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Free Online Resources Offered to
Bigelow Free Public Library Patrons:
- Search the Library Catalog
- Download Audiobooks, eBooks, and Magazines
(also checkout Hoopla and Kanopy) - Get a CW MARS eCard and access Libby (available to MA residents, ages 13+, that don’t already have a CW MARS library card).
- The Boston Globe (full-text of the Boston Globe from 1980-present)
- Get a Boston Public Library e-card and access their resources online (available to MA residents that don’t already have a Boston Public Library card).
DIGITAL TITLES IN SPANISH:
- Odilo — Borrow and enjoy eBooks, eAudiobooks, eVideos, and eMusic anywhere, anytime, from your computer, tablet, eReader, or smartphone.
*Use your Bigelow Free Public Library card and PIN to borrow titles.
ONLINE CLASSES:
- Universal Class — Offers more than 600 courses, many of which offer continuing education units (CEUs) and patrons may take multiple classes and learn at their own pace! Now available through the free Libby app. *Use your Bigelow Free Public Library card to log in and create an account!
- The Great Courses Library Collection — The Great Courses Library Collection is the leading global media brand for lifelong learning and personal enrichment, with hundreds of courses spanning thousands of in-depth video lectures on subjects like Science, Health & Wellness, and much more. Now available through the free Libby app. *Use your Bigelow Free Public Library card and PIN to log in and create an account!
- Creativebug — Nurture your creative side with 1000+ video classes in painting, knitting, crafting, sewing & more! *Use your Bigelow Free Public Library card to log in and create an account!
- MassLINKS Adult Education Online Academy — Online education for Massachusetts residents — Helping you meet your academic, college and career goals! The MassLINKS Virtual Academy offers FREE adult education GED and HiSET preparation classes as well as English for Speakers of Other Languages. Classes are offered fully online to help you work around your schedule.
- Skillbase — Hundreds of free resources to help you build skills
– Find and apply for a job
– Improve your technology skills
– Develop your workplace English
- Mango Languages — Teaches practical conversation in over 70 languages, while keeping the vibe fun and encouraging! *Use your library card to log in and create an account.
- Transparent Languages— Find out how you can use it on your device.
*Use your library card to log in and create an account.
- Test Preparation with Peterson’s Test Prep — Find all the tools you need to discover your passion, ace your exams, and excel in your career:
– Improve your test scores (Foundational Skills, High School, College Prep, Grad School, and International)
– Find a school
– Explore careers
– Vocational test prep
– U.S. Citizenship prep
– Microsoft Office tutorials
– Windows 11 tutorials
– And much more! - Career Preparation with Peterson’s Career Prep — Learn about careers, receive personalized career recommendations, create résumés and cover letters, search for jobs, explore schools and training programs, and get advice to help find a job or advance your career.
– Create a Résumé
– Find a Career
– Career Colleges Search
– Receive Advice with the Virtual Career Library
- Free RMV Practice Tests, Exams, Handbooks, etc. — Driving-Tests — Offers unlimited access to official state driver’s manuals, online practice tests for car, motorcycle, and commercial driver’s license (CDL), an exam simulator, and a DMV-related FAQ. In addition to being the largest and most visited independent online driver education provider in the U.S., Driving-Tests helps patrons pass their driving knowledge test faster and more effectively (aspiring learner drivers who take the practice tests and read the official manual are 73% more likely to pass than those who study the manual alone).
STREAMING VIDEO:
- Hoopla — Hoopla is a groundbreaking digital media service offered by the Bigelow Free Public Library that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, e-books, comics, and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV! With no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones or tablets for offline enjoyment later. Hoopla has hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, with more being added daily. Hoopla is like having your public library at your fingertips. Anytime. Anywhere. *You can borrow up to 8 items each month! You must be a Clinton resident to log in and create an account.
- Kanopy –– Kanopy is an on-demand video streaming platform with over 30,000 documentaries and independent, classic & other films. It’s free to access with your Bigelow Free Public Library card! Creating a Kanopy account also gives access to Kanopy Kids, which is appropriate for children ages 2 and up, with a focus on kids age 2-8. Kanopy Kids titles are always available for unlimited plays! *Use your Bigelow Free Public Library card to log in and create an account! You will receive 21 tickets at the beginning of each month.
- IndieFlix —IndieFlix is a streaming movie service that offers access to pop culture favorites, box office hits, award-winning feature films, documentaries, and shorts. IndieFlix is now available through the free Libby app (find it in the “EXTRAS” section). *Use your Bigelow Free Public Library card and PIN to log in and create an account!
MORE FREE ONLINE RESOURCES WITH YOUR LIBRARY CARD:
- Consumer Reports — Our library provides free access to ConsumerReports.org, a buying advice tool that will ensure you get the best deal or product. You can use it to find reliable ratings and reviews for thousands of products and help you make the most of your time and money. You can also access money-saving advice and tips, buying guides, videos and more. *To access from your mobile device, please enter your Clinton library card number when prompted.
- Free Music Service with Freegal Music — Gives you access to over 15 million songs and 40,000 music videos from over 40,000 labels for free with your library card.
* You must be a Clinton resident to access Freegal Music.
* Your weekly download allotment is 3. Your daily streaming allotment is unlimited. Please note, music videos are considered premium content, making a video download count as 2 of your weekly selections. If you do not have 2 downloads left, you will not be able to download a video. Please visit Freegal’s FAQ page for more information.
- Genealogy Research — HeritageQuest is a well-known resource that gives you access to primary research documents like census data as well as birth and death records.
