Here are nine cool things you can get online via your Vancouver Public Library card. And they’re all free. Amazing, right? Go to VPL's digital library to find these online goodies:
1. Your own personal classroom – wherever you are
Design, business, technology, finance, web development and more – learn via Lynda.com, one of the world’s top destinations for online learning. Take full online courses or find video tutorials for specific needs.
2. Tips to make you a savvy consumer
Wary of fake online reviews? Consumer Reports online connects you to product ratings, buying guides and reliable, unbiased reviews from this trusted consumer magazine. Think of the money you could save.
3. 7,500 streaming movies, documentaries and classic TV shows
Who’s up for a movie marathon of Night of the Living Dead, Eraserhead and The Blob? Cult and classic films come to you via Criterion Collection; InstantFlix is your go-to for top independent films, shorts, documentaries and classic TV.
4. Magazines at your fingertips, anywhere, anytime
Thousands of magazines on your computer, phone or tablet – RBDigital Magazines (formerly called Zinio) is like having your own subscription to Rolling Stone, The Economist, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Wired, National Geographic, Cosmopolitan and more.
5. Streaming music and concerts
Now this strikes a chord: stream music (Naxos Music Library) and watch concerts (Medici.tv), with something for everyone who loves jazz, folk, world music or classical music.
6. French ebooks and Chinese magazines
Read popular French ebooks for adults, teens and children using MaBiblioNumerique, or more than 150 of the latest popular Chinese magazines using Qikan.
7. Real, reliable health information online
Only quality information here – with the RxTx search tool you can research prescription drugs, medical conditions, treatments, health alerts and more.
8. Mandarin lessons (or lessons in scores of other languages)
Whatever the language, “free” sounds good. With Pronunciator, you – or your kids – can learn Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic or even Icelandic (there are 84 languages available in all).
9. Thousands of newspapers right to you
Get your daily news fix via PressReader. Find the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Globe and Mail, the Guardian, World Journal or Le Figaro, among many others. Or go for the New York Times via the newspaper’s own online interface.
And did we mention that all of these are free with your VPL card?
Discover more from VPL's digital library at vpl.ca/DigitalLibrary.
Please note: Some items are available to Vancouver residents only, owing to licensing requirements with providers. Please check with your home municipality’s library, as many of these products may be available there.
