Beyond books: 5 digital resources from your library

by Donica Kaneshiro | April 29, 2020

The beautiful Hawaii State Library can be found near downtown Honolulu.

It may have been years since you set foot in a library, but with everyone still social distancing at home, there’s never been a better time to explore the free trove of digital entertainment and information in the Hawaiʻi State Library system.

Even if reading the latest bestseller on your phone, tablet or computer isn’t your idea of a good time, there are plenty of ways to amuse yourself and your loved ones using your library card.

Here are five FREE things you may not know you can do with your library account:

1. Brush up on your Hawaiian, Japanese or Azerbaijani. Use your card number to log in to Mango Languages, where you can choose from tutorials in dozens of languages. Even if you might have had to delay that overseas vacation, there’s never been a better time to prepare and dream.
2. Stream a movie on Kanopy or a kids’ TV show on Kanopy Kids. Netflix, it’s not. You won’t find all the latest blockbusters on Kanopy, but rediscover oldies like “A Star is Born” and “Metropolis” and critically acclaimed movies like “Moonlight” and “Django,” plus plenty of indie films. On Kanopy Kids, little ones can stream episodes of “Sesame Street” and “Arthur,” watch popular books read via video, or grab some popcorn and tune in for movies, such as the beautifully animated “Nocturna” or the computer-generated predators of “Dinosaurs Alive.”
3. Read the latest news everywhere. Can’t get enough of all the news coverage of the pandemic? See how it’s being covered elsewhere with access to newspapers from across the country and around the world on PressReader.
4. Expand your palate. I don’t know about you, but with all this cooking at home, I’m out of ideas for dinner. I’m discovering new favorites in the pages of “30 Minute Dinners,” “Food Network Magazine” and other foodie finds on RB digital. The website also has hundreds of magazines on crafting, parenting, pets and everything else you need to keep busy for the extended stay-at-home stretch.
5. Home-schooling made easy. Many schools have already declared that kids won’t return to their classrooms this school year, leaving parents struggling with resources to keep kids learning. Access hours of kids’ ebook content, including reading comprehension puzzles and games, at Scholastic’s BookFlix. The site, which is targeted at the easy-reader age group, pairs fiction favorites with fact-filled companion reads. It’s perfect for keeping the kiddos occupied while you’re in your WebEx meeting.

If you’re wondering how to jump on the library-loving bandwagon with neighborhood institutions shuttered, you can apply for a digital library card (valid for 45 days) at www.librarieshawaii.org.

You can usually get approved within a day, so it’s fast, easy, and did I mention… free?

Donica Kaneshiro is a communications consultant at Hawaiian Electric Company.