Tips & Tricks for ACLA Databases and Downloadables

Free and Fabulous – Royalty-Free Media and You

In libraries, every cent counts. Regardless of your zip code, libraries are always interested in pinching a penny, and one easy way is to utilize copyright-free material. From images and videos to music and documents, copyright-free resources can be a game-changer and really up the pizzazz of advertisements and social media posts.

Artist’s rendition of me worrying about copyright law
before I found great online resources.
  • Cost-Effective Creativity

Copyright-free material, available from various online sources, provides high-quality content without a hefty price tag. Many different websites (some listed below) offer thousands of images for free, allowing libraries to create professional-looking materials without breaking the bank.

  • Legal Peace of Mind

The risk of unintentionally using copyrighted material and facing legal repercussions is a daunting prospect for any organization. By relying on copyright-free resources, libraries can avoid legal pitfalls. Free licenses, such as Creative Commons, clearly outline what can and cannot be done with the material, offering peace of mind and the freedom to create without worry.

  • Enhancing Visual Appeal

In today’s digital age, visual content is king. Engaging images and videos can significantly boost a library’s outreach efforts and satisfy the mysterious algorithms behind social media. Whether it’s for social media campaigns, annual reports, or fundraising events, stunning visuals help tell a compelling story, capturing the attention of your audience.

  • Flexibility and Adaptability

Libraries often need to produce a variety of content quickly and efficiently (“Oh yeah, that event is next week. Can you make a flyer for it?”). Copyright-free materials offer a flexible solution. Need a background image for a social media post? Infographics for a report? Copyright-free sites provide an array of options that can be tailored to fit the specific needs and branding of any program.

  • Getting Started with Copyright-Free Materials

Ready to dive into the world of copyright-free resources? Here are some websites to get you started:

  • Unsplash: High-resolution photos for free, suitable for any project.
  • Pexels: A wide range of free stock photos and videos.
  • Pixabay: Over 1.7 million free images, videos, and music tracks.
  • Creative Commons: A platform to find works with free licenses.
  • Burst by Shopify: Free stock photos tailored for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Some do require you to create a free account and offer premium versions, but you can often find what you are looking for, especially if you hop from site to site.

We did it! We started using royalty-free images to make our content even better!

What websites and resources do you use? Any tips/tricks you’d like to share? Drop me a line at: smithc2@coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org.

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

Part of this text generated by ChatGPT, May 29, 2024, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

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Broaden Your News Search

Allegheny County library users are fortunate to have access to some great newspaper databases covering local, regional, and national papers. Did you know that there are a few other online collections out there that supplement these robust collections?

Chronicling America

The Chronicling America collection includes America’s historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963. The site also features the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Search by state, date, or even by language – with newspapers printed in 19 different languages!

This resource also includes the Newspaper Navigator that lets users search for visual data across newspapers from 1789-1963. 

Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

Access Chronicling America

Google News Archive

Google News Archive is an extension of Google News providing free access to scanned archives of newspapers and links to other newspaper archives on the web (both free and paid). Includes The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Pittsburgh Press, other local papers, and national and international titles.

While the search feature leaves something to be desired, the browsability of this site is fairly useful.

Access Google News Archive

Hopefully these additional sources will help you help library users find the information they seek.

Happy searching!

– Richelle, Sewickley Public Library

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Improve Your Graphic Design Skills With Free Resources!

Summer reading is just around the corner, and that means new faces in the library, big exciting programs every month, and, as always, too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. 

As hard as it can be to find the time to learn a new skill or software, it’s worth it when your new skills let you get important tasks done more efficiently. With Udemy’s Design Tools courses, you can learn how to take advantage of free online resources like Canva, Fusion360, and DaVinci Resolve to make your life a little bit easier.  

Improve your marketing skills 

Most of you are probably already familiar with Canva. On its own, Canva’s already a huge help, especially if you don’t consider yourself to be the most artistically inclined – with pre-made templates and a drag-and-drop layout, you never have to start from scratch and build something totally brand new.

With UDemy’s free Canva courses, you can learn tips and tricks to easily enhance your flyers, calendars, and social media content. You can also use Canva to create resources for programs! 

Boost your social media posts 

You don’t have to become a TikTok sensation to learn how to create engaging videos for your patrons. UDemy’s courses on DaVinci Resolve help teach basic and advanced video editing skills, so you and your team can easily put together video proof of what goes on at your library. 

Strengthen STEM programming and more 

Even if you don’t have a 3D printer, learning 3D design skills can be helpful. Free programs like Blender, Tinkercad, and Fusion360 let you play around and put those skills into practice, and you can easily plan programs and scale them to suit a variety of age levels. 

And hey, you never know when 3D design will come in handy. Maybe you’ve got big plans to rearrange your Children’s room, but aren’t sure how all your furniture and shelves will fit. You can create a replica of your space in any 3D design program and play around! 

Of course, there’s a lot to learn about these subjects. Using UDemy lets you identify the specific tools and tricks that are useful to you and your role, and then you can share those necessary bits with coworkers and patrons. Pretty soon you’ll have your marketing, social media, and STEM programming down to a science! 

-Jaime, Penn Hills Library

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When to Buy a Chainsaw

Do you ever find yourself wondering, “Should I buy a chainsaw?” The answer is definitely yes! But you want to be a savvy consumer. That’s where Consumer Reports comes in. 

Founded in the middle of the Great Depression, Consumer Reports remains an authority for unbiased product information that will help you and your patrons make smart purchases.  

Besides the easy-to-use search features on its home page, Consumer Reports has some great tools that can help you make a good decision not just about which chainsaw you should buy, but also when you should purchase it. Backed up by years of sales research, Consumer Reports has a handy guide to when common items tend to go on sale.  

The home page offers a lot of options, including seasonal products and information, links to the most popular product categories, and the main search bar. To get to the sales calendar, called “Best Time to Buy,” select the “Save Money” option in the Member Benefits box the right side of the page, then “Best time to buy.” Note that some of the other options such as the Bill Negotiator are not included in the subscription. 

The current month is highlighted by default. As you can see, it’s chainsaw (and other things) season! 

Users can also select other months listed along the top, or choose a different product to see when it’s likely to be on sale. You’ll probably need some good headphones to wear when you’re using that chainsaw, and you can see that November and December are the best times to buy them.

It is easy to navigate to a product review and buying guide from the Best Time to Buy tiles by selecting the “Shop & Compare” button.  

There are lots of ways Consumer Reports can support smart and/or chainsaw buying practices. Click here to get started on the eLibrary Consumer & Business resources page.

Let me know if you find a deal!  

-Mary Phillips, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

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