More Than Just Books: Resources from the Edmonton Public Library for Kids and Families
Image description: Paula Audrey Rivero, Qi Creative Chief Operations Officer, presenting two copies of her book I Am Awesome!
Want an easy, low-cost way to learn the things you’re interested in, get more from your community, and enjoy opportunities to play and grow both inside and outside your home?
If you haven’t picked up a library card yet, what are you waiting for?
In Edmonton, our public library system is world-class, with resources from makerspaces, meeting rooms, recording studios and The Kitchen, to borrowing all sorts of items: books, movies, even Home Energy Toolkits and video games.
Not to mention, the EPL has their own podcast, Overdue Finds.
With an Edmonton Public Library Card, you get more than just books! Access thousands of movies, music, digital magazines, databases, e-books, and access workshops, printing, classes, and more.
By using your local library and getting a library card, you are supporting your community and helping to ensure that these important resources are available to everyone.
The following resources below are accessible with an Edmonton Public Library card. Be sure to read the official FAQs for what you need to get a card.
To access each resource below, get an EPL library card and log in at epl.ca.
Mazaam
Mazaam teaches musical education through a catalogue of over 140 classical music recordings.
Through child-friendly pedagogy, explore early childhood development through classical music, develop tonal and rhythm sense, and understand pitch, intensity, tempo, timbre and harmony.
PebbleGo
PebbleGo contains over 1000 articles designed for students from kindergarten to grade 6.
The science category along includes all sorts of topics including: magnetism, plant growth, electricity, sky science, liquids and more. Even better, resources are also offered in video, audio, livestreaming, and interactive games.
Teen Health & Wellness
Geared for everyone ages 13 - 19, Teen Health & Wellness covers tons of topics: friendship and dating, school skills, drugs and alcohol, changing bodies, mental health, staying fit, resolving conflict and more.
Included on the site is a Calm Room with audio/visual wellness resources, videos about mindfulness and meditation, and cute animal cameras!
Book Connections
Are you, or someone you know, really into a book?
Book Connections will dive into author biographies, how to pronounce character names, excerpts from books, book trailers, vocabulary lists and more.
Book Connections also includes homework help, homeschool support, and reader’s advisories so you can assess if a book is right for you or your family.
Kanopy
With a Netflix-like interface, Kanopy is a video streaming platform with over 30,000 films, tv series and shorts.
With your EPL card, you can borrow and stream up to 10 Kanopy items per month. Each video is checked out for 2 or 3 days, depending on the material borrowed. For kids, children’s material has unlimited downloads.
Creativebug
Creativebug is a resource for all things arts and crafts!
Teens and adults will pour over videos covering all sorts of art projects: crocheting, making ornaments, eco-friendly gift wrapping, sewing, hand-stitching, painting, making your own candles/bath soaks/herbal teas, bookmaking, jewelry design, and both physical and digital art forms.
Videos are as short as 20-some minutes, to hours of content to get you up to speed at modern digital art apps like Procreate.
EPL Videos
The Edmonton Public Library has a vast collection of YouTube Playlists separated by subject matter and recommended age.
Here’s a few to get you started:
Kitchen Table Classroom: Supporting pre-k children ages 3-6 with at-home learning
Indigenous 101: Learn about Flint Knapping, Metis Culture and Two-Spirit Society
EPLPicks Book Lists
EPLPicks are book lists created by librarians for various topics.
If you’ve had the experience of walking into a library, browsing shelf after shelf for ages, and leaving empty-handed or with not quite what you wanted—browse EPLPicks ahead of time and borrow/hold in advance of your visit.
Browse less, borrow more!
A few EPLPicks book lists:
Disability Awareness for Kids
Laugh and Play Storytime Picks
Disability Pride Month