Public libraries have lent e-books to patrons for more than 20 years, but many have widened their electronic offerings with digital audiobooks, magazines, comics, videos and other services, even before the pandemic helped shift collections online.

If you do not have a nearby branch, some city libraries allow anyone living in the state to sign up for a card, so check the residency requirements.

Along with e-book lending tools, some institutions also have their own custom apps for reserving physical copies of books and DVDs, browsing research collections and posting announcements of library events.

Apps make exploring a library’s main collection easy to do from a mobile device, but you can often dive deeper into the holdings from the organization’s full website; a bigger screen may help here.

Many institutions also offer a Library of Things for local cardholders to borrow — like tech gear, board games, tools and cookware.

The Digital Collections page on the Library of Congress site is a good place to start for historical photos and other content.

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