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Five Things Not to Miss at Your Library This Winter
About Blog Post
Feb 20, 2020
by Pressroom
Do the winter blues have you down? Are you bored? Look no further than the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) to keep you busy - even in the comfort of your own home.
Your Library offers a number of resources and a variety of media that may be just what you need to keep entertained and informed all winter long. Whether you want to discover a new skill, explore music, connect with the internet, or even hang out on the couch and binge watch films, SCLSNJ has you covered.
New for 2020
This year was the start of a new decade, and SCLSNJ has plenty of new resources to kick-off the ‘20s just right. Connect to the Web at home or on the road with Internet on the Go, or discover new skills from computer programming to creative writing with Gale Courses.
Gale Courses, is a self-paced learning environment that offers a variety of professional development, technology, and personal enrichment courses, available 24/7. This resource provides more than 360 six-week long, online courses taught by college instructors.
“Learning and development are always on my mind," said Cassandra Collucci, SCLSNJ training manager. "Gale Courses adds to the opportunity for our Library customers and staff to have access to lifelong learning, which happens to be one of our core services. With hundreds of interactive classes to choose from you can access everything from gardening courses to health care classes accredited by Allegra Learning Solutions. I just completed the teaching adult learners course and plan to integrate new activities into our staff training."
New courses begin each month, and lessons are assigned twice a week, enhanced with images, videos, and games to support varied learning styles. Users will have the opportunity to engage with fellow students and instructors through discussion boards.
No internet access at home or on vacation? Don’t fret, your Library has you covered with free mobile hotspots available for checkout. Mobile hotspots are small devices that allow internet access via Wi-Fi through cell phone towers.
“Circulating hotspots is in direct alignment with our strategic plan's core service of providing technology access and expertise that meet the needs of the community,” said Lauren Ryan, manager of branch services, strategic initiatives and special projects. “As a mother of two small children, sometimes it's hard to keep the kids entertained in the car during long drives. The ability to connect multiple devices to the hotspots makes it easier to keep everyone occupied.”
Checkout a free mobile hotspot for three weeks or a non-reservable hotspot from the Lucky Day shelf for 10 days.
Explore Art
For Library customers with a thirst for the arts, SCLSNJ offers a large selection of art books and media as well as arts-based resources. Explore arts and crafts with Creativebug; discover an eclectic collection of classical tunes with Naxos Music Library; and/or veg out on the couch with a collection of related film titles from Binge Boxes.
Creativebug is an online learning platform for arts and crafts that provides workshop and technique videos. The digital resource offers over 1,000 expert-led classes, with new courses added daily.
“As an artist and creative professional, Creativebug is my most favorite digital library resource,” said Carolann DeMatos, SCLSNJ director of marketing and public relations. “I am enamored with their daily practice videos. I find that when I feel creatively blocked or just plain overwhelmed, these bite-sized videos help me to refocus and to become revitalized. There are also classes on topics I might have never explored without this resource, such as: making your own paint pigments, sashiko sewing, and suminagashi ink marbling.”
If fine arts do not peak your interests, explore performing arts through films with Binge Boxes. Binge Boxes are themed DVD collections available in one convenient case. Themes include '80s Imagination Movies” ("The Goonies," "Beetlejuice," "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "Weird Science," and "Ghostbusters"), Not on My Street ("Poltergeist," "House," "Amityville Horror," "Paranormal Activity"), and many more.
"SCLSNJ is excited to unwrap a shiny new item for customers to enjoy - Binge Boxes - an ideal way to kick back and enjoy some of your favorite films,” said Laura Frantz, collection development librarian. “Just in time for long, cold winter weekends, I am looking forward to curling up on the couch and watching the ‘Indie Love Stories’ collection, which includes some of my favorite romantic films like '500 Days of Summer' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' Happy binge-watching!”
While you may be familiar with binge watching (thank you, Netflix), discover binge listening with Naxos Music Library. This digital music resource is the most comprehensive collection of classical music available online offering a catalog of jazz, folk music, and more.
“Having over 2.3 million tracks readily available to stream is a delightful way to listen to music,” said Yvonne Selander, collection development manager. “I really enjoy having classical music playing in the background as I'm cooking soup on a snowy day but if that isn't your thing, NAXOS has a great collection of film and TV music. Soundtracks and scores from recent films like ‘Jumanji,’ ‘Star Wars’ and ‘1917’ and TV shows including ‘Good Omens,’ ‘Vikings,’ and ‘The Crown’ are just a sample of what’s available.”
Discover these resources and more at home or in branch: SCLSNJ.org.