Free Resources

Catch the Creativebug this Summer

There are only a few more days of school left for most students and the sun is shining bright (mostly) in Pittsburgh! That means that summer is finally approaching and there’s more time for crafty projects with Creativebug.

Sure could use a new plant hanger? Go ahead and make one! Ready to don a new summer tunic? Follow a tutorial and craft your own with love (and recycled cloth)! Planning your Summer Reading activities? Look. No. Further!

Creativebug: the best resource for crafty library program planning.

Whether you’re looking for creative inspiration, family projects, or a way to stoke your DIY spirit, Creativebug offers a plethora of awesome video tutorials and handout templates.

Creativebug has over 1,000 tutorials created by professionals that cover topics for everyone — children, teens, adults, amateurs, and experts! The only thing needed to start finding your creative bliss is your library card.

Derek Nuzum, South Park Township Library

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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

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