Digital Resources

Find all the cardholder resources available to you in one place at Listen, Read & Watch – Westchester Library System (westchesterlibraries.org)

As an Irvington NY Library cardholder, you also have access to Consumer Reports Online. Log in with your library card number.

 

 

Hoopla

Ever wondered the difference between Libby and Hoopla? Both of these are incredible apps and websites that you can access with your library card, but there are a few main differences:

– Everything you see in Hoopla is available now – there are no holds or waiting lists, ever. You have 10 credits to use per month. Of course, Hoopla doesn’t own everything you might want, but with hundreds of thousands of items across multiple formats, it’s worth a search! We would also add that between Libby and Hoopla, Libby is more likely to have the latest releases.  (But Hoopla has plenty of recent titles too).

– Hoopla has e-books and audiobooks, but it also has movies, TV shows (including AcornTV favorites!), streaming music, a robust collection of comics, and “BingePasses” for services like Hellosaurus, Curiosity Stream, and Hallmark Movies Now.

– The negative? Hoopla does not offer its e-books for Kindle. If you read on your Kindle, your best bet is Libby.

 

Kanopy

Kanopy is a curated streaming service known for its quality selections, and especially for its collections of foreign films, classic movies, award-winners, documentaries, and more that you won’t find on other platforms. Kanopy also has a collection of BBC TV series, with more being added each month, and The Great Courses – so you can watch and learn about everything from screenwriting to algebra. Plus, there’s popular titles, seasonal offerings, and new titles are added regularly.

Even better, Kanopy is available on your computer, as a phone app, on Apple TV, on Roku, FireTV, Fire Tablets, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, and more, so you can watch on your TV or on the go. To learn about connecting to specific device types, click here for instructions to watch on a TV, and here for instructions about the mobile app.

Your library card gives you 60 tickets a month – as well as ticket-free titles – so stream on!  And for the younger ones in your life, Kanopy Kids is also completely ticket-free and lets them stream unlimited PBS Kids favorites, Jim Henson Company shows, Sesame Street, animated films, have storytime with picture book favorites, or even learn new languages with BBC Muzzy.

 

 

Libby

If you like Audible for audiobooks, have a Kindle, or just want to read more this year on the go, you have to check out Libby. Libby is available on your favorite mobile devices (cell phones, tablets) and your computer, and it’s completely free at all times — your borrowed items actually self-return on the due date and there are no fines ever. Items are available for adults, teens, and kids, and it’s open 24/7! All you need is your library card.

Here’s a page about how to get started with Libby, which includes links for Apple and Android mobile devices. Once you have the app and borrow an item, you’ll have an option to send it to your Kindle e-reader if you so desire, or you can read/listen right on your device. If you want to browse and read on your computer instead, you can go to www.westchester.overdrive.com

If all copies of what you want are checked out, you’ll have an option to place a hold and get a notification as soon as it’s ready for you. On February 8, our Libby collection will also grow even larger with an additional collection of 200 always-available titles for adults for your instant reading fix.

Another tip: you can customize the font size of your borrowed books in Libby to turn any e-book into as large a print as you need. You can also customize the playback speed of your audiobook, so no more too-slow or too-fast narrators here!

 

Mango Languages

Language learning app & website for over 70 different languages, free with your library card. (A good replacement for Rosetta Stone!)

Medici.TV

Livestream or watch on-demand stream classical music concerts, Operas, Ballet, Jazz and More from the world’s greatest venues for Free With Your Library Card!