Your local library might be doing some really, really cool things that you don’t know about. Here are a few incredibly awesome programs at libraries around the country, along with pictures of cats because why not?
COVID Tests and Masks
Recently we went to visit Freebird at college, and I brought a stack of COVID tests because…dorm, and because the only CVS within walking distance of campus was always sold out.
But I can get free COVID tests at our library, and brought him several. Freebird’s roommate seemed shocked that I could get free COVID tests anywhere, but our library system has offered them every day, two per patron, and free packs of face masks, one box per patron.
There’s even a website where each branch can update whether they’re out of masks or test kits each day so you don’t drive all over without finding any. This program is funded by a bunch of county partners, and it’s wonderful. A few library systems in my area have similar programs, including Carroll County in Maryland, Alexandria Library in Virginia, and Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.
Books Unbanned: ebook access for teens in the US
The Brooklyn Public Library is offering free cards to anyone in the nation ages 13-21 a free library card to access their free eBook collection. The Brooklyn Public Library has always offered free library cards to teenagers in New York State, but this program expands access to anyone in the US to combat book bans and book challenges in different parts of the country.
The Boston Public Library, the LA County Public Library, and the Seattle Public Library have also launched their own Books Unbanned programs.
I had an out-of-state Brooklyn library card for which I’d paid a small fee until earlier this year, when it expired. Brooklyn is no longer offering out-of-state cards as of July 2022, and to be a cardholder you just have to live, work, pay property taxes or attend school in all of New York State. Alas, that isn’t me, and I was a little bummed about it, until I realized I’d be happy to give up my BPL card (amazing collection, not going to lie) so teenagers all over the country could read books. (I do miss my BPL card, though.)
According to their latest press release, more than 100,000 books have been checked out by teens across the US in the past year. That’s awesome.
I asked the team here at SBTB HQ about what cool things their libraries were doing, and…wow.
Kiki: My library system, the Minuteman Library Network (Massachusetts) has a “library of things” where you can take out anything from games to ice cream makers or a sewing machine.
The little branch closest to me has a “take a puzzle, leave a puzzle” which I adore and has saved my puzzle budget many, many times, and it has a little seed library! You can donate seeds that you aren’t going to use so that someone else in the community can use them.
Sarah: I just searched “public library puzzle swap” and my gosh there are so many. I LOVE THIS.
Tara: I’m not sure if it’s different enough, but for me, it’s the apps they have!
Calgary Public Library has Libby and Overdrive, but Libby is the very best for getting audiobooks and ebooks. I rarely don’t have an audiobook out from there.
I also love their video service, called Kanopy. I’ve seen some excellent documentaries and am currently making my way through the first 6 seasons of Alone.
They also have a drag storytime series called Reading with Royalty, which includes drag queens, kings, and monarchs. Thankfully our city introduced a bylaw to prohibit protesting within 100 metres, after a pastor scared some kids at one in February.
Maya: Kanopy is so great! Kanopy has a deal with A24, so you can watch a lot of their films for free!
Also, my library (and I think this is available for the whole state of California) has LinkedIn Learning and Coursera for free. If you can learn through video lectures, there’s a lot to be found on those sites!
Shana: I love that the Sacramento Library has a cake pan collection.
Sarah: I love this a LOT.
Shana: They also let you access NYT Cooking for 24 hours at a time, and Craftsy.
You could have a whole baking business through my library. You can check out a kitchen aid stand mixer too.
Sarah: Yes! Craftsy! Also, I taught myself some sewing techniques by following tutorials on Creativebug through my library. My first projects were cloth napkins and pajama pants with elastic waists with video tutorials from the library access catalogs.
For good napkins, I recommend buying flannel when it’s on sale at a place like Joann’s or Michaels, and sewing sets of four or six. They get softer as you wash them, and it’s a good opportunity to practice consistent seams and to use the fun decorative stitches that might come with the machine!
Also: many libraries have “makerspaces” where you can use all sorts of different technology to make things. The DC Library has The Labs, which offers digital preservation equipment, machinery and other tools, and a dance and audiovisual studio.
