When most people think of the library, they think of books, good ‘ol paper books. But, the library has more to offer than just books. GASP! Did she just say “just books”?!?! Yes, books are important. I love books. But, if you are looking for something besides books, we may have what you need at the library.
#1. DVD’s = We offer a wide range of DVD’s for children and adults. We have the newest releases, classics, and everything in between. We have seasons of tv shows. We have documentaries. We have workout videos. We have foreign language films. Thanks to the lack of video stores, this is a highly used area of our library. If you happen to be looking through our DVD’s and cannot find what you want, check our catalog or ask an employee at a desk. It is very likely that we have the item you desire somewhere. It may just be checked out at the moment.
#2. Audiobooks: The library offers many books on cd. For those who spend a lot of time in the car or those who process better when hearing something read aloud, this is a great alternative to a book. In the children’s area, we often recommend audiobooks for families going on road trips and kids who need help with their reading comprehension skills.
#3. Hanging kits: Our kits can be found in their distinct hanging bags. Each kit contains a book and a cd recording of the book. This allows kids to read along with each page as the cd reads the book aloud. Please take the entire kit with you, including the hanging back, when you check these out.
#4. eLibrary: If you go to our website, you will find many resources available through our eLibrary. These are online resources that the library gives you the privilege to use. You just need a library card to access them. Click on the link below to take a look.
http://www.santaclaritalibrary.com/elibrary/
From our home page, you are going to look for the eLibrary link under our city logo, like this:
Here you will find access to streaming videos, free music, magazines, audiobooks, ebooks, and databases. The word database may sound boring to you, but a lot of great stuff can be found there. Our databases include services that can help your child with her homework. There is even one called HelpNow that offers free online tutoring for your child.
Need a biography for a paper your kid forgot was due tomorrow. There’s a biography database, with all good sources. Using a database for homework is not the same as Wikipedia. These sources are all teacher approved to be used for school assignments and can be found at 10 o’clock at night when the library is closed and Junior is crying that he needs a report about salamanders in the morning. All of this can be accessed from your home computer. Heck, it can be accessed from your phone.
Tumblebooks is another highlight for kids in our database area. This site offers free books for kids, many with AR and Lexile levels listed so kids can take tests on the books. It also has games for kids to play as well.
Next time someone tells you the library has nothing but books, you tell them that we have so much more to offer. (And, there is nothing wrong with books).
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