Friday Five
Books offer us a means of escapism, a perennial appeal they haven’t lost through the ages. So, you could say that our public libraries — with their shelved works that stretch for seemingly miles on end — are gateways to self-ideated galaxies, both familiar and foreign. But amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, many of their physical doors have closed throughout the country. The San Francisco Public Library is one of them.
It still pangs my inner (and outer) bookworm knowing that days spent there — hunkered down and pecking away at a keyboard, heavily caffeinated, the odd Zadie Smith essay collection at an arm’s reach away — are gone for the foreseeable future. However, my fellow library cardholders, don’t fret: the SF Public Library still has an extensive list of digital resources to explore — from the comfort of your couch.
Now’s as good a time as any to get a head start on your spring (summer? fall?) reading list while we’re all kept indoors. Here are five ways you can still get the best out of our city’s hallowed book bastion, online.
(Side note: Should you not have an account and library card, they’re currently offering “digital access cards” until May 31, and you can apply for one here.)
1. Embrace ebooks (and emagazines)
The printed book isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon (I pray) — but that’s not to say you can’t consume those same texts digitally. Thankfully, the library is here to lend an olive branch with its online ebook selection, as well as a collection of digital news sources and magazines.
Currently, an active library membership grants you access to a dozen ebook (and audiobook!) providers, like Axis 360 and Overdrive, that contain thousands of choices. You can “borrow” a copy of said computerized bliss for up to three weeks, at which point you can ask for a rental extension or have your access canceled.
2. Enrich that noggin with some online learning
Arguably, now’s the time to dabble in learning a second — maybe third, fourth even — language or take up coding. SF Public Library’s eLearning platforms can help you along that synaptic journey. While not as wide-ranging as the ad-pushed MasterClass series (watch any YouTube video and you’ll understand), the online learning platforms and opportunities offered by the library are nothing to shake a proverbial tree limb at. Language education courses form Mango Languages, Rosetta Stone, and Gale can all be acquired through your valid library card.
Other more vocational and task-related online classrooms — Lynda, JobNow, even California DMV Practice Tests — can, likewise, be taken using your SFPL account credentials. In order to access several of these platforms, you’ll need an additional username and login information, which the SF Public Library will provide free of charge, upon request.
3. View the San Francisco of yesteryear
The library has a gobsmackingly great amount of historical photography to peruse — including images of masked SF families during the 1918 Spanish Flu. The San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, located in the San Francisco History Center on the sixth floor, contains photographs and paper works from San Francisco and California, dating as far back as 1850. And a fair chunk of those stills exists on their digital catalogs, collections, and archives. Even if you’re not wielding an active library membership, you can (in most cases) access these without an account.
If you’re keen on delving further into San Francisco’s photographed history, SFPL’s digital collections are also on Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and Calisphere as well, where other libraries across the state have uploaded free content to sift through. Also don’t miss TBI’s SF Throwbacks, a feature series that tells the stories behind historic photos of San Francisco in order to learn more about our city’s past.
4. Stream videos and music — for free
Who said you needed a Netflix account to adequately chill while sheltering in place? SF library’s online bag of goodies includes access to tens of thousands of free digital flicks and music albums, spanning all genres. Using your membership info gets you into both Kanopy and Hoopla, where you can stream Oscar-winning films (like Moonlight) and albums that deserved a damn Grammy for “Album of the Year” (read: Lizzo’s Cuz I Love U).
Demoralizing as this year’s already been, it’s still 2020; Hoopla and Kanopy picks are available to watch and listen to on your computer, phone, tablet, and even air-dropped onto your smart TV.
5. Get hella academic
Want to dive deep into the history of Persian carpet making? How about studying up on scientifically supported climate change facts to help finally convince your MAGA-hat-wearing uncle that the world is, in fact, warming? Jane Goodall’s sheltering in place — so maybe read up on some of her academic publishings? Thankfully, the library is rife with online academic databases to geek-out over and utilize, so long as you have access to your SFPL account information.
Most of these databases, like Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), also offer thousands of peer-reviewed studies and publications to glean from. Therefore, you can rest easy knowing your debate points or Google Slide scribblings have been validated by others.
