Crawfordsville District Public Library’s shelves are filled with thousands of items to explore and enjoy, from books to movies to hotspots, and more. But your library card also gives you access to thousands more digital items beyond what is on our shelves. This can be especially helpful for those bitterly cold days when you are looking for something to read, but don’t want to leave the house.
Our most popular digital collection is the Indiana Digital Library, which can be accessed through our free Libby app. Download the app through your app store, then search for Indiana Digital Library. This consortium of over 200 Indiana public libraries provides a huge selection of ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines, all available for free with your library card. Find the latest Colleen Hoover, Rebecca Yarro, or James Patterson title. Explore a massive selection of romantasy, thrillers, cozy reads, nonfiction, and more. Browse through “Us Weekly” or “Fine Gardening” while in the waiting room. You can check out any of these items on a tablet or smartphone. If the book or audiobook you want is currently checked out, just place a hold on it, and you’ll be notified when it’s available. Magazines are always available.
Your library card also gives you access to two other popular digital collections: hoopla and Kanopy. hoopla’s collection contains everything from ebooks and audiobooks to graphic novels, music, and movies. With your library card, you can get five hoopla titles every month. Kanopy allows you to stream movies, documentaries, and series for free, and each month you get 30 Kanopy download tickets to spend. Grab a blanket and hot drink, and settle in for a free movie night or cozy reading hour.
Looking for more? Beyond these digital collections, we have several databases for research and learning. If you have questions about your family history, check out Ancestry, Heritage Quest, and our own Local History Database. Each is a trove of information from the past that you can delve into for hours. We also provide Newspaper Archive, which is one of the largest online newspaper collections, and Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers, where you can find historical newspapers from the 1800s.
For lifelong learning, discover Inspire, Indiana’s learning library for Hoosiers, filled with career and test prep help and more. Here you can learn basic computer skills and take practice tests. There are also Indiana history resources here, such as Hoosier State Chronicles, Indiana Memory, and Indiana Legacy.
Is one of your new year resolutions to learn a new language? Check out Transparent Language Online. This program helps you practice speaking, listening, reading, and typing with self-guided courses in over 100 languages, including Spanish and English language learning. Once you set up your free account with your library card, you can continue on a computer or get the free app to learn on your phone or tablet.
You can find all of these digital libraries and databases plus several more on our website at crawfordsvillelibrary.org by going to our Digital Resources page. If you have questions about getting started, give us a call at 765-362-2242, ext. 3, or visit us anytime during our open hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Megan Taylor is assistant manager in the Adult Services Department at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.