Perk Up Your Library Card
Image courtesy Chicago Public Library
Move over American Express! A Chicago Public Library Card also has its privileges. Here are some ways to get free stuff using your library card. Don’t have a library card? Find out how to get one here.
Get *Digital* Museum /Attraction Passes
Gain free admittance to fun and interesting places including museums, science centers, zoos, park districts, and theatres by downloading passes from Explore More Illinois. Reserving patrons must be 18 or older and may get up to three passes per card. In a change from the previous policy, groups may be all adults. Check policies of individual places for possible admittance requirements.
No computer to download or print the passes? You can use free library services for that, too. Use library computers and printers for free. The first $1.50 or 10 pages of printing are free, and — trust our math here — that would be enough to cover 10 passes.
Join the E-Entertainment Nation, or Not
Your CPL card provides free access to Hoopla, OverDrive, and Flipster. These services are kinda like Netflix and Kindle combined, and between them offer a large selection of eBooks, audiobooks, digital comics, movies, music, and magazines. Links to all three services are here. On the other hand, the Edgewater Branch offers CDs and DVDs and you can even get vinyl from Harold Washington by placing a hold.
Get to the News Behind the Paywall
Whether you are sleuthing a cold case or want the latest news, you may read the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times via CPL’s Newspaper Collection. The online collection offers access to a variety of different sources, including the ethnic press, archived articles dating back to the 1830s, and the newspapers of other nations.
For Teens: Studio Spaces in All Right Places
CPL’s YOUMedia Program is system-wide and allows teens to create their own music, video, 2D and 3D design, photos, and podcasts with help from skilled mentors. In Edgewater Branch’s YOUMedia space, teens can borrow laptops, play video games, and use other digital media.
Explore the Maker Space
A “maker space” is where people of all ages can learn to make the object of their dreams using digitally sophisticated design and fabrication equipment. Down at Harold Washington Library, that includes Digital design software, 3D printers, laser cutters, a circuit maker and electronic cutters, a button maker, and sewing and knitting machines. All of this comes with instructional support: the CPL Maker Lab offers an array of workshops and technical assistance services. Oh, and if you see someone about to unleash the Robot Apocalypse, inform CPL personnel immediately.
More detail about these and other programs here:
TimeOut: 9 Things You Can Get For Free With A Chicago Library Card
Don’t have a library card or need an upgrade? Find out how to get one here.
Thanks to Friends’ member Lee P. for writing this blog post.