Find Your Joy at the Library

Each year, the library staff work hard to bring the best collections, services, and programs to the local community– and this year is no exception. For National Library week, observed this year from April 19 to April 25, we would like to invite everyone to “Find Your Joy,” this year’s theme, by exploring the many offerings of the Crawfordsville District Public Library.

One great way to survey the many options available is through our website. Search through the library’s catalog of materials for children, teens and adults; look over a monthly calendar of library-sponsored events (indicated by the tan background); and review the many services and resources available through CDPL.

Traditional books are a cornerstone of the library’s collection, but they’re certainly not all we offer. The e-books, e-audiobooks, and e-magazines made available through Overdrive (Libby App) and Hoopla have proven to be increasingly popular, as well as easy to use. Streaming services such as Kanopy and Hoopla allow online access to great entertainment possibilities. And all of our online materials are available 24 hours a day, every day.

A few other library options may even be surprising if you haven’t visited lately. Thanks to a partnership with the Montgomery County Master Gardeners, we have a popular seed library on the library’s second floor which offers patrons up to ten packets of flower or vegetable seeds per season. Adventure backpacks feature various outdoor exploration supplies as well as an admission letter allowing the bearer free entrance into any of 37 Indiana state parks.  CDPL even provides wireless hotspots for internet access and kits including Chromebooks, all available to borrow at the Circulation Desk.

Each year we try one or two new services, and this year, we began offering PressReader, an app that allows free access to the regular electronic versions of a selection of national and international newspapers. Using a CDPL library card, patrons can download daily issues of USA Today, The Guardian (both US and UK versions), and several other US daily newspapers as well as many international ones in a multitude of languages. By downloading the app, identifying the Crawfordsville District Public Library from the “Libraries or Groups” login option, and entering an unexpired CDPL library card number and PIN, you can avoid those annoying online paywalls on stories you want to read.

Looking to add a little joy to family time? A wide variety of new games such as Scrabble, Mancala, Catan, Pictionary, Cards Against Humanity, Upwords, and Ender’s Game: Battle School can be found on the library’s second floor, and they are available for a 7-day loan. A nice assortment of jigsaw puzzles is available there for check-out as well, and puzzles have a 28-day loan period.

Interested in learning more about any of our library’s collections, services and programs? We would love to tell you more about them, and, if needed, help you through the process of setting up some services. Please contact library staff by email at ask@cdpl.lib.in.us; give our Adult Services desk a call at 765-362-2242 ext. 3; or ask one of our helpful staff members during your next visit.