TECH TIPS
SPONSORED BY THE COMPUTER CLUB
If you go to the Contra Costa County Library website (www.ccclib.org) and look on the leftside of the screen under Digital Content, you’ll see links to a host of free resources. All you need is a current library card. Call the library at 800-984-4636 if you need help signing up or logging in to any of them. Here’s what you’ll find: Access to live online tutors Brainfuse HelpNow: Brainfuse uses live tutors, available every day from 1 to 10 p.m. PDT, to cover subjects for grades kindergarten through 12 as well as college and adult learners. Adult topics include Microsoft Office help.
eBooks and audio books OverDrive: Downloadable bestsellers, classics, fiction and nonfiction. The loan period is up to 21 days. You can have five titles checked out at any time, and up to 10 on hold.
enki Library eBooks : Downloadable eBooks from independent publishers. Check out up to 20 titles, for up to 21 days.
Project Gutenberg : Get your classics (Twain, Wells, etc.) here. These public domain eBooks are always available for download, and do not need to be returned. Magazines Flipster Magazines : www.ccclib.org provides a free collection of around 46 popular titles, including Money, Time, People and Consumer Reports. There are magazines for children as well as adults. You can view the magazines in the app, print pages or download a PDF file. Newspapers Digital versions : East Bay Times, the New York Times and hundreds of international newspapers.
Videos Kanopy Streaming Videos : a large selection of free streaming videos, including classic and film festival winning movies, documentaries, the arts, business and more. Under “the arts” there are 202 videos on photography, including 24 in the “Fundamentals of Photography” series.
Rosetta Stone : Rosetta Stone and EBSCO Information Services have combined to offer your library the Rosetta Stone courses for 30 different languages. On Amazon, Rosetta Stone Spanish alone would cost you around $300.
Skillsoft IT Pro : IT Pro eBooks and Videos for training and on-the-job support. Access thousands of technology eBooks (like Mac OS Mojave for Dummies) online or using the mobile app. Topics include desktop and office applications, security, networks and more. Entertain, educate grandchildren TumbleBook Library : eBooks for kids in English, French and Spanish. Includes puzzles and games.
Video Storytimes: this contains around 40 videos of children’s songs and stories, produced by a number of different musicians and story tellers.
Pages for adults 50-plus
At the top of the library home page is a link for Adults 50 + . Click on that to access resources for tips on how to spot fake news and discover the true facts. AARP offers tips on avoiding scams and other senior relevant topics. They cover activities and lifestyle, health and home, financial and legal, history and genealogy and more.
You’re invited
If you would like to learn more about accessing the library’s digital content, attend the Computer Club’s TechTogether on Monday, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m. in the Fireside Room at Gateway. A Contra Costa County librarian will be providing a tour of the library’s numerous online resources.
Have a tech question or want to see an archive of previous Tech Tips columns? Go to the Computer Club website, caccor.com, and click on the LINKS menu choice at the top-right of the page
