Homebound Library Resources

Need a library card? Essex Residents may download and complete our Patron Registration Form to obtain access to our electronic resources. Scan or photograph your completed form along with proof of Essex residency and send to athompson@essexlib.org

Our collection of library resources for homebound patrons includes:

• Essex Library Resources
• Resources for Children
• Ebooks, Audiobooks, & Movies
• Educational Resources
• Library & Museum Collections Online
• Articles – More Ideas for Finding Resources Online

Essex Library Resources

Youth Services

Looking for things to do with your children? Join us for Virtual Story Time with the Essex Library, make art for Reach Out, our youth art collective, or check out this list of Virtual Readalouds and Story Times!

Reference – We’re here to provide you with resources, activities, and links to educational extensions while your family works and plays from home. If you have questions for our youth services department about digital materials, lesson plan support, or book suggestions for readers aged 0 – 18, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Jessica at jbranciforte@essexlib.org and she’ll respond to you just as soon as she’s able.

Online Materials

Essex Exclusive Digital Content – Download eBooks, Audiobooks, Magazines, and Videos! Essex Library offers a large selection of downloadable magazines via RBDigital, including Acorn TV, exclusively for Essex patrons. Browse from your library’s collection of popular titles with no holds, no checkout periods, no fines, and no limit to the number of issues you can download.

Overdrive – It’s easier to see what titles are available and searches are a snap with the new look. Plus, the new generation of OverDrive enables users to read eBooks instantly with no downloads through the new OverDrive Read.

Parent Resources from the Essex Library

Homework Helper  from the Essex Library

Resources for Children

Tumblebooks for Kids –  Free eBook databases

• www.TumbleBookLibrary.com – K-6 children’s ebook database
• www.TumbleMath.com – K-6 math ebook database
• www.TeenBookCloud.com – gr 7-12 ebook database

Other Great Resources for Kids

• Disney Books – Free Online Resources for Teachers and Librarians
• Every Child a Reader – Coloring Pages
• The Everywhere Book Fest 
• Harper Kids From Home
• The Ideal Exhibition with Hervé Tullet
• Kidlit TV
• Scholastic Learn at Home
• StarNet – Sky Heroes: Activity Reinventing the Constellations 
• Stimola Live 

Ebooks, Audiobooks, & Movies

Tumblebooks for Adults

• www.AudioBookCloud.com – all ages audio book database
• www.RomanceBookCloud.com – a huge collection of steamy Romance novels for the older crowd!

Other Great Spots for Books and Movies

• 1,150 Free Movies Online: Great Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns, etc. – Open Culture
• Free: Movies & TV – Vudu.com
• Google Books
• Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine
• Manybooks: 50,000+ Free eBooks in the Genres you Love
• The Online Books Page
• Welcome to Open Library
• Project Gutenberg
• researchIT CT – Free Online Resources from the CT State Library

Educational Resources

• Open Education Resources – Edutopia.com, an initiative of the George Lucas Educational Foundation
• OER Commons – Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission.
• The Smithsonian Institution  – Free Online Courses by the Smithsonian Institute
• TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing – TED-Ed is TED’s youth and education initiative.

Library and Museum Collections Online

• Boston Public Library Online Resources
• Chicago Public Library Online Resources
• Library of Congress Digital Collections
• National Archives
• New York Public Library Digital Collections

Articles – More Ideas for Finding Resources Online

• 10 Great Free Websites for Elementary School – Commonsensemedia.org
• 11 places for thrifty bookworms to download free e-books – Mashable
• 15 Of The Best Places To Find Free Books Online – Book Riot
• 100 Fresh Movies You Can Watch for Free Online Right Now – From Rotten Tomatoes
• How to get free digital magazines from your library – Cnet.com
• Kim Komando’s tips to watch movies from streaming services for free. – USA Today