It’s the season of fun in the sun, far-off travel, BBQs, and of course catching up on some rest and relaxation. Here are some FREE ideas on how to use the Los Angeles Public Library to make the most of your summer.
#1 – Travel Light
Don’t overload your suitcase with travel guides. From Lonely Planet to Fodor’s, your favorite travel books are now available as downloads for your iPad or tablet.
#2 – Talk Like a Local
Preparing a trip to a foreign country? From Italian to Korean to Arabic to Russian, the Library offers online language courses through Mango Languages and Powerspeak Languages.
#3 – Photography 101
Before you take that scenic hike or light fireworks for Independence Day, learn how to better capture your summer moments. Through Gale Courses, you can take six-week interactive online courses on mastering digital photography and Photoshop, as well as other topics like computer programming, creative writing, and financial planning.
#4 – Cook with Class
The farmer’s market is in full swing in the summertime, so take your culinary skills to the next level. Enroll in an online cooking class with Universal Class, a continuing education program with over 500 online courses led by expert instructors.
#5 – Plan a Staycation
How do you take a docent-led tour of Central Library? What’s a good L.A. noir read? Where might you find maps of canyon trails? Use the Ask a Librarian tool to call, e-mail, text, or IM for answers to your library-related questions.
#6 – Easy Listening
Hoping to read the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Goldfinch, but don’t want to drag that behemoth book to the beach? Check out the audio version along with thousands of other books as CDs or downloadable forms.
#7- Get Crafty
Browse the Library’s calendar of arts and crafts activities to keep inspired this summer from the Crochet and Knitting Club at Valley Plaza to the LACMA Teen Art Workshops at Pio Pico-Koreatown.
#8 – Now Playing
If you want to curl up on your couch for movie night, or watch a film on a big screen, the Los Angeles Public Library has you covered. Stream movies at home through hoopla or OverDrive. Or visit a branch for regular and special film screenings like “Tuesday Night @ the Movies” at Memorial or “Saturday Matinees” at Los Feliz.
#9 – Stay Current
With free downloads of your favorite magazines through Zinio, you won’t need to hang out in waiting rooms to stay in the know. There’s Newsweek and The Economist for your news fix, or Us Weekly and Rolling Stone for your pleasure, among many more popular titles to choose from.
#10 – Real Research
For the more serious-minded, use the new Book a Librarian service to schedule a half-hour session with a reference librarian or subject specialist at Central Library. From starting your own business to digging into your family genealogy, it’s never been easier to learn how to use the resources of the Library.
Visit lapl.org for more info on all these resources.
Art work by Florian Brozek.
