East Baton Rouge Parish Library is pushing to attract more University students to its online digital library.
With a library card, students can access a variety of academic, instructional and entertainment resources through the digital library at EBR Parish Library.
To obtain a library card, students can go to any of the 14 branches of the EBR Parish Library, said Assistant Library Director Mary Stein said. Students will need a picture I.D. and proof of Baton Rouge residence to receive a card valid for three years. In lieu of a Baton Rouge address, students can use their student I.D. to obtain a temporary card, renewable each semester.
Students can also obtain a temporary online card through the library’s website, Stein said. The online card will allow access to digital library resources for two months. After, the student can bring the card in and replace it with a more permanent library card. The temporary online card cannot be used with Overdrive.
Stein said there are three components of the digital library that may be helpful for students, the “fun stuff,” self-help tools, and academic resources.
As a former librarian at Troy H. Middleton Memorial Library, Stein said the University’s library has extensive academic resources but lacks the entertainment collection possessed at EBR Parish Library.
“At LSU, activities are for fun, but library resources are for business,” Stein said.
Among these services are free downloadable music, movies, comic books, magazines, e-books and video games, Stein said. She refers to these entertainment services as the “gateway drug” to the public library.
Library card holders can download up to seven songs a week and stream music through Freegal in the digital library, Stein said. The available music ranges from classical to old school rock to contemporary popular music, Stein said.
“It’s not just Schumann and Mendelssohn,” Stein said. “You can download country music. You can download rap.”
Concert live streams are also available through Qello Concerts, either by the set or by full performance. These performance videos are often accompanied by behind-the-scenes documentaries.
Stein is an avid Lady Gaga fan, but at 60 years old, she said she would never go to a concert of hers. Instead, Stein streamed The Monster Ball concert through the digital library.
“There she was in all her Gaga glory, and it was the entire concert,” Stein said.
The digital library’s movies include several independent films, documentaries, short films, and foreign films, Stein said. The downloadable video games features both retro games and new releases. The digital library also subscribes to RBdigital Magazines, formerly known as Zinio, which includes free access to a variety of magazines.
The “biggest fun thing” in the digital library, Stein said is the 70,000 to 80,000 e-books and audiobooks available, accessed through Overdrive.
Some of the services provided by the EBR Parish Library are also accessible through Middleton Library. Stein said EBR Parish Library is not in competition with the University’s library but wants to expand on their resources primarily targeted to college students and academics.
“We are not a college library,” Stein said. “We don’t pretend to be one. We’re not in a competition.”
The EBR Parish Library aims to continue some of the University resources not available to students after graduation.
“It’s definitely very helpful to access more than just what we have here, to expand the resources we have,” said Middleton Library Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian Brittany O’Neill.
For international and foreign language students, the digital library has access to Pressbooks, a database for foreign magazines and newspapers written in their native languages, Stein said. The digital library also has two adult language learning services for foreign language students to practice and perfect their language studies.
The digital library has Statista and additional programs for students in need of statistics and data. These programs provide fully vetted and qualified information, Stein said.
For students needing primary source material, EBR Parish Library has local historical documents. The library digitized historical copies of The Advocate and The Times-Picayune, Stein said. They also have a database for LGBTQ history.
Among other useful resources are AllData Online, a database with information on how to repair a car. In Gale courses, students can find LSAT prep, technology, software, business and creative arts courses to boost the skills section on their resumes.
The Learning Express 3.0 also has instructional courses for college students, as well as a career center for students staying in the area after graduation.

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Caleb Bourque

Main Library provides visitors with numerous resources, including study rooms, 140 person computers and a career center. The library sits on Goodwood Boulevard on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018.