New Year, New Discoveries!

Looking for something new to try in the new year? Let your WPL card guide the way! You can apply for a free Worcester Public Library card in person at any location, including the Mobile Libraries. You can also print and complete a library card application and bring it to any branch. To learn more, click here. 

WPL is about learning and expanding personal knowledge in a sustainable, affordable way. With our Library of Things, you can borrow items to try a new hobby, game or activity. This collection offers entrepreneurs, crafty types, and the curious among us a variety of opportunities to explore new things! Patrons are encouraged to try out our things using their Worcester Public Library card for a lending period of up to three weeks with up to two renewals - dependent on the item, availability, and current wait period.  One item from each category may be borrowed as well as one hotspot.

• Musical instruments
• Sports/fitness equipment
• Gardening tools
• Crafts
• Board games & gaming
• Outdoor games & recreation equipment

Enhance your life long learning by trying one of WPL's programs!

Enjoy classes and programs on a variety of topics including:  DIY, Genealogy & Local History, Book Discussions, Financial Literacy, Health & Wellness and Cooking.  All our programs are free and open to the public.  For a complete list of programs and to register, visit mywpl.org.

Discover what you can do in our Innovation Center by attending an orientation during our Open Maker Hours. 

The Fletcher Family Innovation Center at the Main Library is a maker space where all community members enjoy free access to tools and technology to engage in projects, learn new skills, and collaborate hands-on with others through creating and making.

FREE Online Resources to try:

Get creative and learn a new craft or take up a new hobby with Craft & Hobby.  Video-on-demand learning with step by step tutorials for a wide variety of creative and wellness interests.  Sewing/knitting/crochet/quilting, fitness, cake decorating painting/drawing, woodworking, photography and more!

Learn a new Language with Mango Languages, through conversation with a selection of over 70 languages.  From a variety of Arabic dialects to romantic Spanish phrases, there's something for everyone. Download the app so you can learn from anywhere your device can go. Click here to learn more.

Download the Libby app to read eBooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines. You can stream titles with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or download them for offline use and read anytime, anywhere. You have the option to borrow from our collection in CWMARS or from partner libraries all over Massachusetts. Since titles are removed from your device automatically, you don't need to worry about returning them on time. 

Branch out and try a new genre with Novelist Plus, a popular book recommendation database. Search features are intuitive and easy to use. Browse by genre, themes, story lines, and find author read-alikes in both fiction and non-fiction categories. Discussion guides for reading groups are also available for many titles.

 *To access these resources visit the WPL Databases page*

 

Need help finding your next read?  

WPL offers many ways to help you find your next book! Sign up for our newsletter and receive the Monthly Reading Roundup. Try our Book Recommendations where a librarian will hand-select 5 titles based on your feedback. Browse our Quarterly Staff Recommendations where staff compile a list of recommended fiction and nonfiction titles. We also enjoy recommending books at the reference desk!

Our Reader's Corner offers access to booklists, author events, writing workshops, reading challenges, 

and staff curated book recommendations, all in one convenient place. Our Adult Services Librarians have your book-related needs covered!

Check out our monthly New Releases blog which features highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. 

Questions? You can speak to a librarian by calling our Information Line at (508) 799-1655 and select option #3.  

New Releases: April Edition

Check out these highly anticipated April releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month! 

Fiction

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. But when Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows she must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.

  

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb 

A gripping page-turner about a professor who uncovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time—that his music was stolen from a young Black composer named Josephine Reed. Determined to uncover the truth and right history’s wrongs, Bern Hendricks will stop at nothing to finally give Josephine the recognition she deserves.

Pomegrante by Helen Elaine Lee

Ranita is regaining her freedom, but she’s leaving behind her lover Maxine, who has inspired her to imagine herself and the world differently. Now she must steer clear of the temptations that have pulled her down, while atoning for her missteps and facing old wounds. With a fierce, smart, and sometimes funny voice, Ranita reveals how rocky and winding the path to wellness is for a Black woman, even as she draws on family, memory, faith, and love in order to choose life.

Nonfiction

Honey, Baby, Mine by Laura Dern & Diane Ladd

Laura Dern and Diane Ladd always had a close relationship, but the stakes were raised when Diane developed a sudden life-threatening illness. Diane’s doctor prescribed long walks to build back her lung capacity. The exertion was challenging, and Laura soon learned the best way to distract her mom was to get her talking and telling stories. 

The Wounded World: W.E.B. Du Bois and the First World War

Drawing on a broad range of sources, most notably Du Bois’s unpublished manuscript and research materials, Williams tells a sweeping story of hope, betrayal, disillusionment, and transformation, setting into motion a fresh understanding of the life and mind of arguably the most significant scholar-activist in African American history. 

