Film aficionados rejoice; the Anderson County Library System now provides access to over 30,000 films and TV through Kanopy. With diverse content such as documentaries, international movies, Criterion Collection films, and content just for kids, Kanopy provides thoughtful, enriching entertainment for everyone.
Getting started with Kanopy is easy. Library users can create a free account with their library card number, then stream on their desktop or through the Kanopy app, available for Apple and Android devices and smartTV apps like Roku, Apple TV, Samsung or AmazonTV. Users have five play credits each month, and each video will use one play credit regardless of length. Exceptions are Kanopy Kids, which does not require any play credits, or monthly credit-free films. Credits reset at the beginning of each month.
Kanopy Kids is a collection of curated movies and shows that are educational and engaging. Selections include shows from PBS Kids, Highlights, and Sesame Street, plus international stories, beloved book character adaptations, and much more. Users can also set up parental controls, so children cannot access other content on Kanopy.
Kanopy is the newest addition to a wealth of digital resources available anytime, anywhere with a library card. Library cards are free to anyone who lives, works, owns property, or attends school in Anderson County. For more information about Kanopy, getting a library card, and all resources available from the Anderson County Library System, visit any library location or go online to www.andersonlibrary.org.
What is Libby? Libby is a free app you can use to checkout eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from the library.
Who’s Libby for? Anyone who has or can get an Anderson County Library card, meaning you live, work, go to school, or own property in Anderson County. If you have a reciprocal library card, you can check with your home library about Libby, or pay the annual $25 nonresident fee.
How does Libby work? Download Libby from the Apple or Google Play app stores to your phone or tablet, or go to libbyapp.com on your computer. Then, enter your library card number and start browsing! Browse or search by genre, popular, newly added, or available now; check items out; place holds; or make a wish list for later.
What about my Kindle? The Libby app is not available on Kindles. However, you can select the “Send to Kindle” option when checking out most eBooks from your computer or other device.
How is Libby different than Overdrive? Libby is a newer app by the same company, called Overdrive. They have stopped supporting the original Overdrive app, and it is no longer available from app stores. You can continue using Overdrive, but over time it may lose functionality and compatibility.
What’s available on Libby? Lots! Thousands of eBooks and audiobooks, including collections for kids and for teens. Popular and unique magazines, including international ones. Extras including Craftsy classes, movies on Indieflix, The Great Courses, and online classes. Don’t see a book you want? Request it by emailing overdrive@andersonlibrary.org
Learning a new language just got easier. The Anderson County Library System now offers Mango Languages, an award-winning language education resource, to all library users.
Mango Languages offers over 70 languages and more than 20 English courses for speakers of other languages. Mango is the only adaptive language-learning system powered by proven methodologies, designed to naturally establish retention and rapidly build conversation skills. It is accessible on desktop and on mobile devices with an Apple and Android app. Users can create accounts to keep up with progress, set up a family account, and for offline learning.
Mango Languages is the latest addition to the digital resources available with a library card. From researching products and investmentsto studying for the SAT, GED, and other technical exams, library users have access to a wide range of online learning and research tools available anywhere, any time with a library card.
The Anderson County Library System serves residents of all ages in Anderson County across nine library locations, a bookmobile, and the digital library. Get Library events, books, and news straight to your inbox by signing up for newsletters.
Wi-Fi hotspots are now available to check out with a library card from the Anderson County Library System. The hotspot lending program aims to increase broadband Internet access for Anderson County residents and is made possible by a partnership among the Library, Anderson County, and T-Mobile.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that residents of Anderson County face issues with broadband availability and affordability. Some residents do not have access to broadband internet in their area or simply cannot afford to pay for internet in their homes,” says Library Director Annie Sutton. “The Library already provides Internet and Wi-Fi access in all nine libraries. Providing hotspots to check out seems a natural addition to library services .”
According to the US Census Bureau, around 18,000 households in Anderson County do not have Internet access. The hotspot lending program provides invaluable Internet access to individuals for education, employment, and services. In addition, the Library will provide anonymized geographic data, patterns, and trends to Anderson County leaders to help better inform future broadband infrastructure projects.
Wi-Fi hotpots will be available to check out with an adult library card from each of the Library System’s 9 locations, with the greatest number available at the Honea Path, Iva, and Anderson Main libraries. Hotpots can be checked out for two weeks at a time. If hotspots are not returned after the two weeks, Internet access will be disabled until the device is returned. All devices are equipped with standard content filtering.
“We continually work to offer unique, creative items for checkout and to meet the needs of our residents. I’m excited to provide this new service for library patrons,” says Sutton.
The Anderson County Library System serves residents of all ages in Anderson County across nine library locations, a bookmobile, and the digital library. Check availability of the Wi-Fi hotspots in the catalog, or ask at your local library.
