Free Resources

Big and Small Engines

Don’t let engine troubles get in the way of your summer plans! Maybe you want the best lawn on the block and need to repair your lawn mower. Or maybe you want to spend your days on the rivers, relaxing on your boat and riding your jet skis. Or maybe you need to keep your generator in tip-top shape for the next summer thunderstorm.

Small Engine Repair Reference Center is a great start to find guides on maintenance and repairs on all your small engines.

Summer also means road trips for many. Keep up with your vehicle’s maintenance and repairs with Auto Repair Source. They make it easy to find the information for your car without any guesswork. When your mechanic says you need repairs or when it’s time for your 100,000 mile scheduled maintenance, you’ll sound as cool as the Fonz because you did your research with Auto Repair Source.

Happy (Summer) Days!

Leigha Lamont @ Wilkinsburg Public Library & Eastridge Branch

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FamilySearch and You

Did you know a collection of over 5.7 billion digital images, books, microfilm, and other records is available for the low, low price of a free account?

FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering millions (and billions) of genealogical records to the public. To date, users have added over 1.3 billion persons to the collective family tree.

All these numbers are a bit overwhelming, so FamilySearch has put together a starting page to make diving in easier than ever (https://www.familysearch.org/gettingstarted/):

From designing your own family tree, to saving your own digital photos and documents, FamilySearch is a great alternative or supplement to Ancestry.com (available for free to patrons at your local library! Check out a great guide from December 2019 here).

Additionally, many libraries within Allegheny County have been granted FamilySearch Affiliate Library status, affording users greater access to documents while accessing FamilySearch from a library computer! Allegheny County libraries with affiliate status include but are not limited to: Andrew Carnegie Free Library, Bethel Park Public Library, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Cooper-Siegel Community Library, Northland Public Library Authority, Pleasant Hills Public Library, Sewickley Public Library, Shaler North Hills Library, Sharpsburg Community Library, Springdale Free Public Library, Upper St. Clair Township Library, and Whitehall Public Library.

However you want to scratch your genealogical itch, your community library in Allegheny County is a great place to start!

Cameron R.S. Smith, Cooper-Siegel Community Library

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What’s Next?

Nothing is better than finding a good book and finding out it’s a series to keep it going. However, it is not always clear what title to start with or which title comes next.

The Kent District Library, in Kent County, Michigan, created the What’s Next: Books in Series Database to help search series. They define a series as two or more books linked by character(s), settings, or other common traits. The database is searchable by author last name, author first name, name of a series, book title, category or genre. It is the perfect resource if you need a printed list of titles.

Fantastic Fiction is also a great resource for keeping up with your favorite authors and series. When searching an author, you can see all their series in order and all their titles that are not a part of a series. A unique feature of Fantastic Fiction is series that are not tied by author, for example the various Star Wars and Star Trek series. 

Of course, there is the Novelist Plus database! Like the others, Novelist provides author’s series, but a feature that makes Novelist stand out is the Read-alikes specifically for series!

Happy reading!

Leigha Lamont @ Wilkinsburg Public Library & Eastridge Branch

Continue ReadingWhat’s Next?

Mark Your Calendars for these Tutor.com Trainings!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the online resource Tutor.com, now’s your chance. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and your local library are hosting training sessions for staff and patrons.

The staff-focused training is a quick and comprehensive walk-through of Tutor.com. This training session will equip you with the knowledge and skills that you need to help patrons navigate the resource and market its features.

There will be two trainings offered for the public. The first is an introduction to Tutor.com, how to access it, as well as its many features, such as live tutoring and homework help. The second training is focused on SAT/ACT prep and how Tutor.com can offer support.

All webinars will be recorded and shared with all registrants, so if the time doesn’t work for you or your patrons, don’t worry! 

Staff Training

Tutor.com Staff Training 
Tuesday, February 8, 2022 
12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST

Patron Trainings 

Everything You Need to Know About Tutor.com 
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 
4:00 PM-4:45 PM EST 

tutor dot come free webinar Tuesday, march 8, 2022 4:00 pm EDT
tutor dot come sat act webinar tuesday march 15 2022 4:00 pm edt

Stressed for the Test? Prepare for the SAT/ACT with Tutor.com! 
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 
4:00 PM-4:45 PM EST 

-Erin Weaver, Bridgeville Public Library

Continue ReadingMark Your Calendars for these Tutor.com Trainings!