Off the Shelf: The Library's Extensive and Eclectic Online Services
By Sharon Saye on May 08, 2019 from Off the Shelf
The library’s online services are quite eclectic running from the obvious, the WVDELI, which is a download service for eBooks and eAudiobooks, to Chilton’s, the car repair online site. A brochure detailing each service and the sign-up procedures is available free at the library or can be found on our website.
One of our main providers of online services is RBDigital, a well-known platform with a new name. It began as a provider of audiobooks from Recorded Books, one of the premiere publishers in the audio format. Because of the high quality of their products, some authors have signed exclusive deals with Recorded Books and their audiobooks are rarely available to the members of the WVDELI. Diana Gabaldon, the author of the Outlander series, is a case in point. The American versions of her audiobooks are primarily available for download from Recorded Books as have been books from Danielle Steel and Stephen King.
The RBDigital platform provides access to audiobooks and eBooks as well as magazines under the Zinio name, and a host of other online services. Once you sign in to the RBDigital platform you will see these services. One of our oldest is Universal Class which provides classes that are accessible 24/7 on such topics as history, politics, Word and Excel, stress management, organization, etc.; these are non-credit courses provided for your personal enrichment and you can enroll in up to 5 courses and take up to six months to finish each course.
Another popular service is Law Depot which offers unlimited access to thousands of legal forms across all categories including Real Estate, Business, Human Resources, Family, and more. There is no software to download and no waiting for documents to arrive in the mail; just create the document you need in just minutes and print it out instantly.
Hoonuit gives patrons access to more than 500 courses (50,000+ videos) covering over 140 of today’s most widespread software applications on both PCs and Macs. And ArtistWorks brings music and art classes to you direct.
Indieflix is a streaming movie service that offers access to award-winning shorts, features films, and documentaries. There are over 4,500 titles from more than 50 different countries including the best from film festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca and more. Patrons have unlimited access to the streaming library.
Two new services, Acorn TV which provides access to British TV series and Qello which offers concerts from classical, country, pop and rock stars are now available. The usage model is slightly different since you sign up for a one-week period in which you have unlimited access.
All these services are available from the library’s website: www.youseemore.com/bridgeport.. At the bottom of the page are icons for the four main services, WVDELI, RBDigital, Axis 360, and Hoopla. Instructions for first-timers are available on the website as well.
