#library resources

[kotikl]

Kanopy, which many Libraries offer for free, has a shitton of gay films streaming right now. This week alone, I watched Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Wild Nights with Emily, Ammonite, AND Desert Hearts on there. Still so many more to go and I'm currently focused just on lesbian period pieces, which I gotta say is a pretty specific desire.

[wizard-legs]

Hello! I love your children's coloring sheets. I work for a public library and I would love to have your permission to print them for our coloring table. Let me know if this is OK. Thank you :)

Hi! I would absolutely love that!!! You formally have my permission to print them for your library’s coloring table; this is the exact use case I had in mind when I started designing them for the kids I work with :)

I’m not sure if you saw the post with my website link but they’re all available for public use at www.scribblers.neocities.org (sometimes the link doesn’t work- you may have to type it in). I would also love to see pics of finished sheets if you end up taking any - and if they have any sheet requests feel free to send them in! I’m always lookin for fresh ideas!!

This goes for everyone btw- all my coloring sheets are released by me for personal use :) if you are a librarian or work with/have kids I would love for you to print them and use them!

[thedraconiclibrary]

On today’s episode of “cool things your library card might be giving you that you don’t realize,” Mango Languages! It’s a language learning app that from what I can tell is pretty good as far as affordable language apps go, and today I learned that one of the library cards I have includes a Mango Languages subscription (which is normally $12 or $20 a month, depending on if you just want one language or want access to all their languages). On the Mango Languages website you can search by your city, library, institution, etc. and find out if they offer free access to Mango Languages (link here but you can also find it by scrolling near the bottom of their “pricing” page).

Literally, I decided to try to commit to learning Spanish, but after doing the free lessons on Mango and seeing the price (a reasonable one, but I’m trying to save my money to move) I heavily considered ditching the idea (as I refuse to use the evil owl app that wants me dead and is getting way too cozy with shitty AI). But yeah, libraries!

Extra info as well if you live in the US, obviously there are places that let non-residents pay for library cards, but even if your city’s library doesn’t offer Mango there may be at least one or two libraries that still offer free cards for online access as long as you’re a resident of the state. If you’re a Texas resident, then go get a card from Houston Public Library. They have a Mango Languages subscription and a big catalogue in general, it’s probably the card I use the most on Libby lol. You do have to prove you’re a resident and I think that just means providing drivers license info, but I got my card back in 2021 so I don’t remember the specifics or if the process is the same.

[april-the-fan-girl]

Just found out that through many public libraries, people can access pronunciator.com which has lessons to help you learn over 300 languages.

Probably better than Duolingo and their new AI run shit

[shhhitscoffeetime]

Cyberpunk Librarian

hello world! I've been digging around to find a dumping ground for my accumulation of PDFs for easier access for others and I stumbled across this fine fellow. (click on him to see the website)

This fellow has not only a podcast about library tech FOR FREE (or at least a very low cost) but also some very cool guides about storing music and navigating open source projects!

(and some very hot takes on the dewey decible system lmao)

I swear this isn't an ad but it's just a very very very bibliopunk resource and I need to scream about this guy into the void.

Thanks for reading shoutout to Daniel Messer ur so cool I'm a dan fan

[theswootasticallibraryworker]

Library online databases

You know, libraries, not just school libraries, usually have online databases, much like college libraries, that you can access for free with your library card. I highly recommend checking them out. Even if you're not researching something, finding journal articles and news articles throughout a database can be very beneficial for just regular research into certain topics and interests.

I have been looking into the more political ones, as some of them cover various issues and problems within our system, and can come with a variety of viewpoints on the matter of each issue. The one I keep traversing has journals and news articles from varying sources that give you a wide range of opinions and deeper research of topics you may only have a surface level grasp in. And it doesn't just give you the articles to look at, it also prompts each reader with questions before reading each piece to get your critical thinking skills working. Things like, "Why does the author use [this specific, biased phrase] in reference to this person?" or "What do you think is the reason the author included [this specific, biased thing]?" I 'm really glad that they add critical thinking questions to each piece, as it really gets your brain zeroed in on what each author's intent is in their writing.

Definitely check your library's databases for interesting and useful research. Again, even if you're not researching something in particular, you may discover information in certain databases that can help you.

[rockislandadultreads]

Libby Spotlight: eAudiobook Fiction Picks for Hispanic Heritage Month

L.A. Weather by María Amparo Escandón (read by Frankie Corzo)

L.A. is parched, dry as a bone, and all Oscar, the weather-obsessed patriarch of the Alvarado family, desperately wants is a little rain. He’s harboring a costly secret that distracts him from everything else. His wife, Keila, desperate for a life with a little more intimacy and a little less Weather Channel, feels she has no choice but to end their marriage. Their three daughters—Claudia, a television chef with a hard-hearted attitude; Olivia, a successful architect who suffers from gentrification guilt; and Patricia, a social media wizard who has an uncanny knack for connecting with audiences but not with her lovers—are blindsided and left questioning everything they know. Each will have to take a critical look at her own relationships and make some tough decisions along the way.

With quick wit and humor, Maria Amparo Escandón follows the Alvarado family as they wrestle with impending evacuations, secrets, deception, and betrayal, and their toughest decision yet: whether to stick together or burn it all down.

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton (read by Kyla Garcia)

After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...

Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.

This is the first volume of "The Perez Family" series.

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González (read by Almarie Guerra)

It's 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro "Prieto" Acevedo, are bold-faced names in their hometown of New York. Prieto is a popular congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan's powerbrokers.

Despite their alluring public lives, behind closed doors things are far less rosy. Sure, Olga can orchestrate the love stories of the 1%, but she can't seem to find her own...until she meets Matteo, who forces her to confront the effects of long-held family secrets...

Twenty-seven years ago, their mother, Blanca, a Young Lord-turned-radical, abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause, leaving them to be raised by their grandmother. Now, with the winds of hurricane season, Blanca has come barreling back into their lives.

Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico's history, Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife and the very notion of the American dream--all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (read by Sandra Cisneros)

Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught everywhere from inner-city grade schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero.

Told in a series of vignettes – sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous–it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.

[cheshirelibrary]

Do love learning? Do you dream of taking college classes, but the cost and the time is too much? Are you taking a high school or college class and struggling to understand the material?  Did you cut your cable, and can’t find anything decent to watch anymore?

Fear not! The Great Courses are here!

Cheshire Public Library has always had a handful of these delightful media, but through a generous donation, we’ve been able to greatly expand our holdings to more than 70 titles.

What are the Great Courses?  Professional college-level lectures on audiobook or DVD on a variety of topics, given by actual college professors and experts (like Neil DeGrasse Tyson!), that will give you the equivalent of an entire college class in the comfort of your car or living room. Some come with study guides and questions to think about, but you will never have a test or a grade at the end!

...

Read more on The Cheshire Library Blog.