Millard Oakley Library Offering Thousands of Digital Magazines

Over 2,500 magazines are now available to read anywhere and all that is needed is a library card at the Millard Oakley Library.

The program Tennessee R.E.A.D.S. hosts the digital catalog for libraries across the state, and readers can download them anywhere with a WiFi connection. Library Director Cynthia Julian-Simmons said once they are downloaded, internet access is no longer needed.

“Get signed in, download those items and you can use them offline then,” Julian-Simmons said. “If you do not have internet at the home, you can come to some place like your local library that usually has 24-hour streaming internet… WiFi that you can hook to.”

To get started reading magazines, ebooks and audiobooks, visit reads.overdrive.com or download the Libby app. Julian-Simmons said due to COVID, residents can even apply for a temporary library card from home.

“They have a way that you can sign up with your mobile phone number for a one-year temporary card right now,” Julian-Simmons said. “If you don’t have a library card established already, you don’t have to panic.”

Julian-Simmons said there is no checkout time on popular magazines like Garden & Gun, Better Homes & Gardens and more. Julian-Simmons said this digital catalog is a safe way to keep up to date with your hobbies and interests.

“You really don’t have to have contact with anybody else, so you’re not risking catching anything,” Julian-Simmons said. “You don’t have to go in and look through a building to find what you want, you can just look right here online in your browser and on your phone.”

The Tennessee R.E.A.D.S. catalog can be accessed from a computer or phone. The Libby app will work on phones and tablets.