All you need is your Bigelow Library card number and PIN to get started (give us a call if you forgot your PIN – we’re here to help). - AtoZ World Travel™ contains 202 world city travel guides.
These beautifully illustrated and up-to-date guides cover travel essentials, attractions, insiders’ information, excursions, nightlife, shopping, culture, cuisine, health, security, language, maps, and lots more. - NoveList Plus — A premiere database of reading recommendations that offers readers’ advisory tools to help readers find their next favorite book. NoveList Plus includes expert recommendations, reviews, articles, lists and more!
- Financial Ratings Series Online — Important financial literacy tools from Weiss Ratings & Grey House Publishing that are filled with valuable information alongside helpful worksheets and planners, these volumes are designed to point you in the right direction toward a solid financial future, and give you helpful guidance along the way. Written in easy-to-understand language, these guides take the guesswork out of financial planning. Each guide is devoted to a specific topic relevant to those who are making big decisions regarding their finances. Combined, they provide the reader with helpful information on how to best manage their money and plan for their future and their family’s future.
- Online Periodical Database Record — Gale PowerSearch — A comprehensive periodical resource that includes over 5,000 full-text titles with more than 39 million databases records. It includes both popular magazines, specialized journals, newspapers, and wire services.
- Trusted Medical Info from MedlinePlus –An online health information resource for patients and their families and friends. MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world’s largest medical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- CIA World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency with almanac-style information about countries of the world, including the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
- Clinton High School Yearbooks from 1914 to 2020 –Clinton High School yearbooks (with the exception of the class of 1919) have been digitized and are available for online viewing. A grant from the Digital Commonwealth provided the funding for this resource.
- Intelligent.com — Better Information for Better Living — Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. Intelligent.com focuses on College Life, Student Finances, and Career Prep and has lots of helpful guides:
– How to Continue Your Education After Incarceration
– The Best Free Career Tests and Personality Assessments
– How to Handle Stress and Anxiety
– and many more!
Bigelow Free Public Library Online Catalog
Get a Library Card
To get a physical library card:
- visit the library at 54 Walnut Street, Clinton, MA 01510
- provide a valid picture ID
- provide proof of your current address (if your picture ID does not include your current address, a piece of mail is sufficient)
- fill out an application
and you will receive your library card immediately.
eCards
An eCard is a CW MARS library card that you can register for online to access electronic materials, such as eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and databases.
The eCard is for patrons who do not already have a CW MARS library card and may be upgraded to a physical library card with borrowing privileges by visiting your local library. For more information about the eCard, read the FAQ.
You are eligible to apply for a CW MARS eCard, if you…
- live in a Massachusetts town with a CW MARS member library,
- are age 13 or older,
- and do not currently have a library card from a CW MARS member library.
Please call the library at 978-365-4160 if you are not eligible to register online or to renew an expired card.
What is CW MARS?
Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing, Inc., is a library consortium dedicated to efficient resource sharing and rapid access to information.
Our 149 member libraries circulate about thirteen million items annually to more than one million registered borrowers. We offer a shared online computer system and combined collections of eight and a half million items and more than 2.5 million titles.
Due to the size and diversity of CW MARS, services may vary at member libraries. CW MARS receives partial funding from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Additional support comes from members’ fees.
Your CW MARS Account
Log in to your account (your username is your library card number, without spaces and your password is the last four digits of the phone number you provided when you applied for your library card). Search for an item. Place a ‘HOLD’ on the item. Choose which library you’d like to pick the item up at, choose how you would like to be notified that the item is ready to be picked up, and click ‘SUBMIT’. Once your item is available, you will be notified (by whichever method you prefer: a phone call from library staff, an automated text, or automated email). It’s as simple as that!
If you already have a library card, log in to your account to see what we own (and place a hold for yourself) or to reserve materials from another library in the CW MARS system (which includes most Central & Western MA libraries). As soon as they’re available, your items will then be delivered to our library and you will receive a notification when they’re ready to be picked up (you have the option of receiving a telephone call, automated email, or an automated text to let you know). Once you have received the notification that your item is ready for pick up, you have up to one week to pick it up; if we don’t hear from you within that week, we will have to send the item on to the next person waiting.
Can I request books online, to be delivered to my home library?
Registered CW MARS library patrons can place requests for books and other library materials through the online catalog, to be delivered to a local member library for pickup. To request an item, click the Place Hold link when viewing the record for the item, then follow the on-screen instructions. If you need further assistance, please contact your local librarian.
Download Audiobooks, eBooks, Magazines & Videos (and more!) anytime, anywhere!!
It’s Easy:
Step 1: Browse
Step 2: Check Out
Step 3: Download
Enjoy titles on your computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.
* Available 24/7 from your library!!
* Automatic return: No late fees!
* All you need is an internet connection and a valid CW MARS library card!
-Learn more about the new Libby app!!
-Learn how to get started with Libby!!
-See Libby in action and watch the Libby video!!
On February 23, 2022:
- The OverDrive app will be removed from the Apple App Store, Google Play, and the Microsoft store.
- New users looking for the OverDrive app will be directed to Libby.
- Users who previously installed the OverDrive app (mobile or desktop) will still be able to use it without disruption.
- All users can continue to access your library’s OverDrive website.
- Later this year, we will share more details on how OverDrive app users will be prompted to switch to Libby and the plans and timing for eventual retirement of the OverDrive app.
If you currently use the legacy OverDrive app and need assistance, visit https://help.overdrive.com.