Friday, January 11, 2019

Five Ways to Use the New York Public Library in 2019

 
The following was submitted by Caryl Matute, Chief Branch Library Officer for the New York Public Library. 

Dear New Yorkers, 

Happy New Year! With 2019 resolutions underway, here are five ways you can use The New York Public Library system to make the most of this year. Our 92 locations across three NYC boroughs offer a wide variety of programs, services, classes, and materials that can introduce you to new worlds, open doors of opportunity, save you money, and share new ways for having fun.
 
Remember: if you don't already have a library card, get one today! It's free and is the key to accessing many of the Library's (also free) offerings. Limited quantities remain of our special edition "Knowledge Is Power" card, so hurry—you can start the process online, then visit any branch to receive your card. Always be sure to check our website for the most updated branch hours, as some will be updated in the coming weeks for the new year.  

1. Borrow an E-Book (or any book)
 
The Library’s e-reader app SimplyE allows you to browse 300,000+ titles, from bestsellers to classics, and read them instantly—whenever and wherever you like. If you need help figuring out which book to check out next (whether via app or at a local branch), check out the Library's Reading Recommendations or our Librarian Is In podcast to learn what our experts are reading.
 
2. Learn a Language 

Mango Languages is one of hundreds of databases the Library offers for free. It provides step-by-step lessons rooted in real-life conversations to help users learn more than 70 languages. This database can be accessed from home.
 
3. Gain a Career Skill or Prep for a Test 
 
The Library offers hundreds of databases, many of which can help with self improvement and skills development. Two examples: Lynda serves up thousands of professional courses taught by experts in fields such as web development, education, media production, and business; and Learning Express can help you improve your score on academic tests and professional certification exams.
 
4. Get Informed: Read a Newspaper or Magazine 
 
There are many ways to access free newspapers and magazines via the Library: PressReader provides current newspapers in full-color, full-page format and includes U.S. and international titles. Newspapers.com (which you can access from any NYPL branch library) is the largest online newspaper archive consisting of over 300 million pages of historical newspapers from more than 11,000 newspapers from around the United States and beyond. Flipster is a source for the most popular magazines, including Bon Appétit, Sports Illustrated, Time, and People.
 
5. Get Cultured
 
Through the popular Culture Pass program, NYC library cardholders can access free passes to dozens of museums and other cultural institutions in the five boroughs.

Of course, there are many more things that the Library offers (I didn't even mention our virtual reference service Ask NYPL, our free English classes, our citizenship resources, or our wide variety of free in-branch programming. As our President Anthony Marx says in this opinion piece in Salon, the best resolution you can make in 2019 is to visit a local library, meet your neighbors, introduce yourself to a librarian, and see what we can offer.

So we hope to see you soon!

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