Tara: Whoa, I just checked the Calgary Public Library and found out they have a TON of stuff I didn’t know about. You can check out board games, take a laptop home for 3 weeks, view Indigenous art installations, access mental health supports, and build a whole bunch of skills. I’m actually pretty blown away and need to do some more exploring.
Claudia: We have a lot of the stuff already mentioned and also a ton of one-on-one coaching and small-group learning: career, financial literacy, resume building… their English as second language groups attract people from all over the world. The library also offers free tickets to area museums, the zoo, and state parks.
Sarah: I saved SO MUCH MONEY using museum passes from the Montclair Public Library when we lived in New Jersey. Getting into the Children’s Museum with their free admission pass was pretty exhilarating, especially when the kids got bored and it was no big deal to leave.
Sneezy: This sort of falls under cool service, but isn’t what I’d typically think of as a library service. The library I usually go to in Taiwan has really good security. There are security cameras absolutely everywhere around their reading and studying spaces, and people just leave ALL their stuff there. Not just workbooks and pencils, also all their electronics. Laptops, tablets, chargers, mouse, all of it. It makes more sense to them to save their spot if they pop out for a drink or some food than to worry about their stuff being stolen. Part of it is definitely a general sense of trust and security within the community, but it still feels weird and amazing that the library would take on the responsibility for catching or at least preventing theft.
Susan: Manchester Central Library (UK) has instruments that you can book sessions with! So if you want to practice the drums or something, you can plug yourself in and go.
And when Universal Credit rolled out in the UK, Derbyshire libraries had a programme where library staff would sit with people and walk them through the process – setting up an email address, signing up for benefits, the whole thing.
What about you? Brag to us about your library! Do they have cool programs? Conversation groups? Makers labs or a fulsome collection of baking equipment? Tell us about it!
And if you’re not sure what your library is up to, I bet it’s something really nifty.
Seattle Public LIbrary has an awesome Your Next 5 book recommendation service where you can give them some information about what you have read before and what you’re looking for and they’ll make a list for you. They also make the lists they’ve made for others public for browsing.
They also launched Your Next Skill where you fill out a form describing the next skill you want to pick up and they make a little learning plan for you.
We also have Kanopy and LIbby and let’s not forget Hoopla. Hoopla is where the comic-reading members of my family find lots of good stuff.
I also love Peak Picks, where they have extra copies of the most popular books just at the library and you can grab them with no holds or waitlists and keep them for 2 weeks instead of the usual 3. I’ve scored some really fun read that way that I might not have picked up otherwise.
Our libraries also have Covid tests available for folks who want them.
Finally, I want to shout out SPL for having gotten rid of fines. If you lose a book you still have to pay for replacement, of course, but books are auto-renewed on the due date if no one else wants them and you are not charged fees for turning a book in late. From an equity perspective this is such a wonderful program.
OKC Metrolpolitan Library System has Libby, Overdrive, and Hoopla. A lot of times, I can bypass the waiting list on a new release because it’s available at Hoopla. One of the branches has a “Garden Center.” You can check out gardening tools. There’s a summer reading program for all ages, with prizes for each goal met. All the branches have special art exhibits, creator events, and storytimes throughout the year. My local branch is hosting a series of write-ins for National Novel Writing Month for the month of November. There’s a Dolly Parton Imagination Library and a program called “1000 books before Kindergarten.” There are classes for GED prep, US citizenship, and taxes. All the libraries have public access computers and you can set up a “private” account where you have an email address and can access it at the library–truly helpful for those without internet access at home. They have STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) labs at two of the branches and there is access to Createbug, Fiero Code, and Helpnow, for students of all ages. There’s soooo much more!
I knew some of this but after clicking around their website, I’ve learned how much is truly available. Thanks for bringing up the topic and giving me the nudge to explore the possibilities.
Bummed to read that Brooklyn PL will no longer offer out of state cards for a fee – does anyone know of other libraries that offer a similar service for ebooks? My local system is small and doesn’t have a huge selection so this has been the best (and has seriously reduced my spending on Kindle/Amazon which feels great).