If It Sounds Like a Quack…: A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine By Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling

It's no secret that American health care has become too costly and politicized to help everyone. So where do you turn if you can't afford doctors, or don't trust them? In this book, Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling examines the growing universe of non-traditional treatments -- including some that are really non-traditional.

Language Learning at Home with Mango!

If learning a language or improving your language skills is on your bucket list, you'll want to check out Mango Languages, an app you can access completely free with your WPL library card. Create an account at connect.mangolanguages.com/worcester to learn more than 70 world languages! From a variety of Arabic dialects to romantic Spanish phrases, there's something for everyone. Mango works on a computer, phone or tablet, and has some great features that make it a step above free apps like Duolingo. It uses similar techniques of repetition to help you learn, but also has more explanations of grammar, color-coding to highlight differences in sentence structure, and focuses on real-world conversational topics.

Want a demonstration of Mango in action? Take a look at our tutorial above. If Mango isn't enough, our language specialist librarian also recommends checking out Drops, Duolingo, and even Kanopy for content for a variety of languages and levels. Happy language learning!

Gale Biography in Context: People of Interest

Who was Miep Gies?

Miep Gies

Why was Hypatia of Alexandria important?

What did Beulah Henry invent?

Where did Florence Nightingale do her work?


When did Alexander the Great live?

Which missions did Canadian astronaut Dafydd Rhys Williams take part in?

How did Tim Berners-Lee change the world?

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

And how can you find everything written by and about Albert Einstein? 

Albert Einstein

Do you enjoy reading about the people who've made an impact in sports, medicine, diplomacy, physics, agronomy, music, philosophy, theater, politics, space exploration, or literature?

Are you researching for a school paper?

We have just the database for you! Using your library card you have free access to Gale Biography in Context.

How to get there?

1. Go to WPL's website at www.mywpl.org 
2. On the purple toolbar, click on Resources
   
   
3. Under the far-right column, under Research, click on Online Databases 
4. In the By Subject section, click on Biographies 
5. In the Biography section you will see "Gale –Biography in Context" and next to that title, you will see 2 icons. 
6. The left icon, which looks like a house, is what you should click if you wish to access Gale

from outside the library, e.g. your home.

Once you're in the database, you can search by the name of the person you're researching, by their profession, by the title of a document, or you can browse the alphabetical list of biographies available – over 5,000 of them!

For example, I used "soccer" as my search term and 755 articles were returned, some about soccer, some about specific players, and some about writers that wrote about the game. Then I chose to limit my search to images. 931 pictures came up that had something to do with that sport.

When I searched for "George Lucas" of Star Wars fame using Basic Search, the results included the biography of Lucas on this database, photos, NPR and other radio recordings about him and his cinematic work, mentions of Lucas in the news, magazines, and academic journals, and biographies of him published in other formats. I could filter my results by date published or the title of the publication.

You can also do Advanced Searches. For example, I searched for references to "astronauts" AND "Apollo", published by "Times Publishing Company". Twenty-one items were returned.

Looking for someone not mentioned above?
Gale Biography In Context has entries for 50 Cent, Benjamin Netanyahu, ABBA, George VI of England, Whoopi Goldberg, Alvin Ailey, Ben Affleck, Temple Grandin, Al Pacino, Johnny Appleseed, Dolly Parton, Edith Piaf, the Beastie Boys, Pope Benedict, Saul Bellow, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Aly Raisman, Bono, Jay-Z, Oliver Sacks, Carl Jung, Lao Tsu, and thousands of others.

So what did Beulah Louise Henry invent? Henry, who lived from 1887 to 1973, held 49 patents. Her first invention was made when she was 9 years old and she received her first patent at age 25. It was for a vacuum ice cream freezer. Over her lifetime she also turned her prolific mind to improvements in toys, umbrellas, sewing machines, typewriters, can openers, and valves. Read more about her in Gage Biography in Context!

Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex: Advanced Ancestry Searching

Want to get started researching your genealogy?  In this latest edition of Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex, learn all about how to access Ancestry Library Edition from home.  You'll also learn about some advanced searching strategies to help make sure that you're finding the exact family member that you're looking for!

Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex: Kanopy

Stuck inside and looking for something new to watch? In this latest edition of Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex, learn all about how to access Kanopy. Kanopy gives you access to movies, documentaries, television and online courses through the Kanopy website or app with your Worcester Public Library card. Check out this weekly video, then get started watching with Kanopy today!


 

Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex: AncestryLibrary

Did you know that we now have temporary home-access to our AncestryLibrary database? In this latest edition of Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex, learn all about how to access this valuable database. You'll also learn how to do a simple genealogy search, as well as to save your documents so you continue to have access to your research.

 

Novelist Plus: A Database for Book Lovers

Figuring out what’s next on your reading list has never been easier, or more entertaining, with access to Novelist Plus, the premier Readers Advisory resource published by Ebsco. Whether you are a librarian, a teacher, a bookseller or a bookworm, there is something to pique your interest here. All you need is your Worcester Public library card when you visit www.mywpl.org and select Online Databases under the Resources tab.

