Princeton, NJ has a four star public library that provides the community with an extraordinary amount materials, programs, and services. One of Princeton Public Library‘s ever evolving resources is its eLibrary. In an era where digital content is king, they actually listen to their members, and have established a robust eLibray. They also tweak their resources and titles to reflect the tastes of the community.
While there are many people who are tactile and love flipping pages (along with enjoying the smell of books), there are others who prefer the convenience of the eLibrary. You can quickly download an eBook, music, magazines, etc. minutes before leaving for your destination. It’s ideal for vacationers, commuters, those who are homebound, students, Cable TV cord cutters, procrastinators, and just about anyone else, so it’s likely to become more popular over the years.
Take a look at the great selection of content the Princeton Public Library has to offer its members through its eLibrary. As you will notice, Hoopla is one of the most powerful digital content providers available through the library. You can access all online, and most have apps for portable devices.
eBooks
Titles are hand chosen for the Princeton community. Adult, youth, and reference books are all represented. Axis360 and eLibrary services were replaced by OverDrive since the eLibrary was introduced.
- Princeton OverDrive – You can read books on your browser and it’s so much more convenient than OneClick Digital was in the past. The website offers features, such as adjusting text scale, room lighting, and OpenDyslexic to increase readability.
- Princeton Overdrive Kids eReading Room – Nice book selection for kids. The website offers features, such as adjusting text scale, room lighting, and OpenDyslexic to increase readability.
- TumbleBookLibrary – They have story books, read-alongs, non-fiction, National Geographic videos, foreign language books for native speakers or for improving foreign language skills (including a read along feature), and puzzles and games for kids.
- EBSCO eBooks – Reference and text books, plus children’s and young adult fiction and non-fiction books can be found here.
- Hoopla – 53 genres including juvenile fiction and non-fiction, and young adult fiction and non-fiction.
- OneClickDigital – They have over 80 classic books available for reading.
Audio Books
Audio books are ideal for multitaskers. You can listen while commuting, cooking, cleaning, on the beach enjoying the view or watching your kids, or while traveling. “eLibrary” was replaced by Hoopla since Princeton Public Library’s eLibrary was introduced. Listen on a PC or Mac, or on selected mobile devices.
- Princeton OverDrive – There are over 1,100 titles from which to choose, including fiction, non-fiction, mystery, thriller, literature, fantasy, and children’s and young adult fiction.
- OneClickDigital – Genres include African-American interest, arts & entertainment, biography, autobiography & memoir, and business & economics.
- Hoopla – They have an extensive collection covering 26 genres, including children’s and teen selections.
Magazines
Nothing has changed here. Zinio continues to offer a premium service. The number can fluctuate, but there are at the moment over 70 current magazines and over 30 discontinued magazines, each with five back issues. Available for online viewing on Macs and PCs, and via apps for iOS & Android mobile devices.
- Zinio – The selection caters to men and women. Unfortunately no children’s magazine, but there is Teen Vogue for young adults. Librarians occasionally tweak the selection, but there is a broad range in which to choose, from business to fashion. The app is great on iOS devices, but the Android app isn’t as user-friendly.
Comic Books
The collection is small, but it’s refreshing to see this offering.
- Hoopla – Archie, DC, Disney, Peanuts, Valiant and other publishers are available. Sorry Marvel fans, you’ll have to buy your comics.
Music
Freegal was replaced with Hoopla since the eLibrary was introduced. Titles are available for download or streaming for seven days.
- Hoopla – 28 genres of music for children, teens, and adults. There’s something for everyone, and they even offer Top 40 albums.
Films & TV
Despite the size of the collections, they cater to niche markets, so they will not replace Netflix or Hulu. Hoopla was added.
- Films On Demand – More than 6,500 educational titles in many subject areas relating to the humanities and social sciences. the History Channel’s History Education, National Geographic, Arte (France), and NPO/Netherlands Public Broadcasting are examples of video sources.
- Hoopla – They offer 32 genres of movies plus 28 genres of TV shows. The TV collection has the most titles in the children’s, documentary, and health & fitness categories. The movie collection is extensive, but the titles are not current blockbusters.
Languages
Both adults and children can learn a foreign language in the comfort of their homes.
- Mango – 71 languages including English is offered.
- Muzzy Language Learning – Language courses for children in American and British English, French, German, Mandarin, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, plus Castilian and Latin American Spanish.
Online Courses
This has been added since the eLibrary was introduced. It’s a good self-help source.
- Lynda.com – The courses are in video format and cover 3D and animation, audio and music, business, CAD, design, developer, education, IT, marketing, photography, video, and web skills. You can even find courses like Test Prep: ACT or College Prep: Writing a Strong Essay to help high schoolers with the college application process. Each learning path can contain anywhere from 7 – 53 hours of instruction. There is a read along transcript and a notebook section that allows notes to be exported as plain text, MS Word, PDF, Google Doc, or Evernote.