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Check It Out: Need answers at 1 a.m.? We’ve got ‘em

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Summer is a busy time. People seem to always be on the go.

That can be challenging to avid readers and seekers of information. It’s not always convenient to stop by the library to find something new to read or the answers required for a special project. Days are filled with summertime activities, traveling, racing around with the kids, relaxing at the beach or just enjoying quiet time at home.

Newport Beach Public Library has it covered, with services that are available all day, from downloadable eBooks, audiobooks and magazines to advisories on reading, investments and purchasing decisions to tools on learning art, literature, culture and language.

One of the library’s most popular resources is the Downloadable Library, which consists of two eBook services, OverDrive and Axis360, and also the Zinio downloadable magazine service. OverDrive offers eBooks for readers and downloadable audiobooks for those who prefer listening to a book. The library has access to more than 7,000 titles, downloadable to a plethora of devices or right onto your desktop computer.

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Axis360 offers eBooks in the Blio and ePub formats, usable on most devices that can install apps. The selection at Axis360 includes lots of fresh and popular titles. Zinio offers magazines that can be downloaded and kept forever. In the last year, the library has subscribed to many new titles with selections ranging from entertainment and fitness to computers and science.

The library also offers access to nearly 50 databases that are usable from wherever you are. Readers looking for advice on selecting something new to read need look no further than the Novelist database, a reader’s advisory that allows a patron to find detailed information on titles and authors and includes several tools to identify plots, characters and writing styles.

The author read-alike tool is helpful for finding authors similar to the ones you enjoy. Kids and teens have access to the Novelist K-8 database, aimed at younger readers.

Financial advisory tools such as Valueline, Morningstar and Standard & Poor’s NetAdvantage are also available from the library. Keep in touch with investment information, find helpful advice from critical sources and learn more about the companies you are interested in with these, and other, helpful tools.

Need directory assistance while you’re on the go? ReferenceUSA allows you to look up business and residential contact information as well as run detailed reports on finding businesses based on the criteria you select.

Need help making the right decision on a new purchase — appliances, electronics or perhaps a new car? The library recently subscribed to the Consumer Reports website, offering customers web access to the most trusted consumer resource.

The library has always offered many learning tools, but were you aware that younger students can receive five free tutor sessions a week via the Live Homework Help database? Or that you can learn a new language for free through the Rocket Languages database? Were you aware that critical analyses of art and literature, from well respected and citable sources, is available through the library from the Oxford Art Online database and the Literature Resource Center database?

Detailed country and culture information can be found through the CultureGrams database as well as information on just about any topic from the World Book Encyclopedia. You can also access issues of National Geographic dating back to 1888 using the library databases.

These and many other tools are available free to any Newport Beach Public Library cardholder. Check out these resources and explore all the others by visiting the Downloadable Library page and the Library Databases page, or browse the catalog and manage your library account by downloading our app — just search for “NBPL” in your preferred app store.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.

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