What’s NEW at BPL in 2024
Burlington Public Library is starting 2024 with a few exciting announcements! January ushers in some new collections and a hands-on learning space for school-age kids.
DiscoverySpace at Central Branch
It’s bright! It’s bold! And it’s going to be really, really fun! The new DiscoverySpace is a hands-on zone dedicated to learning, creating, and building, together as a family. The space opens Monday, January 8 at 1pm. Located on the second floor of Central Branch near the children’s area, the DiscoverySpace offers drop-in hours to explore, design, and tinker, along with registered STEAM programs. You’ll find bins full of self-directed activities to explore—and did we mention a LEGO wall?!
More eBooks!
We’ve super-sized our digital book collection by over 700,000 titles with the launch of our Hoopla eBooks collection on January 15! It’s a perfect complement to the audiobooks, movies, and music you already enjoy on this platform. This addition is a direct response to feedback we’ve received from you, our customers, both in our branches and in our annual Customer Satisfaction Survey.
How will it work? If an eBook or eAudio book you’re eyeing isn’t available in our OverDrive/Libby collection or has a long wait period, you can check if it’s now available on Hoopla. Many early titles from popular series are included in this new collection. And Hoopla items can be borrowed instantly, with no wait!
You can browse the new collection now, but if you try to access Hoopla eBooks before January 15, you cannot see the collection when you are signed into your Hoopla account. Soon, soon!
Hoopla is a subscription-based digital streaming service available for free to library members. You can borrow up to eight items every month with your BPL card. If you’ve never used it before, read about how it works on our RESOURCES page.
We also said goodbye to TeenBookCloud due to low interest by our members. We hope the Hoopla eBook collection is a better fit for your reading interests.
Morningstar Investment Centre eResource
Strengthen your investment savvy with this new-to-BPL digital resource. Along with current and trusted information on companies, stocks, funds, market indexes, exchange-traded funds, and more, Morningstar Investment Centre offers handy lessons for investment beginners and tips to help you make the most of your portfolio. Is 2024 the year you plan to retire or send a kid to college? Check out their online calculators to keep your plans on target.
Britannica Library Online
There’s a whole lot of learning going on, thanks to the folks at Britannica, suppliers of knowledge for more than 250 years. We’ve added the Britannica Library digital resource for BPL members this year. You will find short encyclopedic entries on a wide range of topics. They’re organized into three reference databases aimed at children, young adults, and adults. Just choose your level and get started. Warning—Once you start looking, it’s very hard to stop!
More Jigsaw Puzzles
Just in time for an extra-long February, we are adding lots more puzzles to borrow. Thank so much for your enthusiastic response to the collection we introduced in 2023 and stay tuned for this expanded collection.
Recently Added Tech
Late last month, we added two new technologies to our lending collection.
You can now borrow a USB DVD player to use while you are in the library. Simply plug the unit into a computer’s USB port to play your favourite DVD or CD.
For some on-the-go fun, check out the new Yoto Mini audio players for kids. These screen-free, smart speakers play audio cards featuring a variety of fiction and non-fiction titles, including Llama Llama, Peppa Pig, and other popular stories.
We hope these new additions have you excited to make the most of your library membership. We look forward to seeing you at the library this year!
