By Zach Friend, County Supervisor 2nd District
As part of my role as County Supervisor I have the privilege of serving on the Library Joint Powers Board, which oversees the operations of the library system. Over the last year the library has undergone a needs assessments to ensure that our local libraries continue to meet the changing technological, financial and even physical needs of our county. These discussions include a plan for significant improvements and a remodel to one of the most heavily used branches in the system (Aptos) as well as a complete new construction in Capitola. All branches would receive some sort of upgrade from the plan under consideration.
But even before these physical improvements become a reality there are a lot of great offerings at the library that you can enjoy now. And many of these improvements simply need a library card and a computer.
For example, did you know you can stream movies, read eBooks, checkout personal digital copies of the latest magazines and even obtain legal forms for estates, business and more all online through the library website? All of these options are free (you just need a library card) and is available at: www.santacruzpl.org.
Let’s take a look at some of my favorite options: Zinio (for magazines), Mango Languages (foreign language study), Hoopla (for films) and Law Depot (for legal forms). Before a recent trip I downloaded books and magazines to my mobile device to read on the plane using Zinio. This included the latest issues of magazines such as Newsweek, the Economist, Harvard Business Review and Mental Floss. In all, there are about 60 magazines (latest issues and archived issues) available for download through the library’s site by clicking on their “Books and More” tab and then “Magazines and Newspapers.”
For foreign language study you can access their Mango Languages program. Mango Languages provides online courses to help you converse in over 35 different languages. Each lesson combines real life situations and audio from native speakers with simple, clear instructions.
For legal forms, Law Depot provides an extensive library of legal forms and resources, for estate protection, managing a rental property, setting up a business, and many other situations requiring legal forms. If you like eBooks or want to download television shows and movies Hoopla is a digital media service where you can check out movies, television, audio books, and music. Items are available for streaming or temporary download on your computer, smart phone or tablet. Thousands of titles are available and all you need is your library card!
Law Depot, as well as Hoopla and Mango Languages are available by clicking on the “Internet Resources” tab then clicking on “List of All Databases.” These options are listed there in alphabetical order. Enjoy these great library offerings.
•••
As always, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to call at 454-2200.