Online resources

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, January 2012; written by Lisa Pearson.

As the foundation for the new library is being poured, a lot of our attention these days is on the bricks-and-mortar library: a library that will house storytimes, reading nooks, community meetings, study sessions and conversations among friends. However, modern libraries also extend themselves beyond their walls and beyond their normal operating hours. The 21st-century library is a 24/7 service accessible from anywhere. Let me give you some examples.

The Ketchikan Public Library has just purchased a subscription to the Gale LegalForms online database, which allows patrons to find, fill in and print off hundreds of different legal forms for free from their home computer. The database covers a wide range of legal topics, including divorce & child custody, will preparation, lease agreements, sales of boats & cars, power of attorney, litigation and bankruptcy. The forms have all been prepared by legal professionals, and each form comes with a short description about their use. You can download the form to your computer, fill in the pertinent information for your situation, and print it off for your own use. The database also includes a legal dictionary and a law digest with a selection of legal summaries. A link to this LegalForms database is on the library’s website: www.firstcitylibraries.org/KPLhomepage. You can call us here at the library (225-3331) for the password.

One of the other popular resources on our webpage is a link to the Digital Pipeline, a collection of subscription databases provided by the Alaska Library Network. They have recently added a new service to this collection: Mango Languages. This is a wonderful online tool to learn over 34 foreign languages, including Spanish, Japanese, Russian and Tagalog. You can create your own free account, and Mango Languages will keep track of where you are in each lesson, how many hours of studying you have logged, and what courses you have taken. With this service you can not only hear how the language is spoken, you can use your computer’s microphone to practice your pronunciation (and the Mango Languages program will help you improve your accent). The Mango program also has courses for ESL students who speak Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Turkish (as well as 11 other native languages). Whether you’re traveling abroad, preparing for a foreign guest, or you just want to learn more about another culture, the Mango Languages program allows you to learn at home from your computer.

For those of you who don’t like being tied down to your PC, we have a variety of library services that are available as apps for your smart phone. Mango Languages is one of these apps, and it is available for iPhone, iPad and iTouch devices through the Apple store. Our new Gale LegalForms database is also available as an app for Apple devices and Android smart phones. Just look for the AccessMyLibrary app, and you can download it for free.

The most popular online service the Ketchikan Public Library offers is ListenAlaska, which provides access to free ebooks, audiobooks and music for a wide variety of devices, including Kindles and iPads. Of all the library apps, ListenAlaska is the most widely compatible; download and enjoy on your Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and Apple devices. The special MyHelp! feature on the ListenAlaska site will walk you through the entire process step-by-step. With your Ketchikan Public Library card you can check out ebooks and audiobooks as you relax at home, travel around the country or around the world!

A really helpful app for your Apple device is Tutor.com To Go. This is the mobile version of Live Homework Help, which is a free educational service geared for different grade levels: K-12, College and Adult Education. Trained tutors are available from 1pm-midnight (AST) and they will help you with math, science, social studies and English homework. There are also trained staff members who can help with resume preparation, job interview skills and coaching for passing the U.S. Citizenship Exam. They can even review essays and reports that you upload to a shared whiteboard. The Tutor.com To Go and Live Homework Help services are provided by the Alaska Library Network.

If you have any questions about these resources, please call us at the public library. We also have a wireless network for patron use, so if you would like to bring your laptop, iPad or mobile device down to test it out in the library, we’ll be happy to help troubleshoot. We like to learn new things, too.