We can borrow a thermal camera (e.g. to check for shortcomings in insulation).

I haven’t been to the library in a very long time. But when I went years ago, I checked out DVD movies and CD music for free. It wasn’t as convenient as the local video store, but it was free.

I wish the libraries here up north were as safe! You need all personal ID info to hold a library card, and they have been hacked numerous times, most recently 3 months ago. Local governments & municipalities simply don’t have the $ nor up to date cyber aware infrastructure to keep abreast of issues. Longing for old days of yore:)

Susan said: Spotted a new offering the other day that just needs a library card – or rather a qualifying library card.

“Qualifying library card” is the key. We used to be able to get movies through our library account using Hoopla on our Roku, but then the library decided to only let cardholders within a limited zip code have access to those, so we no longer can access Hoopla that way. Sad…

I can’t remember the last time I went to the local library. My loss of interest began when they replaced the old card catalog with a computer database. This change had two effects: One, it eliminated the serendipity aspect of running across something else interesting while thumbing through the cards for what I was looking for; and two, the database search results were noticeably worse, as items that I recalled having seen in the card catalog were not showing up in the computer search.

The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was one day when I was curious to try this newfangled thing called the Worldwide Web and sat down at a library computer, but they wouldn’t let me use it without going through some complicated sign-in procedure. From my perspective, it was like requiring me to “sign in” to finger through the card catalog.

I went home and sat down to learn how to get to the Web and navigate around it. And so here I am.  🙂

Yes, we visit our local (county) library on line.

Its online collection includes:

• ABCmouse – more than 10,000 fun-filled learning activities—including more than 1,200 of them in Spanish—that cover reading, math, science, social studies, art, and music (ages 2-8+).
• Ancestry.com – Trace your family tree.
• Brainfuse HelpNow – Study help and live online tutoring available daily from 2pm – 11pm for elementary through college students with a special section for adult learners.
• Brainfuse JobNow – Live online coaches for resume and job interview preparation available daily from 2pm – 11pm.
• Chat with a Librarian – Chat now with a real librarian for help on any topic. We’re open 24/7!
• cloudLibrary – eBooks, eAudiobooks and digital magazines.
• cloudLibrary NewsStand – View digital magazines in your browser.
• Comics Plus powered by LibraryPass – Digital comics, graphic novels and manga.
• Consumer Reports – Read reviews on thousands of products.
• Hoopla – Borrow video, music, eBooks, and eAudiobooks.
• LinkedIn Learning – Online video classes from beginner to expert in business, software, technology, and creative skills.
• MorningStar – Comprehensive financial information on stocks, funds, ETF’s, and more
• New York Times – Home Use – Access to real time news present day to 1981 and archives available between 1851 – 1922.
• NewsBank – Access to full text articles from local newspapers.
• Novelist – Book recommendations for all ages.
• Power Kids – Power Library e-resource portal for children.
• Power Library – Statewide online resources funded in part by the State and Federal Government.
• The Wall Street Journal
• Value Line – Investment research platform which has financial data, news, and in-depth analyses

In addition to our local library we are frequent online visitors to a number of academic, state, and federal collections including:

• The Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/   and
• The libraries of the six Ivy League and state/provincial universities from which my significant other and I hold degrees.

Kanopy! And the extensive inter library loan system that I expect most library systems have that allows one to request items from libraries across the state.

I used to visit our local library years ago, mainly for Chilton’s auto repair books and DVD’s.  The last couple of times I went, I was looking for some books on Linux Mint.  They didn’t have any on Mint and only had one or two older outdated books on Linux.  Then came the Covid pandemic.  I should pay them a visit again just to see what’s what.

Services like Hoopla, Kanopy, Libby, etc. are nice resources if your library provides them.  But while it’s “free” for library card holders to stream, keep in mind that it’s NOT free for the libraries, as each title you access results in a charge to the library & can eat into the library’s budget.  Yes, we fund libraries through our tax dollars, but if you can find the content from alternate (eg flat-fee) sources, you may save your library some money.

My state/county wastes a ton of money on “free” (taxpayer funded) services that can be accessed by those with a library card.

One that jumped out at me is full access to “ALLDATA” (Technical Vehicle Repair Manuals). These are literally the same, detailed, step-by-step instructions the professional garages use to diagnose and make repairs to your specific model vehicle. For those wanting to save significant costs on vehicle repairs (or assist with their side hussle) this could be their gold mine.

Tax payer funded state university libraries allow citizens to use their facilities but I don’t know what services are provided.  Naturally students, faculty and staff obtain library cards.