Library Card Sign-Up Month - Get Your eCard at the Boston Public Library
September is Library Card Sign up month. To mark the occasion, make sure you sign up for an eCard at the Boston Public Library and take advantage of all that institution has to offer.
The Boston Public Library allows any resident of Massachusetts (including college students from out-of-state/country) to get a BPL eCard. You don’t need to worry about driving the 25 miles into Boston to get your card, you can sign up for your card online and immediately enjoy a host of resources.
Why should you sign up for a BPL e-Card? In addition to being able to use the BPL’s research databases and current and historic newspapers, your eCard provides you with full access to the BPL’s extensive e-book and audiobook collection through Overdrive. Additionally, Kanopy provides streaming access to acclaimed movies and documentaries on-demand from award-winning filmmakers, and e-Card holders can borrow up to 6 items from Kanopy per calendar month. eCard holders can also download Hoopla – an app that gives them access to more of the library’s streaming movies, music, and television shows, eBooks and audiobooks. RBdigital allows eCard holders to read new issues of popular magazines such as Glamour, Newsweek, Wired, and Billboard. They can also access Lynda.com, an online training service with classes on everything from Photoshop and Excel to project management and game design.
Requesting and borrowing physical materials, including museum passes, from the BPL requires a physical card. eCards can be upgraded to physical cards at any BPL location and students studying in Massachusetts are also eligible for physical cards. The BPL, the first large, free, municipal library in the United States, has more than 23 million items in its collection, which is estimated to be among the three largest collections in the country. If you’re in Boston, you should pay a visit. It’s worth the trip.
Remember, as a Stonehill student your HillCard serves as your local library card and allows you to check out items from MacPhaidin Library as well as the libraries at Wheaton College, Bridgewater State University, UMass Dartmouth, and the Ames Free Library in North Easton.