Use the Library from Home
While the Library is closed to the public, we encourage you to check out our selection of online materials. We have thousands of books, movies, music, and more for you to stream or download with your Library card. Click or tap to sign up for a Baldwin Library card.
Here’s a list of resources accessible from home:
Entertainment
- OverDrive Libby – ebooks and eaudiobooks
- Hoopla! Digital – movies, music, TV shows, ebooks, eaudiobooks, and graphic novels
- Hoopla Bonus Borrows – a new and specially curated collection of over 1,000 items that don’t count against your monthly item limit.
- Kanopy – Watch over 30,000 Documentaries, Classic and Indie Films.
News & Media
- Digital Magazines – thousands of full-color, digital magazines with no expiration limit on checkout.
- Online Newspapers – get access beyond of the paywall of the websites for The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Financial Times.
- Newspaper Databases – access indexed articles from The Detroit Free Press, the Wall Street Journal, and more through ProQuest
Education
- Ancestry Library – now available from home for a limited time. Access the world’s largest online history resource with family history, family trees, genealogy research, and records search.
- CreativeBug – online video arts and crafts workshops and techniques.
- Gale Courses – Enroll in one of 350+ online courses to learn a new skill or strengthen a passion. Registration is open now for courses that begin on April 15.
- Lynda.com – instructional videos on popular subjects like web design, IT, education, media, and business. Lynda.com recently added specials courses on how to work from home more productively.
- Mango Languages – learn to speak over 71 languages with self-paced, conversationally-based lessons.
For Students
- Brainfuse Tutoring – live tutoring from 2:00pm – 11:00pm, seven days a week.
- Tumblebooks – animated, talking picture books. It’s currently free to anyone, with or without a library card.
- PebbleGo – includes great, kid-friendly resources and activities on COVID-19
- Bookflix – online literacy resource that pairs classic video storybooks with related nonfiction e-books.
- MeL.org/kids – fast, reliable online resources for homework and home schooling activities.
Hi. I was looking for Reference materials – specifically The Interpreter’s Bible / Commentary. Is it available online or hardcover? Thanks!!
Hi Marilynn,
We will purchase this for our Overdrive ebook collection, it should be available within a couple of days. If you have not used ebooks through the Library before, there is more information here: https://www.baldwinlib.org/ebooks/ You may also access an eaudiobook copy online through the Internet archive: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6094577M/The_Interpreter's_Bible The Blair Memorial Library in Clawson has a print set, and when they reopen to the public you could access that as well. If you need additional assistance please don’t hesitate to email us at adult.reference@baldwinlib.org
does my library card give me access to Consumers Reports online?
Hi Kathy, yes, your BPL card gives you access to Consumer Reports online. If you go to the main menu on our website and click, Research, and then click Consumer Reports, it will take you to the site. You will need to enter your Library card number and PIN to access the site. Here’s a direct link: https://baldwinlib.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip&profile=crcro
Could I get help finding artcles or Ebooks about home care for the very very elderly? Nursing home asked us to bring mother in law home due toshort-staffing. We are pretty much on our own due to the virus, of course. Searches for resources seem to take me to hospice organizations, and we arent letting anyone in!
Hi Katherine, yes we can help with this. I will do some additional research for you and send you more information by email, but I’d also like to refer to you the Area Agency on Aging 1-B, which serves Oakland County residents who are caring for adults who are aging or disabled. They are a nonprofit organization and they are still staffing their resource hotline which is open from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday, their toll free number is 1-800-852-7795. Here is their website: https://aaa1b.org/ Please keep an eye out for my email response as well.
Has anyone had success accessing The Great Courses through Kanopy? They’re supposed to be available on the service, but I cannot for the life of me find how to get to them.
Hi Matt,
We are not currently offering The Great Courses on Baldwin’s Kanopy account. Our Hoopla account has a variety of Great Courses available for Baldwin patrons: https://www.hoopladigital.com/collection/6051
I heard that there was curbside books? I am looking for books for my grandchildren 3rd and 5th grades
Hi Diane,
The Library is fully closed to the public right now because of the Governor’s stay at home order. We will update our home page when we are ready to begin curbside pickup again. We are waiting on word from the Governor and do not have an update on when that will begin.
Is it possible to access the NYT archive through the library? I can’t figure it out. Thanks.
Hi Laurie-
Yes, with your BPL card you can bypass the paywall of the NYT website to access all of their articles via their website, including historical content. Here are step-by-step instructions:
1. Click this link: https://baldwinlib.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://ezmyaccount.nytimes.com/corpgrouppass/redir
2. Enter your library card number and PIN.
3. If you already have a NYTimes.com account, click “Log In”.
4. If you do not have an account, enter your email address and create a strong password.
5. You now have a 24 hour pass that allows you unlimited access to the New York Times online (via the website, Android, and iOS apps while signed in to your NYTimes account.
After 24 hours have passed, you may renew your offsite access to NYTimes.com by clicking the link in step 1 above and signing in to your account again.
I hope this is helpful, but if you need additional assistance you may email us at adult.reference@baldwinlib.org
Thanks!
Is the current access to Lynda.com courses temporary? If so, when does it end?
We purchase a yearly library subscription to Lynda.com and renew it every January. If we should ever discontinue the service, we will give an advance warning. At this time, we have no plans to cancel it.