Databases Let You Use Library Resources Online

Databases Let You Use Library Resources Online

The Coeur d’Alene and Lake City Public libraries are temporarily closed until further notice, but that doesn’t mean you have no access to library services.

Your library card is the key to opening a wide variety of trustworthy online resources through the website: www.cdalibrary.org.  Click on the ACCOUNT link and enter your library card number and your password. Unless you have changed it yourself, your password is your last name in all-caps. This gives you access to your own account. You can currently place holds on items in the Coeur d’Alene collection (the courier system between libraries in the Cooperative Information Network (CIN) system has been suspended).  Once notified holds are available, patrons can come to the library at 702 E. Front Ave. and holds will be handed out at curbside – ring the bell or give us a call from your vehicle.

The library is not accepting returns at this time and has suspended all “overdue” impacts on patron accounts.

Clicking the EXPLORE link opens the online resources available to you.  Under the DOWNLOAD category on the left side of the page are the links for audiobooks and for music. These include:

• OverDrive/Libby: CIN libraries provide free downloads of ebooks and eaudiobooks – including those for children and teens – using the OverDrive or Libby apps. In situations where you have Wi-Fi access, books can also be read online. Readers can select one- or two-week checkout periods. Readers can return books early or wait for them to just disappear from Internet devices at the end of the loan period. Like printed books, only one reader can have an item checked out at a time, but you have the option of placing a hold and you will be notified when the book is available to check out.
• Freegal: This is a service that allows patrons to download music for free and to keep on Internet-connected devices. Users log on with their library card number and can download five songs per week. Users can also stream music to any Internet-connected device.

The EXPLORE link’s most obvious features are the links to online resources known as databases. Some of these are provided to state libraries by the Idaho Commission for Libraries, some are paid for by joint support from CIN libraries, and still others are funded by the Coeur d’Alene libraries.

These resources include:

• Chilton Library: This is a collection of automotive repair manuals. Just type in the make and model of the vehicle and the year it was built. It features illustrations and step-by-step instructions for repairs.
• Coeur d’Alene Digital Archives: This includes digital scans of the Coeur d’Alene Press from its founding in 1892 to the 1960s – the years that are in the public domain. Unlike the microfilm from which the scans were created, these newspapers can be search by keywords rather than just by the date. Coming up for the archives is a project to include local high school yearbooks. Just 1995 for Lake City High School is included at this time.
• Consumer Health Complete: This can be used to find information about diseases, conditions, injuries, or procedures. The database also includes information about wellness and fitness.
• Driving Tests: This resource includes Idaho drivers’ manuals and practice tests to obtain a driver’s license.
• EBSCO Host: This includes searchable articles in popular magazines and scholarly journals. In most cases you will find text or pdf copies of the articles. In other cases, an abstract of the article is provided for individuals who are doing research.
• Funk & Wagnalls: Searchable version of the encyclopedia of the same name.
• Gale Virtual Reference Library: Digital versions of reference books.
• Global Road Warrior: For trip-planning and homework assignments this an online atlas with details about every country in the world and what you need to know to travel there.
• Heritage Quest Online: A useful guide for genealogy work. Includes such material as US and Canadian census records, city directories, immigration records, and other public information related to families.
• History Reference Center: Browse by subject articles about U.S. and world history. Includes a reference shelf to assist research.
• Learning Express: This is a multifaceted database with resources for college admission, career preparation, popular software skills, and homework assistance for schools and college.
• Literacy Reference Center: Contains information about the most-studied authors and literature. Also includes full-text versions of classic books in the public domain.
• Mango: Log in and create a free account to learn any of 70 world languages. Includes audio instruction and conversations to learn how words are pronounced.
• Newsbank: This is another site focused on newspapers. You can find text versions of stories that have appeared in the Coeur d’Alene Press going back to 2003. Other news sources from around the country, such as the Spokesman-Review, can also be accessed.
• Novel List K-8 Plus: This provides a comprehensive guide to books for school-aged children. Readers can look at what is new and read reviews. Books can be selected based on the readers’ interests.
• Novel List Plus: Recommendations and reviews for adults, teens, and children.
• Reference USA: This is a phonebook on steroids. Included are all published residential and business phone numbers in the United States and Canada. (Unlisted numbers and cell phones not included.) But Reference USA also provides business profiles that can be researched in a variety of ways.
• Tax Resources: This provides links to the IRS and the Idaho State Tax Commission if you need copies of tax forms, schedules, and instructions.
• World Book and World Book for Kids: Online versions of the encyclopedias of the same name.
• Your Health Idaho: An online marketplace that allows Idaho families and small businesses to shop, compare, and choose the health insurance coverage that’s right for them.

The EXPLORE section also includes recommended websites for adults, teens and children that have been discovered over the years by library staff.  For more information call 208-769-2325 or email [email protected]. While the libraries are closed due to the COVID-19 emergency the library phones are staff 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday Through Friday.