I am drawn to readers, learners, books, classes, entertainment, and to those who help library patrons with the above passions. Grand County Library District’s physical libraries may be closed temporarily, but our sixth branch is open for business: our online resources.

We have been working on how we can best keep our library staff and community safe while sharing resources with our patrons. The obvious answer is promoting online resources. We have a great variety of resources found on our website at www.gcld.org under the ‘eBooks & Learning Tools’ tab. As with all of our resources, they are free for GCLD patrons. Don’t have a library card or your card has expired? Send an email to cardsignup@gcld.org and we will get you setup with a temporary card.

Kanopy has movies and classes that you can stream. 

Rosetta Stone has terrific lessons to help you learn 1-30 languages.  

Universal Class can teach you how to properly groom Fido, mix the perfect cocktail, make a candle, do your finances, learn Excel or Windows, buy and sell antiques, Feng Shui your home, and so much more. Homeschooling your kids? There are over 65 teacher resources. Check it out.  

Creativebug will help keep you and your kids creative. Create a wildflower seed bomb, a table cloth made with fruit and vegetable stamps, a knitted hat, a yummy dessert, or a doodled masterpieces. There are so many options.

OverDrive, with its sister app Libby, is super popular. Here you can download eBooks and audiobooks. Select an audiobook for the whole family to listen together, or an eBook and take turns reading aloud. There is an “Always Available Audio” section that includes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Mary Poppins, Aesop’s Fables, Gulliver’s Travels, The 4-Hour Workweek, Treasure Island, and so much more.

Denver Post Collection by NewsBank has a new banner for quick links to accurate news updates on the coronavirus and special reports.

American Antiquarian Society, Britannica Online, Flipster, MyHeritage, NoveList, NuWav Legal Documents, and RBdigital Magazines are also available.

Our programs have been cancelled for the moment, but we are working on Digital Storytime beginning this week. Check out the calendar under the ‘Programs’ tab on our website for information and access. To keep updated on all announcements related to COVID-19 and its impact on GCLD, visit www.gcld.org/covid-19-info.

While some may see this as a time of greed and selfishness with the hoarding of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and pasta, I have witnessed the positive side of humanity. I am proud to work with those who are concerned for the welfare of our children, our elderly population, and everyone who has a desire to read, learn, and/or be entertained. There has also been overwhelming generosity from vendors of libraries, offering free online services. As we vet these resources, we will add some to our ‘eBooks & Learning Tools’ page. 

We would also love to hear from you. What can GCLD do to continue on its mission to provide boundless opportunities and stay true to our motto that “Mountain Libraries Elevate Minds”? Share your ideas! Please email us at adminoffice@gcld.org with any thoughts you have. 

In the meantime, stay safe. Be well. Read. Watch. Learn. Grow.