Contra Costa County Library’s EDI Committee’s Favorite Virtual Library Resources

Submitted by CCCL_EDI

Contra Costa County Libraries offer a variety of educational, interesting, and diverse virtual resources to assist you with everything from writing a paper to finding a job to discovering your next local day trip. And all for free with your library card! We invite you to explore the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Committee’s favorite virtual resources. Don’t have a library card? Come to any Contra Costa County Library and we’ll help you out.

Ancestry: Go beyond a basic census search to find hidden gems about your family history. Ancestry gives you access to billions of records and offers expert research assistance.

Black Life in America is a database of searchable articles covering the experience and impact of African Americans, as recorded by the news media, from 1704 to the present. The content comes from over 19,000 American and international news sources, including over 400 historical Black publications, and covers topics from slavery to voting rights, civil rights to current activism and protest movements, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to Black Lives Matter (BLM).

Brainfuse HelpNow is a resource designed for K-12 students and beyond. Live tutors provide homework help for core subjects, including mathematics, science, and English language arts. Students may submit papers to HelpNow's writing lab for expert assistance, or collaborate with peers in virtual study spaces. Tutoría disponible en español. Job seekers can use Brainfuse JobNow to get help with resumes and live interview coaching. Job seekers, veterans, and their families can use Brainfuse JobNow/VetNow to receive free live unemployment benefits assistance, live job coaching, resume help, interview practice, and 24/7 access to local job resources. 

Discover and Go is a library program that offers free and low-cost passes for museums, science centers, zoos, theatres, and other cultural destinations. There are currently 29 Discover & Go venues open, including the de Young Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Jewish Museum, CuriOdyssey, and di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, with more venues likely to reopen to the public soon. Please check Discover & Go- Login (discoverandgo.net) for information on new venues and current restrictions and procedures for visitors at the open venues. 

Mobile WiFi Hotspots: Use your library card to check out a mobile WiFi hotspot for internet access anywhere. The hotspots provide unlimited data, and can connect up to 10 devices to one unit.  Charge it up and go online for research, shopping, Zoom meetings, streaming movies, and remote learning.

Rosetta Stone: Choose from 30 languages to learn on this popular site, free on the CCCLIB website. Self-paced lessons include reading, writing and listening in your selected language, with emphasis on vocabulary and conversation.