During this time of social distancing and stay-at-home directives, libraries across the country have had to close their buildings to the public. Fortunately, here in Central Oregon, libraries continue to provide high-quality content for your information and entertainment needs — and you can access it from wherever you are with an internet connection. Here’s a quick guide to some of the resources offered by local libraries to help you navigate the abundance of digital materials.

E-books and digital audio

Through OverDrive (dpls.overdrive.com) and Overdrive’s easy-to-use app, Libby, library customers from Deschutes Public Library, Crook County Library and Jefferson County Library District have access to recent bestsellers, the most popular authors and a broad collection of fiction and nonfiction books. These 50,000 titles include e-books and downloadable audiobooks for adults, teens and kids — including hundreds of read-along picture books for the littlest readers. In recent weeks, funds have been put toward adding copies of high-demand titles, purchasing full runs of series by popular authors and enhancing topics that are especially useful right now: self-care, crafting, cooking, home projects and more.

If you are a dedicated Kindle reader, this is the collection for you. Almost all of these titles are available for transfer to your Kindle device.

This collection works similar to the physical collection — the library purchases a set number of copies of titles, and only one person can use each copy at a time. Some popular titles will have wait lists, and placing holds might be necessary to get what you want, but the library will buy additional copies when wait times get too long. You can have up to 15 items checked out, so once you hit that limit, you’ll have to return something before you can check out more. Access this collection on your desktop computer or on your phone or tablet using OverDrive’s Libby app.

Another option for e-books and downloadable audiobooks for Deschutes Public Library customers, Hoopla (hoopladigital.com) has almost 150,000 titles. Nonfiction topics include art, cooking, home repair, crafting, photography, homeschooling, gardening and so much more. It’s not all serious stuff. Hoopla has thousands of mysteries, every kind of romance, historical fiction and sci-fi. There are comics and graphic novels from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Fantagraphics and others. If you’ve wanted to work your way through the entire “Walking Dead” or “Ex-Machina” series, Hoopla is there for you. Kids can enjoy picture books, including hundreds of read-along titles. Also, Hoopla offers thousands of titles for all ages in Spanish.

All of Hoopla’s titles are available for immediate use by an unlimited number of people, so there is never a wait for what you want. Each library user can check out 15 items per month. Once you hit that monthly limit, you have to wait for your quota to reset at the beginning of the next month. Deschutes Public Library is monitoring use and spending throughout the closure and will adjust to best meet community demand. You can access Hoopla on your computer or use the Hoopla app for your phone or tablet. Hoopla titles are not transferable to Kindle devices.

Videos

Hoopla also provides video streaming. Although you won’t find the latest blockbusters, there is a good selection of family films, classics, documentaries and other offerings from A&E, Acorn, BBC, the History Channel, Ken Burns, Paramount, PBS and more.

Videos viewed in Hoopla count against your monthly limit of 15 per card, so keep that in mind if you are binge-watching “Doc Martin” or “The Great British Baking Show.” You can access Hoopla on your computer or stream to your phone, tablet or smart TV with the Hoopla app.

Kanopy (deschutes.kanopy.com) describes itself as “thoughtful entertainment,” and with its vast array of documentaries, award winners and classics that certainly feels true. Similar to Hoopla, you won’t find all the most recent blockbusters, but you will find high-quality productions from top independent studios, including “Midsommar,” “Lady Bird,” “Moonlight” and more. There are also a few thousand titles in The Great Courses series, so you can learn about wine tasting, world history, pet training, economics and hundreds of other topics from some of the world’s best teachers from the comfort of your home. There’s a whole page devoted to kids’ content including a couple of seasons of “Sesame Street,” PBS content and plenty of educational videos.

Kanopy, available to Deschutes Public Library cardholders, works like Hoopla: All titles are available for simultaneous use, so there’s no need to place holds or wait for a popular title, and there is a cap of 15 borrows per customer per month. You can access Kanopy on your computer or use the Kanopy app for your phone, tablet or smart TV.

Finding and using digital content

At the Deschutes Public Library’s homepage (deschuteslibrary.org) look for the yellow box that reads, “Read watch listen: digital downloads.” Click there to see all these digital options. OverDrive is managed by Deschutes Public Library, but is available to Jefferson and Crook County residents through cooperative agreements, so residents of all three counties can access the OverDrive collection from the same place.

Deschutes Public Library staff have posted how-to guides on the homepage (deschuteslibrary.org/books/guides) to get you started using these resources. There, you’ll also find information on some of Deschutes Public Library’s other online resources, like CreativeBug, which offers crafting classes and tutorials; Mango, which offers learning for 70 languages; and RB Digital, which provides full access to over 150 magazines.

If you need more help, staff continue to answer questions via email and phone. Deschutes Public Library staff can be contacted with the Ask a Librarian form on the home page or by emailing reference@deschuteslibrary.org. Jefferson County Library Staff can be reached at library@jcld.org and Crook County staff are available at library@crooklib.org. Staff at all three libraries are available to make sure you can find and access these materials.

Getting a library card

You do need a library card to access these digital materials, and all three area libraries are working to process library card applications during their closures. Deschutes County and Crook County residents can both fill out an application online at deschuteslibrary.org/myaccount/using/getacard or crooklib.org/library/page/get-library-card. Jefferson County Library District is working to make the application available online, but in the meantime, it’s working with customers on an individual basis.

In this time of limited contact, libraries are still here to enrich the lives of their communities through high-quality learning and entertainment. Library staff remain dedicated to helping their communities access the information and entertainment they need during these uniquely challenging times.