I love that the DC public library system has won a number of architecture awards. The American Library Association (ALA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) actually has a joint award! When our local library was completely rebuilt there were many community consultations and the new building is a tribute to the history of the neighborhood, which is very compelling giving that this part of DC was almost completely obliterated for “urban renewal.”
I also want to highlight one of my favorite romance podcasts, Raging Romantics, hosted by two librarians.
https://www.nopl.org/ragingromantics/
The London Public Library in Ontario is wonderful! They have mentoring programs for teens, free access to ancestry.com(on site), a chess club, an outdoor reading area downtown , free concerts at Wolf Hall, knitting circles . I could go on for ages about all the services they provide. They also got rid of late fees. I’m just amazed at the wonderful people there. They are treasures.
If anyone is on IG, you must must follow mychal3ts. They are the warmest advocate for libraries. A soft-spoken library kid lover, grown-up lover, library lover.
@Sarah: Depending on where you are, libraries in neighboring towns or counties may offer cards to you. For example in Maryland I can get a card in every county, plus Baltimore, and can also get a DC card, too.
Queens (NY) public library has an annual fee library card (https://www.queenslibrary.org/get-a-card/regular-card-ecard-info)
Orange County (CA) has a non-resident library card also for a fee (https://ocls.info/using-library/fees-fines/what-are-other-fees/)
Houston (TX) also has free for Texas residents and a nonresident card for a fee (https://askhpl.houstonlibrary.org/library-card/faq/358322)
Typically searching for “nonresident library card” pulls up a lot of options.
@Sarah I think that the Los Angeles library lets out of state readers get cards for $50! I’m an LAPL user (but also an LA resident) and it’s one of the best libraries I’ve ever used. Sooooo many books, and through Libby you can check out 30 books at a time and place 20 or so holds. It’s a magical place. I’d be lost without Libby and the Library.
Thank you all so, so much. As a public librarian, we all know we offer a crapload of cool stuff, but sometimes it’s hard to remember just how much y’all appreciate it. <3
I'm in a tiny branch of a far-flung system, but we still manage to offer movie nights, 3D printing, a teen tech internship program, and VR. We have a mobile storytime bus that comes to visit every Thursday, movie nights every couple of weeks, a long-standing partnership with the parks conservancy, and passes for local parks and transit. We also staff the local school libraries (elementary and middle) and are currently collaborating county-wide on new languages for our children's collection. And, with approximately zero display space, we still managed to put up an ofrenda. 😉
…thanks for letting me brag, and thank you ALL for appreciating the heck out of your libraries. The warm fuzzies will carry me through the rest of the week. <3<3<3<3
…I meant to put “CDs, DVDs, bound magazine collections, and the county’s only urban fiction collection” in place of one of those “movie nights” repeats. Words? What words?
This post encouraged me to see what my local branch of the Toronto Public Library offers in addition to books, and I found a chess club for beginners (playing on a board or online), a Saturday morning builder’s club for kids with LEGO, DUPLO, or KEVA, and a Wednesday evening crafting circle. There are also ESL and newcomer programs, book clubs (including one for low-vision readers), financial planning programs … the list goes on. Libraries are awesome.
I am so proud and glad that our county library system (Harris County, Texas) became a book sanctuary system last month, “protecting the freedom to read.” I just stopped by my branch library a little while ago to pick up a hold and they had a new poster explaining the dzngers of book bans.
@Sarah and anyone else looking – MobileRead has a thread where they’ve been keeping a list of options for non-resident library cards, which includes info like cost, collection size, and whether you have to appear in person. There are some interesting non-US options for language learners among them.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4243748&postcount=1
I have to brag on my library (and it is my library as I am the Adult Programming Associate).
We offer storytime and lapsit programs for the littles; an in-b-tween club; tween and teen book clubs; dial-a-story; a storywalk every month at our local art museum; evening storytime; outreach programs to the schools; a summer reading program, and sign-ups for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
For the adults we offer yoga; a needlework/sewing group, a trivia night, guitar lessons, sign language classes, an adult book club, a Civil War book club, a Game Day, a writer’s group, an adult coloring day, an adult take-and-make craft, and an adult winter reading program with prizes.
