Libraries

(notes (date 2025-06-25) (category culture) (status growing) (confidence certain) (importance 9) (tags personal libraries reading-lists))

a list of resources offered by libraries, databases, courses, news, ect.

On Libraries

There are aprox. 120,000 public libraries in the United States. Public Library Outlets outnumber McDonalds by about 3 to 1. Pre-pandemic, libraries in the U.S. received more than 1.25 billion visits annually in 2019. That dropped to 671 million in 2022, a roughly 46% decline in visits. In 2012, public libraries circulated over 2.3 billion items, including books, DVDs, and audiobooks. By 2022, that number had dropped to 1.4 billion, a 39% decline. One of the most important resources to communities are going underutilized, and that is a great shame. This post is a guide for the person who wants to get the mostt out of their local library. I will try my best for comprehensive coverage of libraries, their resources, and how to access them.

Digital Media (eBooks, Audiobooks, Movies, Music, ect.)

Libby (OverDrive)

A digital lending platform (via the Media on Demand consortium) offering a large collection of popular titles. Patrons can borrow eBooks, audiobooks, comics, and magazines with their library card.

Hoopla

An on-demand digital media service with instant access – no waits – to a broad selection of titles. Patrons can stream or download content across multiple genres and media formats.

Kanopy

Comics Plus