This was posted on one of the GaryNorth.com forums this week:
“Libraries are desperately trying to stay relevant in the digital world. A way for them to stay relevant is to purchase subscription services to online resources and make them available to card holders.
Google your library web site and go there. Look thru business resources, or scroll to the bottom of the page. There will be a list of digital resources, like Consumer Reports, Hoopla, Overdrive, Zinio, Freegal and Lynda. Know what any of those do? You can log onto Consumer Reports using your library card number and access all of their review services for free. I am car shopping now and want to see what model years to avoid. CR has great data on that, but who wants to pay annually for that?
“If your library does not offer the subscription service you are looking for, get the library’s list of associated libraries. These are the other libraries in the area that will loan one of their books to you on your card.
Find the towns with a larger tax base than your town. Go to their library web page. They will probably have a bunch more digital subscription services than your library. Your card number will work to access their subscription services as well.”
This is great advice if you go to the library often, as I do: once a week. I take my grandsons.
I like libraries. This is because I spent so many years in university libraries. If you set aside a day a month for research, a library can pay off.