We offer for checkout bikes, card and board games, gym passes, launchpads and hotspots (unlimited data and we pay for it all). Patrons have access to Ancestry Library Edition and Fold3, LinkedIn Learning, Northstar Digital Literacy, Gale Courses, Transparent Languages, the Chilton car repair database, a home improvement and repair database, a craft and hobby database, a digitized version of our local newspapers (from 1895 to 2022), plus a variety of other learning resources.
As far as I know, we were the first library in the world to offer the Bodies Revealed exhibit in a library setting. We have also offered NASA’s Space: a Journey to Our Future exhibit, and the Savage Ancient Seas exhibit. We are in the process of putting together our next exhibit now. These are all offered free to patrons and visitors.
Keep checking your library’s website and social media sites since, if they are like us, they are always offering new programs, services, and events.
our library allows you to borrow toys, fishing gear, online classes for things like Quicken or through Cisco, stream movies on a specific platform, apply for a passport, genealogy research, bicycles (for kids), light therapy items, board games, pickle ball kits, book club packs, etc…
and, through Marina, borrow a book from any public library in Maryland if they don’t have it.
I work for a library in the Minuteman system, I suspect at the main branch of the one Kiki mentioned and we just opened a cool Workshop. There are craft nights but also people can come and use the cricut, laser cutter, 3d printers and sewing machines. I know there’s a knitting club. We’re also celebrating our 150th so lots of cool things that way. BPL is such a great system, I’m still a member over there.
Our teen library runs D&D nights and our boardgame collection keeps growing and we’re building a video game collection. Some libraries already have one. Museum passes are the best.
@Sarah-I was so sad when the Brooklyn Public Library stopped with their non-resident library cards! Luckily I found two more libraries I love, Queens Public Library and the Orange County Library (in Florida). Both have fees, but worth every penny! I love my local library but they just don’t have a great ebook catalog. Also, they may have just one copy of the ebook, where these other libraries have multiples. The holds come much faster!
Los Angeles (City) Public Library has a an extensive collection available through Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy. I think they are also the system with a Maker’s Lab. You can borrow equipment, reserve space in a podcast room, etc.
I think Los Angeles County is the system where you can reserve a free parking pass for the state parks.
Both systems have various online classes available for free.
My public library has so much cool stuff that’s been mentioned before (board games, maker space, tool shed). It also has a private room with camera and video hook up for people to do telehealth visits, job interviews, etc if they lack the set up at home.
My library has hoopla, libby, kanopy and creativebug. They also always have art shows from the local schools and have one old fashion glass display case residents can reserve to show their collection for a week (so if a kid has a collection of lego ppl, or origami figures or whatever, or someone wants to show all their pincushions, they can show it).
In addition to all that, recently my library linked up with 8 other nearby public libraries. Now you can borrow anything from any of the 9 libraries on you home library card, through your home libraries app. All the catalogues are online, so you can look for stuff on your phone. If it’s digital you can check it out instantly. If it’s a printed item you click that you’d like to borrow it and it will be at your home library the next day. So amazing.
Pierce County Library System in WA offers COVID Tests, Museum Passes, Washington State Parks Discovery Pass, LinkedIn Learning, Libby, Kanopy, Craftsy, Universal Class, Assistance with Voter Registration on Election Days (Washington is a Vote by Mail State), all in addition to our wonderful programs for all ages!
@LT: the Seattle Public Library’s Your Next 5 Books offering sounds great. Is there a way for anyone to access the past lists or is that solely for those with a library account?
My public library has so many of these perks, but also a POWER TOOLS ROOM(!!!), which I just have never seen before. Our children’s section also has trees growing out of the ground and into the upper floors, which adds green space in the middle of downtown. I love our library; I brag on them all the time. The drive-thru set up during the pandemic was also a life-saver, and they’ve kept it going.