By Tak Sato
Coming from Yokohama, Japan, I love visiting big cities. As a Clevelander, it reminds me of how blessed I am to live here.
The area has many incredible assets, including our easily accessible parks. In today’s Tech Talk, I want to spotlight our local libraries; the crown jewels in both our little corner of the borderless digital world and the real world of Northeast Ohio.
Easy Connection
I visit Westlake Porter Public Library (WPPL) at least twice a week and also use the online services of both WPPL and Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) daily. Since Northeast Ohio Boomer has a wide circulation area, I pulled up neighboring county library websites to discover that many offer a wide range of digital services fit for today’s always-connected lifestyle.
The relevance of libraries, with their books, magazines, music and videos easily and freely available for downloading, was underscored prominently during the pandemic. I’m confident that they’ll continue to evolve as an important community resource.
I’ve listed some of my favorite digital services at WPPL and CCPL. All you need to discover their digital services is a library card and internet access from a computer, Chromebook, smartphone or a tablet, and an email address.
If you haven’t followed the library’s digital revolution, or you don’t have a library card, many libraries now offer electronic library cards that you can apply for online without stepping foot in the library.
These electronic library cards are only good for their digital services; if you want to borrow physical materials, you may still need a regular library card. Check with your local library for details.
Remember, many libraries always have had and will continue to provide delivery and return services for disabled and homebound patrons. Several also have drive-up windows for added convenience.
Did you know that you can read current newspapers and magazines online with a library card? Portals vary. Again, check with your local library system. Here are some favorites:
New York Times (NYT)
Enjoy in your browser or the app from Play Store (Android smartphone/tablet) or App Store (iPhone/iPad). Redeem the trial subscription code provided through the library website. You need to create a NYT account using your email, following instructions. Pro Tips: Renew your expired trial subscription by returning to the library website, follow through the same link for NYT, and redeem another code but this time log in using the NYT account that you created the first time when prompted.
Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
Enjoy in your browser. Similar initial trial code redemption process as NYT will take you through creating a WSJ account using your email. The renewal process is also similar to renewing the NYT.
Washington Post (WaPO)
Enjoy in your browser or the app. A similar initial trial code redemption process will take you through creating a WaPO account using your email. A similar initial trial code redemption as NYT or WSJ will take you through creating a WaPO account using your email. The renewal process is also similar to renewing with NYT or WSJ.
PressReader
Enjoy reading magazines and newspapers from around the world, including US periodicals (in English and native foreign languages) in your browser or the app. Pro Tips: Click/tap on the “Sign In” button, select “Library & Group” button, put your library name or scroll through the list and click/tap your library, enter your library card number, PIN, and click/tap “Login” button.