Listen, Read & Watch
Requires a library card
Paid for with Central Library funds
Downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks and Music
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OverDrive – A downloadable audiobook and eBook service offered by the Westchester Library System. Now includes RBDigital titles.
- hoopla – a new digital media service provided to you, our patron, through which you may access and enjoy nearly half a million titles, from six different formats: Movies, TV, Music Albums, eAudiobooks, eBooks, and Comics/Graphic novels. Note: When registering for a Hoopla account, enter Westchester Library System as your home library. If you receive a message about an invalid or expired library card when attempting to check a title out, please go into Settings, then Library Settings, re-enter your PIN and save your settings.
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Kanopy Streaming Video – Kanopy offers one of the most unique and compelling collections of film ranging from documentaries, indie and foreign films to must-see classics and blockbuster movies.
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Kanopy Kids – Kanopy Kids highlights films and TV series that help children develop empathy, mindfulness, and self-esteem through entertaining and educational videos. Kanopy has partnered with Common Sense Media™ to provide developmentally appropriate age rating for videos on Kanopy Kids.
- Freading – A downloadable eBook service offered by the Westchester Library System.
- Comics Plus: Library Edition – the new digital revolution bringing thousands of digital graphic novels and comics are only a click away!
- TumbleBooks – An online collection of animated, talking picture books, reading comprehension quizzes, educational games and teacher resources for libraries.
- Biblioteca TumbleBooks – son libros animados, con ilustraciones que hablan, para enseñar a losniños los placeres de la lectura en un formato que les encantará.
- Project Gutenberg – A collection of free eBooks.
- Google Books – Search and preview millions of books from libraries and publishers worldwide using Google Book Search. Discover a new favorite or unearth an old classic.
- Free Music Archive – The Free Music Archive provides free, high-quality, music in a wide range of genres. The content on Free Music Archive is used under various creative commons licenses. The New York State Music Fund provided initial funding for FMA. FMA seeks to maintain a high-quality resource through the use of selected curators who approve or deny all submissions to the collection.
Learn Online
For Early Learners
- FirstFind.org offers videos, brochures, and information to help parents enhance their child’s learning, development, and health. Find links to programs and resources to support children and their families.
- FirstFind.org ofrece videos, folletos, y información para ayudar a los padres a mejorar el aprendizaje, el desarrollo, y la salud de sus hijos. Descubrir enlaces a programas y recursos para apoyar a los hijos y sus familias.
- TumbleBooks includes hundreds of full-color animated books in which words are highlighted as they are read aloud, many with musical accompaniment. Topics from fairy tales to science facts offer fun for children from preschool age through 6th grade.
- TumbleBooks en español es una colección de TumbleBooks: libros animados con ilustraciones que hablan y enseñan a los niños a leer en inglés en un formato que les encantará. Los libros de TumbleBooks se crean a partir de libros ilustrados ya existentes, a los que se les añade animaciones, sonido, música y narraciones para dar vida a un libro electrónico ilustrado que se puede leer o escuchar.
- DaybyDayNY.org is an interactive calendar to develop a love for books and learning that will last a lifetime. The calendar features free picture books, songs, and family activities to build reading skills.
- DaybyDayNYsp.org es un calendario interactivo en español para desarrollar un amor por la lectura. El calendario presenta libros de imágenes, canciones, y actividades familiares.
For Learners of all Ages
- Learning Upgrade is a fun way to learn reading and math from elementary school through high school level. Short game-like lessons include pictures and music. Select GET STARTED and pick the skill you want to build first – English or Math. Pick a starting level or take a placement test. Do the first 8 lessons for free. if you like it, contact our Study Coaches for a full account at HSE@wlsmail.org. A library card is not required. Learning Upgrade no está disponible en español, pero este programa es una forma comprobada de aprender inglés. ¡Este video explica cómo funciona!
- FirstFind.org offers information and links to learning tools for those who want to get their high school equivalency diploma, go to college, learn English, or get a job. Good starting point for teens and adults.
- Learn English – Practice and learn English using several websites that include: Grammar, Vocabulary, Listening, Reading, Pronunciation and Writing. Test your progress with games and quizzes.
- Get Your GED – Connect to websites that can help build your knowledge and skills you will need to pass the GED. You will also find general information about the GED and how to take the GED test in New York State.
- Basic Computer Tips – How computers work and tutorials on how to use software.
- Driving Tests offers free New York State Driver Permit practice tests and driver handbooks. Use to study for your license or get a refresher on the rules of the road. ¿Habla español? Vaya al sitio web y selecciona la pestaña “en español” a la derecha para estudiar para el examen de manejo.
- LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) provides interactive lessons on how to use different types of software to build technology, creative, and business skills. Covers everything from using a search engine to building a website. Note: When using the mobile app, the Library ID is: westchesterlibraries
- Tutor.com/westchester offers live online chat and email support for learners of all ages. You can check a homework question, send in an essay for review, prepare for a test, and even have a cover letter or résumé checked. Hay tutores que hablan español. Note: Due to coronavirus, Tutor.com has expanded its tutoring hours from 9:00 am – 10:00 pm, Monday through Friday, until further notice.
- University of Fashion gives you expert-led video tutorials that guide you in applying creative and critical thinking skills to fashion design, pattern making, and practical sewing projects. Note: A library card is required for home access.
Research Tools
Requires a library card
Magazines, Newspapers & Journals
- Gale Academic OneFile – The premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world’s leading journals and reference sources. Extensive coverage of the sciences, technology, medicine, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects.
- American Physical Society Journals – The American Physical Society is the world’s second largest organization of physicists and publishes more than a dozen scientific journals including the prestigious Physical Review and Physical Review Letters.
- Directory of Open Access Journals – A service that covers free, full-text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals.
