It’s no surprise that the advent of COVID-19 two years ago required Anne Arundel County Public Library to pivot in a wide variety of ways, including the shift from in-person to online. However, it may surprise you to learn that we’ve been working to keep you plugged into virtual library programs, resources, and services since even before the pandemic!
We are very proud of all that’s available at our customers’ fingertips, and we hope you will consider this article to be your instruction manual for all things online at AACPL. Think of it as a one-stop-shop that will walk you through how to apply for a virtual card, check out reading/listening/viewing materials, learn something new, connect with others, and more!
Get a Virtual Card
If you live in the state of Maryland, you are eligible to sign up for a virtual card with AACPL! These cards will give you access to our digital collection and all of our Library Exclusive Resources, as well as the ability to place holds on items.
Don't live in Maryland, but work or go to school here? Visit one of our 16 branches to sign up for a card.
Read or Listen to Books
Get full details in our eBook and eAudiobook guide, which includes instructions on accessing our platforms for reading/listening to books, links to download the apps you might need, and more!
The platform you’ll most likely use most is Overdrive/Libby for eBooks and eAudiobooks. You can browse the website (or app!) directly or you can search for your next read through our AACPL online catalog and check out or place a hold on any available formats.
Overdrive also offers a Kids Reading Room and a Teen Reading Room for the young readers in your family.
A third platform to be aware of that you can access through AACPL is Tumblebook Library, which provides a streaming collection of animated, talking picture books that children can read or have read to them, plus games and puzzles. The best part is that there is no usage limit!
Stay Informed
More than ever, it’s important to stay in the know about what’s happening in the world around us. And these days, article limits and paywalls can make it difficult to do so in a well-rounded way. That's why AACPL offers free digital access to dozens of local, regional/national, and even international newspapers with your AACPL library card.
For a deeper dive into current events -- or whatever topics you most want to explore – we also offer dozens of digital magazines, again via the Overdrive/Libby platform. These can be read on any device in such beautiful detail that it’s almost like holding the print version in your hands.
If you’d like to hear about library news, we've been adding regularly-posted New & Noteworthy blogs to our website, with reading and program suggestions, plus inside scoops about the library. Check out the list of recent posts below, or explore our searchable list of earlier posts:
- Explore ALA Youth Media Award Selections with AACPL!
- Read the Fine Print: An Interview with Programming & Outreach Manager Becky Hass
- Join an AACPL Book Club in the New Year
- AACPL Staff Favorites of 2021
- AACPL Prioritizes Accessibility for All Library Users
Entertain Yourself
Did you know that AACPL subscribes to two different platforms for music and movies that are free to customers? We pay for it so that you don’t have to!
For music, we offer Naxos Music Library, which includes a wide range of streaming classical, jazz, folk, pop, and rock music.
For films, we offer Kanopy, which bills itself as ‘thoughtful entertainment’ because it specializes in indie, international, and award-winning titles. Kanopy offers 10 credits per month (with each credit representing one film), but bear in mind that its sister platform Kanopy Kids (with highly regarded titles from producers like PBS) offers unlimited viewing through AACPL!
One other special feature of Kanopy is The Great Courses – more than 5,000 video series of lessons taught by experts on subjects ranging from dog training to the history of the Roman Empire. You’ll be pleased to hear that these offerings do not use any of your 10 monthly Kanopy credits so you can enjoy unlimited viewing of the Great Courses.
Learn Something New
Libraries are all about learning! And whether you want to learn a new language, a craft, a trade, professional skills, or anything else, AACPL has got your covered.
The library offers two options for online language learning: Rosetta Stone has 30 languages to choose from and is set up as ‘gamified learning’ so that you have fun while you learn – all in the target language to mimic immersion! You can even test your pronunciation using a microphone. Meanwhile, Mango offers more than 70 languages and teaches by going back and forth between English and the target language. This also allows Mango to pepper in fun cultural tips and media recommendations. We recommend trying both to see which is a better fit for you.
If your interests lie more in the crafting arena, check out one of our newest digital platforms – Creativebug! This resource (created by JoAnn Fabrics) offers video courses on everything crafty you can think of, from fine arts to sewing/knitting/quilting to jewelry making and even cake decorating! There are even curated playlists for things like creativity as a daily habit or making your own wedding decorations.
If you’re looking to bolster your resume or simply seeking self-improvement, AACPL recommends two great professional development resources that offer online video courses: Udemy and LinkedIn Learning. These courses (on either platform) can be completed at their own pace, and both offer completion certificates to help you demonstrate evidence of mastery. You can start by browsing both and saving courses to lists you can revisit later as you develop your own personalized learning plan.
One last plug we’ll make here is for a great resource called O’Reilly, a repository of books and video courses in areas such as IT and software, business, digital media, professional and personal development, and desktop/web applications. You’ll find the latest tech manuals here as well.
Grow Professionally or Academically
Whether you’re a working adult, a parent of school-age children, or engaged in higher education yourself, your library has the free support resources you need, right from the device of your choice!
Our Career Center page gathers lots of local resources related to Career Development and Employment, along with a special section for Test Prep & Practice. Some of our featured resources in this area of our website include Brainfuse JobNow and Peterson’s Test & Career Prep, both of which offer resume builders, practice exams, career assessments, and more. Brainfuse even offers live tutoring for 12 hours each day, including Spanish-speaking tutors, and a writing lab to which users can submit anything for review within 24 hours!
As for those at any level of school (or those teaching!), AACPL has created a hub called the Student Center, with special sections for Young Learners and Learning at Home, as well as an Educator Resources section. There are abundant research databases available in these sections, as well as platforms like Brainfuse HelpNow, which offers live tutoring, FAFSA assistance, flashcards/study aids, a writing lab, and more.
Conduct Research
Don't forget about the rest of our huge collection of free online resources!
We have a subcollection related to Consumer Information, including Consumer Reports, to help guide you on purchases like appliances, cars, etc.
We also have a subcollection focused on Foundations & Grants research, including Candid and Foundation Directory Online. Please note that these resources do have to be used inside the Busch Annapolis Library.
If you’re digging into your family tree, you’ll find a wealth of resources for accessing historical records in our Genealogy subcollection.
For a focus on Health & Wellness, we recommend our curated collection page, which includes a multitude of online resources, related events including COVID vaccine clinics, and tools for mental health/wellbeing, among others.
Lastly, we recognize that you may be seeking support-oriented learning related to Business & Investing, Legal matters, or Taxes – we have special resource pages for all these topics, too!
Participate in a Program (Offered for All Ages!)
Our librarians have been hard at work during the pandemic making sure that we continue to offer not only in-person programming when it’s safe, but also super fun, learning-oriented programming that can be enjoyed from wherever our customers are.
For those with young children just learning to read, we continue to offer a multitude of virtual storytimes.
For teens and adults, we also continue to host loads of virtual programs for all kinds of interests, including a variety of online book clubs.
In fact, you can browse through all our programs via the online version of our Happenings newsletter! If you missed a virtual program, you can check out our YouTube Channel’s virtual programs playlist for recordings of selected offerings.
So, that’s our quick intro to the world of online offerings here at your library! If you’d like more training on AACPL’s online resources, we have two classes offered regularly that can help. You can learn how to access our digital collection in our monthly Zoom class (Intro to Library eBooks and Streaming) and how to access our digital Library Exclusive Resources in our bimonthly Zoom class (Intro to Online Learning). You can also watch recordings of both classes on our AACPL YouTube channel, anywhere, anytime!
As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions. You are always welcome to reach out via email, chat, phone, or Facebook Messenger.
Updated 1/26/24