Tips & Tricks for ACLA Databases and Downloadables

Trainings!

We have had some great training opportunities so far this year. In April, Heather from Western Allegheny Community Library did a refresher on Hoopla for library staff. Heather went over some Hoopla basics but also touched on some lesser-known features.

In September, Mary Phillips and I did a deeper dive into BlueCareer and FinancialFit. Two of our newer resources. BlueCareer provides information on skilled trades and can connect patrons with trade schools, apprenticeship opportunities and even a simple, mobile-friendly want to connect with employers. FinancialFit offers short, easy-to-understand lessons and interactive tools to help develop and support basic financial literacy.

Rounding out this trio of trainings, in October, we had an excellent overview of Tutor.com by our Tutor.com Account manager. If you haven’t used Tutor.com in a while, it’s worth a revisit. They’ve updated the interface and added in a new suite of tutoring options for Career and Technical Education (CTE) services.

These three trainings are available on the Training Resources tab here on the Backstage. If you have any problems accessing a training, please email me or sent me a message on Teams.

-Hilary Lewis, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

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Family History Month with Ancestry.com

October is Family History Month, which makes it the perfect time to begin researching your family’s heritage using Ancestry.com. 

The database, available for in-library use, allows users to search census records, birth, marriage & death records, military records, newspapers, and other documents. There are billions of records available to search from all over the world. 

To get started, click Begin Searching, then enter in as much information as you can about your relative. 

The results will return a variety of formats, and numerous results that meet the criteria that you entered.

If the results that appear are not what you’re looking for, you can narrow down your search by using the filters along the side. These allow you to specify the document type that you are interested in, the location of the record(s), and the date that the records are from.

Some records have a family tree attached to them which can lead to other family members. This is not available for all records. Ancestry does allow for some documents to be printed, such as family trees and Census records. For others, printing of the original document is not available, instead users can get a print out of the information that was featured on the document.

Happy searching!

Erin, Bridgeville Public Library

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Discover Something New with Gale Presents: Udemy

Looking to learn a new skill, boost your career, or explore a hobby you’ve always been curious about? With your library card, you now have free access to Gale Presents: Udemy—an online learning platform with thousands of video-based courses taught by expert instructors.

Learn at Your Own Pace

Gale Presents: Udemy offers courses across a wide variety of topics, including:

  • Professional skills like leadership, project management, or Microsoft Office.
  • Technology including coding, data analysis, and web design.
  • Creative interests such as photography, writing, or music.
  • Personal growth with classes on mindfulness, productivity, or wellness.

Courses are self-paced, so you can learn on your own schedule—anytime, anywhere.

Why Use Gale Presents: Udemy?

  • Free with your library card
  • Expert instructors from around the world
  • A wide variety of topics to match your goals and interests
  • Flexible learning you can pause, rewind, or revisit anytime

How to Get Started

  1. Visit your library’s website and look for the Gale Presents: Udemy link.
  2. Sign in with your library card.
  3. Create a free account and start exploring courses right away.

With Gale Presents: Udemy, your library card is more powerful than ever. Whether you want to grow your career, learn something new, or simply follow your curiosity, this resource makes lifelong learning simple and accessible.

Gabi – Robinson Library

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Tutor.com Staff Training

Join us on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at 11:00 am for a comprehensive refresher on Tutor.com with Maxine Nebro. This will be great for those already familiar with the program, and those who are experiencing it for the first time as we’ll go over every feature available in your program. There have been a number of updates made in the past year, and we are super excited to share them with you! A Q&A will be happening at the end of the refresher, so be sure to bring your questions and stick around until the end.

The training will be recorded and posted to the eLibrary Backstage for those who cannot attend in person.

Join the training by clicking the link below. No registration required.

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 225 943 457 580 2 Passcode: Vt9p7GJ6

Microsoft Teams Need help?

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