I am a voracious reader and listener of books, magazines, documentaries, etc. and feel like I'm missing out if I'm not learning something new on a regular basis. However, I found myself spending loads of money on popular websites for digital magazines, music, movies and books only to figure out that I didn't read, listen or watch enough to justify the cost of all of these items.
After doing some digging I found out that my library has all of these things available to me, in digital format, for FREE! Who knew the library had such great stuff!? And did I mention...it's FREE? Now, some of you may be reading this and saying, "I live in a little town and there is no way my library will have this". That may be true, but you should check just to be sure. My hometown library is small too, but they have throusands of downloadable books, movies and music and carries about 40 magazines that are available for digital download.
Once I learned about my own library's offerings I decided to look at libraries in nearby small cities and in larger cities to see what they had to offer. A library one town over had more than double the selection of my library so I decided to get a non-resident card. Although there was a nominal fee ($15 per year, per household) it was still a better deal than just one of the many subscriptions I had (for instance one of my audiobook subscriptions was more than $20 per month).
To find out what's available in your area just go to Google and type your city's nameplus public library. For example in the google search bar you would type "Chicago Public Library". Then click on the website link or, if available, click on the word "ebook" or "digital downloads" just under the website link. Many sites will allow you to browse what they offer even before you sign up for a library card.
The digital content can be accessed on nearly all devices -- from cell phones, to tablets/e-readers to PC's/MAC's by going to specific sites or downloading the corresponding app. The list below may vary by library, but some of the digital resources I have access to include, but are not limited to: Zinio - digital magazines, OverDrive - digital and audio books, One Click Audio - audio books, Freegal - music and movies and Hoopla - movies. All of these resources have content for all ages and are FREE through public libraries!
If you haven't visited a library in a while I hope the information in this post makes you fall in love with your library again.
Happy reading, listening and watching!
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