Sponsored by East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Traditions make the holidays special, and while this season is anything but typical, we can still spread a little cheer. The East Baton Rouge Parish Library makes it easy to whip up a merry old time with the Digital Library’s resources. Mary Stein, our favorite assistant library director, shared a few resources to cover your bases.

BE DAZZLING 

Even though you may not be able to attend parties and events in the usual way this year, you can still sparkle at virtual events and video calls. Help yourself shine with a little help from the Library.

• Holiday cheer is contagious. Frame yourself to share your beautiful decor with others. Creativebug can help with its collection of arts and crafts video tutorials, on-demand access to expert instruction and more.

• Fancy feels good. Have some fun and dress up for those virtual get-togethers. Why not set themes for your family calls? Think winter formal, holiday sweaters, matching PJ’s, whatever brings joy to you and yours. You can even browse the entire Vogue archive for ideas!

• Tweak some traditions. If you can’t get everyone together to trim the tree, why not host a virtual trimming? You can still ooh, aah and giggle at everyone’s favorite ornaments and they can still argue over the placement. Get the kids involved and make an ornament to commemorate this year like no other. CreativeBug has plenty of ideas, tips and guides that everyone can access for free with their Library card.

BE INSPIRED

Your EBRP Library card gives you free digital access to just about every magazine you want to read with PressReader and Flipster. Find new recipe inspiration, fresh ways to decorate your home, family fun, entertaining ideas and everything in between.

BE CONNECTED

The holidays are a wonderful time to explore your family tree and even connect with some of the branches. Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest offer a databases of genealogical sources, local and family histories, and research aids. Both contain records for individuals in more than 60 countries, with coverage dating back to the 1700s. The Digital Library gives patrons free access to these valuable resources and more.

TUNE IN:
What’s for Dinner Wednesdays: The Library’s new “series” on social media. Get fresh weekly recipes from one of the gazillions of library cookbooks.

BE MERRY

Holiday music is the perfect way to get in the spirit. Try Freegal and Qello Concerts for free and fill your life with your favorite songs, and the world’s largest collection of full-length concerts and music documentaries streamed on-demand to just about any digital device.

FOOD FOR FINES:
Pay off your late fines and help the community by bringing in food! Starting December 1, all branches of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library will accept non-perishable food items to benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. Each item you bring in will take a dollar off your late fines! For more information, call (225) 231-3740.