MXO ‘The Arts Unplugged What’s Inside the Digital Collection At Cuyahoga County Public Library?

Ideastream.org, By Carrie Wise, Posted April 8th 2020

While library branches are closed people can still access books, movies and music online.

Cuyahoga County Public Library has seen a spike in people utilizing its digital materials, according to collections manager Wendy Bartlett.

“People are definitely turning to our digital resources, which we are thrilled about,” Bartlett said. “That’s what they are there for.”

The library’s digital collection includes more than 90,000 e-books as well as audiobooks, streaming music and movies and digital magazines and newspapers. County residents can access the collection with an existing library card or request a digital one instantly on the library website.

One of the new e-books available that Bartlett recommends is the “The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larson.

“This one is really taking off,” she said.

Larson details Winston Churchill’s first years as prime minister of the United Kingdom during WWII.  

Another new e-book in the collection, “The Mirror & the Light,” by Hilary Mantel is the third in a historical fiction trilogy and at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List. It’s set in 16th century England and centers on Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII’s chief minister.

For anyone looking for ways to relax, Bartlett recommends a “meditation” search in hoopla, a portal within the library’s collection offering music, movies and TV programs.  That will call up background music, guided meditation and yoga videos.

“It’s nice to sort of reduce the stress that everyone’s under,” she said.