From the Bookshelf

FROM OUR BOOKSHELF There’s Something for Everyone

Access your New Orleans Public Library from home with electronic resources

As someone born in the latter days of the baby boom, I probably share a childhood memory with a lot of you – going to the public library, exploring the stacks, and taking home treasures that fed my imagination and sparked a love of books. I still love physical books; but, since I started working at the Library, I’ve developed a love for our electronic resources and spreading the word about them. Wait! I know what you might be thinking: that you’re not into tech stuff. One thing I’ve discovered, though, is that e-resources are a perfect match for older folks. When I say personal, I don’t just mean myself but that I’ve gotten older friends – including my mother – into e-books and e-audiobooks. It’s a great feeling when I hear how much they enjoy them. If you have a smartphone, tablet, Kindle, or computer, you can take advantage of the library’s offerings. Imagine best-sellers, movies, audiobooks, music, and magazines all from the comfort of your home! You can even find picture books for when your grandchildren are visiting. Most readers have adjustable font sizes. And they return themselves!

How do e-resources work?

The NOPL’s e-resources are available as apps for Android and Apple products, and most also can be accessed through websites. Because they come from different vendors, there are some differences in setup and use, but they’re all similar and intuitive. Early on, the apps were a bit more specialized: one for movies, one for e-books, etc., but now many are like Swiss Army knives of content, so I encourage you to explore.

PRO TIP:

You can often find items that don’t appear in our catalog if you search through an app itself.

Resource highlights

• Overdrive: This popular service, accessed through the Libby app, offers e-books (including Kindle), e-audiobooks, movies, and magazines for all ages. • Cloud Library: Offers e-books and e-audiobooks, and, like Overdrive, is a good place to look for new titles. • Hoopla: Not only does Hoopla have books and audiobooks, movies, TV, and music, but also comics. With lots of back titles, it’s great for binging series from favorite authors. • Flipster: This magazine reader offers top titles, including Essence, Vogue,

Forbes, and even Consumer Reports. • Freegal: Freegal lets you stream music and also download seven tracks a week to keep. • TumbleBooks: An extensive collection of children’s content includes language learning, puzzles, books, and more for K-6th grade. • Kanopy: This amazing resource has movies and TV shows, with an emphasis on documentaries and foreign films. You can even take classes from The Great Courses!

Do give our e-resources a try. Visit eresources.nolalibrary.org, and then “Borrow” and “e-resources” on the dropdown menu. Library staff can help you get set up – just call or visit your closest branch.

After more than 20 years on the Copy Desk of The Times-Picayune, Kiki Reinecke, a native New Orleanian, was thrilled to find a second career with the New Orleans Public Library.