- Gale General OneFile – A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. Updated daily.
- Google News Archive – Search and explore information from historical archives dating back over 200 years. For a quick how-to on using Google News Archive see this post on the Free Technology for Teachers blog.
- Gale OneFile News – Full-text newspaper database has several NY newspapers, including the NY Times from 1985-Present, as well as over fifty national and international newspapers. Click here for a title list. (Full-text)
- The New York Times – Collection of ten major newspapers published in New York State, searchable by section, keyword or relevance. (Full-text)
Business Research
- Business Insights: Essentials – Detailed company and industry news that includes profiles, company histories, brand information, rankings and investment reports, etc.
Health
- ConsumerLab.com – provides comprehensive information about vitamin, herbal and other supplements, and nutritional products. Includes ConsumerLab.com’s independent product evaluations, test results for ConsumerLab.com selected products and Approved Products from ConsumerLab.com’s Quality Certification Program, product recalls, and safety warnings.
- ConsumerLab.com at Home
- Essential Online Health Information for Older Adults – This publication provides guidance for older adults on navigating essential online tools to research health topics and evaluate and manage health services. In addition to demonstrating how each resource can be accessed and used, there are tips on internet privacy and general web searching. This publication is offered in conjunction with a series of public presentations launched at Westchester County’s Senior Law Day, October 2018. Supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement UG4LM012342 with the University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System.
- Gale OneFile Health and Medicine – Multi-source database provides access to the full text of nursing and allied health journals, plus the wide variety of personal health information sources in InfoTrac’s award-winning Health Reference Center.
- The Merck Manuals – Offering both the Professional and Consumer versions, The Merck Manuals are one of the world’s most widely used medical information resources. The Manuals have committed to making the best current medical information accessible by up to 3 billion health care professionals and patients on every continent by 2020.
- X-Plain Patient Education Health Tutorials – More than 1400 educational videos with basic health information about illnesses or conditions, medical tests and procedures. Versiones en español de este contenido también están disponibles aquí.
Encyclopedias and Genealogy
- Britannica Academic – Delivers fast and easy access to high-quality, comprehensive information. The rich combination of the venerable Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools provides the variety of reliable sources that students need to consult when conducting thorough collegiate research.
- Britannica Elementary – Encyclopedia Britannica for elementary school students. Lets students look for people, places and things, watch and learn with videos and animations, and have fun with games and activities.
- Britannica High – Encylopedia Britannica for high school students. Helps students get quick facts and in-depth information on a wide variety of subjects. Start research projects with multiple resources in one place and find multimedia to use in projects and presentations.
- Britannica Middle – Encyclopedia Britannica for middle school students. Helps students find fast answers and get homework help, explore videos and articles on famous people and places as well as discover maps, photos, and illustrations for school projects.
- Britannica Primaria – Geared towards elementary school students, the leading resource for accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish. New features make it more valuable than ever for native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish.
- Britannica Secundaria – Geared towards high school students, the leading resource for accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish. New features make it more valuable than ever for native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish.
- Fulton History – A historic newspaper website which contains archives of over 1000 New York newspapers, and some from other states and Canada.
For Students
- Britannica Academic – Delivers fast and easy access to high-quality, comprehensive information. The rich combination of the venerable Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools provides the variety of reliable sources that students need to consult when conducting thorough collegiate research.
- Britannica Elementary – Encyclopedia Britannica for elementary school students. Lets students look for people, places and things, watch and learn with videos and animations, and have fun with games and activities.
- Britannica High – Encylopedia Britannica for high school students. Helps students get quick facts and in-depth information on a wide variety of subjects. Start research projects with multiple resources in one place and find multimedia to use in projects and presentations.
- Britannica Middle – Encyclopedia Britannica for middle school students. Helps students find fast answers and get homework help, explore videos and articles on famous people and places as well as discover maps, photos, and illustrations for school projects.
- Britannica Primaria – Geared towards elementary school students, the leading resource for accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish. New features make it more valuable than ever for native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish.
- Britannica Secundaria – Geared towards high school students, the leading resource for accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish. New features make it more valuable than ever for native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish.
- Gale in Context: Elementary – Designed especially for students in kindergarten through grade five. Complete with an engaging, developmentally appropriate graphic interface, premier reference content and the best magazines for elementary students, Gale in Context: Elementary addresses the way kids learn and conduct research.
- Gale in Context: Middle School – Created specifically for middle school students, Research In Context combines the best of Gale’s reference content with age-appropriate videos, newspapers, magazines, primary sources, and much more.
Readers’ Advisory
- Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law – brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery. Please note: Home access is not available. This resource is offered at no cost by HeinOnline.
- Educator’s Reference Complete – A collection of more than 1,100 peridiocals and 200 reports is a great resource for any educator–from the school teacher and administrator to those studying in the field at the collegiate an graduate level. Educator’s Reference Complete seeks to provide full text for titles in the Eric database and covers multiple levels of education from preschool to college, and every educational specialty–such as technology, bilingual education, health education, and testing. It also provides insight on issues in administration, funding, and policy.
- Informe Académico – Meets the research needs of Spanish-speaking users with a wide range of full-text Spanish- and Portuguese-language scholarly journals and magazines both from and about Latin America. Informe Académico provides quality reference material–not simply translations of English-language materials–on a powerful, easy-to-use interface configured for Spanish-speaking users, allowing researchers to analyze topics and conduct research in Spanish.
- Secrets of the Sequences: Video series on the Life Sciences – With initial funding from the Pfizer Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences, VCU has assembled 50 of the best videos from the public television series, “Secrets of the Sequence” to assist teachers in the application of genetic research across the biology curriculum. Funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has allowed for the creation of additional videos, which are also included on this site.