April is Financial Literacy Month, and whether you’re looking to brush up on accounting skills, plan your personal finances, or explore investments, the Anderson County Library has the resources to help – all available free with your library card.
Universal Class provides online, self-paced classes on hundreds of topics, including:
Accounting and Bookkeeping 101
Debt Reduction
Estate Planning
Goal Setting 101
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Habits of Millionaires
Investing 101 & 201
Microsoft Access 2019
Microsoft Excel 2019
Personal Finance 101
QuickBooks 101
Retirement Planning
The Great Courses has hundreds of popular courses on a wide range of subjects taught by the world’s greatest professors. Using the Libby app, check out a week pass for unlimited views. When the week is up, you can always check it out again. Lectures relating to financial literacy include:
Economics of Uncertainty
Money Management Skills
The Art of Investing
Understanding Investments
For those looking for the latest data, sophisticated tools, and reliable, unbiased information, Value Line is the investment research tool to use. Value Line provides how-to guides, education tools, and market research for beginner and veteran investors.
For help with these or any library resources, contact the Adult Services department by calling (864) 260-4500 ext. 126 or emailing reference@andersonlibrary.org.
Looking to start 2021 right? See if the Anderson County Library System can help!
Read More
With eBooks and digital audiobooks from the Library, reading is easier than ever. Download the Libby app and check out up to 8 eBooks or audiobooks at a time. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Request an item by emailing overdrive@andersonlibrary.org. Find more eBooks as well as music and TV on Hoopla Digital and browse the latest issues of popular magazines on Flipster. Bonus: Join the Facebook group Upstate Readsto share what you’re reading and get recommendations and challenges from our librarians!
Spend Time with Family
With storytime, early literacy skills, take-home activities, and trivia, the Library has great free events to help your family spend quality time together. Bonus: Research your family’s history with AncestryLibraryand the Library’s genealogy resources. At-home access to AncestryLibrary has been extended through March 31!
Learn and Improve Skills
Take online classes on hundreds of subjects at your own pace with Universal Class, or get practice tests for high school, college, and careers with LearningExpress Library. Need some extra help? Access Tutor.com with your library card for one-on-one assistance. Bonus: Watch award-winning on-demand courses and lectures with The Great Courses!
Be Creative
Sew, knit, bake, paint, and decorate with hundreds of classes and projects from Creativebug, ranging from beginner to advanced. Bonus: Look for monthly Take ‘n Make craft kits and Creative Crafters videos from the Library!
Recently, a Facebook group of which I am a member changed its name from “Librarians Serving Homeschool Families” to “Librarians Serving At-Home Learners and Homeschoolers.” Parents are more involved than ever in their children’s education, and it’s imperative that they know all the resources that are available to them, especially the ones that cost little to nothing. Enter the public library.
The Anderson County Library is part of a consortium of twenty county library systems in South Carolina that share resources. If we don’t have a book in Anderson County, but Beaufort County has it, you can put it on hold from wherever you are and have it brought to your nearest branch library, and it usually takes less than a week. The following chart shows how to save almost $300.00 on just a few items by using the library instead of purchasing literature for your class.
Savings From Using the Library
Title
Cost
Charlotte’s Web
6.40
Wind in the Willows, The
18.94
Where the Sidewalk Ends
10.99
Aesop’s Fables
9.89
Pilgrim’s Progress
22.99
Velveteen Rabbit, The
8.39
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
36.49
Magic Treehouse set (Books 1-28)
100.86
Boxcar Children set (Books 1-12)
48.95
Jane Eyre
11.94
Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry
20.11
Total savings
$295.95
*prices retrieved from Amazon September 14, 2020
But what if you need an item right away? Digital resources make that entirely possible. The Hooplaand Libbyapps allow you to download e-books, audiobooks, music, and videos straight to your device. Want to take a free online course? The library offers the popular Universal Class on our website if you have a library card. From Accounting to Web Development, Universal Class has dozens of topics for you, including more than 40 online courses under the “Homeschooling” category alone. Do you have a teen learning to drive? Look under the “Research” tab of our website and you’ll find current SC DMV practice tests. Do you need a tutor for your child? No problem. Tutor.com offers one-to-one tutoring anytime, anywhere at no cost to you, thanks to DISCUS.
Libraries all over the country have valuable resources online to help at-home learners and their families succeed. September is National Library Card Sign up month. Stop by your nearest branch to get yours today.
Finally, I encourage each family to download the Libbyapp, which allows access to leading digital magazines on your mobile device. This can be limited to Family & Children’s resources, and includes the popular National Geographic for Kids, as well as Muse, which encourages reading for fun as well as learning.
