteering, and donating cold, hard cash. Libraries have long existed on funding from their community (and sometimes their local government); making a financial contribution as well as utilizing the service goes a long way toward supporting, promoting, and increasing the value of libraries.
I am a librarian myself. I’m in the process of putting together a slide deck for a presentation I’m giving in a few weeks. The topic is the misconceptions of libraries and also their value. I can only add content from my experience, so I sourced my local communities for their input.
It shan’t be too surprising that, as a librarian, most of my friends are librarians and library workers, but I also have a wide variety of nonlibrary-related friends. As the responses rolled into my request, many of the responses came from my nonlibrary-related friends.
For example, a friend of mine who does improv quipped, “Your library offers somewhere between two and twenty free streaming services. You’ll love fifteen of them, and you might have heard of one of them.”
And they are not wrong.
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While the offerings vary from library to library, most libraries carry the following online resources:
- Ebooks and audiobooks
- Language learning courses
- Documentaries and movies
- Music
- Magazine and newspaper databases (local and international)
- Genealogy databases
- Research databases (humanities, science, medicine, languages, history, auto repair, legal, and more)
- Graphic novels
- Learning databases and resources
- Local digital collections
- Local music and video collections
- Children’s resources (pre-K to teen)
- Community-specific podcasts and videos
- Health and wellness services
- Workshops and training
- Virtual Ask-a-Librarian
- Online programming
And that is not everything available to patrons online!
How have you accessed your library online today?
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