Novelist Plus boasts many browsable options, including Author Read-Alikes, expert articles such as “Books to Movies”, and an extensive collection of book discussion guides. The homepage presents an array of Recommended Reading lists, arranged by genre and age group, plus there is a keyword search box for the person who needs to retrieve a book title about which they only remember a few details. Perhaps most engaging is the outstanding “I’m in the mood for books are…," a feature in which you can search by the following descriptors (or appeal factors in Novelist-speak): Nostalgic and Bittersweet, Offbeat and Witty, Fast-paced and Strong Female, or Nonlinear and Compelling. You can also customize a personal reading list by choosing your own appeal factors.

Creating an account with Novelist allows the user to save their results, and an advanced search allows the user to search by title, author, ISBN, genre, subject, starred review, grade level, Boolean/phrase, author’s cultural identity, and more. In lieu of talking with a live librarian, consulting Novelist Plus is the next best thing for finding good reads!

Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex: Overdrive

Want to read e-books or listen to e-audio while you're stuck at home? Watch this short video from Reference Librarian Alex for ways to access electronic content through our digital catalog at cwmars.overdrive.com to read or listen on your computer, phone or tablet. You'll also learn about a way to get a temporary virtual library card in case you don't already have a library card.

 

Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex: Heritage Quest

Reference Librarian Alex teaches us how to effectively search online genealogy databases using HeritageQuest as an example. HeritageQuest is available to use from home for free with your WPL card at mywpl.org/local-historygenealogy

 

Introducing Tips for Using Library Digital Resources from Home with Alex

Stuck at home and want to know how to access digital resources from the library and beyond?  You're in luck thanks to our new series of short videos, Tips for Using Digital Resources from Home with Alex.  In this new, weekly series, Reference Librarian Alex will be introducing you to how to best utilize digital resources from home.  These will include library resources and databases, as well as other recommended websites and digital tools to boost your research and quality of life.  Check out the first episode all about tips and tricks for searching for genealogical information with the Worcester Public Library's genealogy databases here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NngRi5jyeY.  Look forward to new episodes being posted to our social media every Saturday morning.

Check out Playaway Pre-Loaded Audiobooks from the Library

Playaways are small mp3 players with an audiobook already downloaded onto it.  All you need is a AAA battery , earphones, a speaker with a headphone jack or an auxiliary jack in your car.

These portable little devices fit in a pocket, bag, or you can use a lanyard to hang it around your neck if you choose to use earphones.

I put it in my pocket while doing laundry, cleaning, cooking or yard work.  I use it with a speaker when I do knitting, cross stitch or just petting the cats and dog who always have to come between me and a book.  Because it is so versatile I can listen in the car, then carry it in the house and listen without having to remember which track or disc I was on. 

Interested in this format? Check them out in our audiobook section.  Just look for the section full of orange cases.

Library Tip: stocking up on bestsellers and new releases without reservation

Want to pick up a few good reads before the weekend? Do you know we have put aside many bestsellers and new releases on Popular Reads table for you? No reservation is needed!

The table is placed on your right as soon as you walk into the main entrance from the parking lot. In addition, friendly librarians are here to help you with any questions. Come on down now! The main library is closed at 5:30 on Friday. For library's hours, click here.

Finding Urban Fiction at WPL

Do you love reading urban fiction?  Have you ever had a tough time locating the books you want at the library?  Here are some tips that should help you find the authors you love and discover some new ones while you're at it.

At WPL urban fiction authors are included in our general fiction collection on the first floor.  It can be tricky to locate books if you're not looking for a specific title or author.  If you'd like to browse for books in this genre your best bet is to use our catalog to pull up a list of titles.  One strategy is to search by publisher.  There are many publishers who focus exclusively on urban fiction.  Doing a keyword search for one of these publishers will pull up a list of titles.  You can browse that list and use the call numbers to locate the titles you want on our shelves.

Searching by publisher...

Start with these popular urban fiction publishers:

• Strebor books
• Triple Crown
• Urban Books
• Q-Boro Books

Perform a keyword search:





Browse results:



You may find authors you'd never heard of before!

Search by author...

Another option is to search for popular urban fiction authors.  Here are some suggestions (experienced readers will know that this list is not exhaustive!):

• K'Wan
• Noire
• Sister Souljah
• Carl Weber
• Teri Woods

Using Novelist...

 Finally, if you have specific reading preferences you can try our readers' advisory database, Novelist.  Search for books or authors you've loved and find a "read-a-like."  Or search for a specific theme, setting or other story element to find suggested titles.



 


As always we welcome you to ask a librarian for assistance or advice on what to read next!