At Westerly Library & Wilcox Park: Oh the places you’ll go with a library card!

You may already be aware of some databases that are available through the library and the Ocean State Libraries consortium. Through AskRI.org you can access a variety of them, including Flipster, which is one of my favorites. Flipster allows you to browse current and past issues of magazines by category or title. In addition to the statewide available resources, there are some special ones that are available if you have a Westerly Library card! I wanted to highlight a few of the fabulous online options that are available to you if you have a Westerly Library card.

Kanopy offers a huge array of dramas, comedies, documentaries, biopics, and television series. Many of the titles are independent films rather than the big blockbusters that you might find on other streaming platforms. With your library card you can stream up to seven films per month. If you’re not looking for a particular title, you can browse categories like Academy Award films, Criterion Collection, or Great Courses. Coming up for me is the course “Learning Spanish: How to Understand and Speak a New Language” in my ongoing quest to master a second language!

Hoopla provides access to audiobooks, eBooks music, movies, magazines and TV shows. Every month you are permitted to have five checkouts through the app. There is no waiting list, so you can get the title you want immediately. In fact, I just searched for “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt (which has a waiting list) because I want to bring something to read on a trip I’m taking. I found it on hoopla, downloaded it to my tablet, and I am ready to go!

In addition to these, we are very excited to announce that we have a brand-new database called Comics Plus! Comics Plus gives you unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga for all ages. Titles are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all titles are unlimited access simultaneous use, which means no holds list! Go to westerlylibrarywilcoxparkri.librarypass.com and log in using your library card number and your pin number. You can access titles using a smartphone, tablet, or web browser by downloading the Library Pass app.

The best thing about all these databases is that they are all free to you with your Westerly Library card!

Top Requested Books

1. “The Five-Star Weekend” by Elin Hilderbrand

2. “Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese

3. “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus

4. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano

5. “Happy Place” by Emily Henry

6. “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett

7. “None of This Is True” by Lisa Jewell

8. “Zero Days” by Ruth Ware

9. “The Wager” by David Grann

10. “The Only One Left” by Riley Sager

Top Requested DVDs

1. “Book Club: The Next Chapter”

2. “Guardians of the galaxy. Volume 3”

3. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”

4. “Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret”

5. “The Ritual Killer”

6. “Avatar: The Way of Water”

7. “About My Father”

8. “Sisu”

9. “You Hurt My Feelings”

10. “Kandahar”

This Week

MONDAY — 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Crafternoon To-Go – This month, we’re making Marbled Mugs. Pick up your kit in our first floor Makerspace while supplies last; 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Kids Take and Make – This month we’re making tissue paper turtles. Pick up a kit in the Makerspace while supplies last; 12-1 p.m., Yoga in the Park with Chelsea Hauck – An all-levels yoga practice; 2-4 p.m., Quilting Group – Bring your supplies and practice your yarn crafting skills with others; 4-5 p.m., Teen Cryptid Club – Join us in ghost hunting, discussing alien landings, and cryptozoology.

TUESDAY — 1-2 p.m., Tuesday Afternoon Book Discussion – This month, we will meet on Zoom AND in person to discuss “Mercury Pictures Presents” by Anthony Marra. Email Caroline at [email protected] for meeting details; 1-4 p.m., Community Resource Advocate – Visit our volunteer Community Resource Advocate, who can help connect you with local services/resources; 4-5:30 p.m., Dungeons and Dragons – This program is for teens in grades 7-12, and preregistration is required; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Knit and Crochet Group – a friendly yarn craft club.

WEDNESDAY — 9:30-10:00 a.m., Essentrics Stretch in the Park – Bring a mat, bath towel, and water; 10-10:30 a.m., Family Storytime – Geared towards ages birth-11 years; 2-3 p.m., Animation Nation – An exciting LEGO stop-motion movie making program for ages 9-12. Registration is not required to join; 5-6 p.m., Pride Club – Meet other LGBTQIA2+ teens and allies while enjoying snacks, playing games, and hanging out; 6-7:30 p.m., Cookbook Club – This month we’re sharing dishes we prepared from “The Savory Baker” by America’s Test Kitchen; 8-10 p.m., The Colonial Theatre presents “The Tempest” – Admission is free, but you must register at https://colonialtheaterart.org. Enjoy a pre-show concert featuring The Westerly Band beginning at 6:30 pm, courtesy of the United Theatre. This show will run through Sunday.

THURSDAY — 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Friends Pop-up Book Sale – Check out the Pop-up Book Sale on the esplanade; 4-5 p.m., Crafternoon Thursday – Stop in for weekly crafting activities and snacks; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Chess Club – Players of all skill levels are invited.

FRIDAY — 10-11 a.m., Yoga in the Park with Michael Dotolo – Join us for yoga practice on the back side of the pond; 10-11 a.m., Fiddle n’ Fun at the Fountain – An interactive show for kids incorporating singing, movement, and instruments; 10-11 a.m., Project Outreach Veterans Assistance – Members of organization are on site to aid veterans in navigating available benefits and other services.

SATURDAY — 9 a.m.-12 p.m., URI Master Gardener Kiosk – Get research-based answers to all of your gardening questions; 10-11:30 a.m., Walking Tour of Wilcox Park | Native Flowers and Trees – During this tour you will learn about the value of natives, and see the native perennials and trees in the park. The tour begins and ends on the esplanade.

Caroline Badowski is the head of adult services at Westerly Library & Wilcox Park.

Log In

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.