Interested in how to research your family history? Join us on October 18 in Brooks Place for Anyone Can Use: Genealogy Resources. In this session, you will get an introduction to the Library's genealogy resources that you can access free with your Westport Library card.
Resources covered will include Ancestry (Library edition), Heritage Quest Online, Family Search, and Historical Newspapers with emphasis on Ancestry (library edition).
Please bring your own laptop, or reserve one with your ticket.
Genealogy
Newspaper Databases
Primary Resources
Join Ashley, our social media coordinator, in an Anyone Can Use Social Media for Marketing workshop on October 4 in Brooks Place. At the end of the session, you will have a better idea on how to use each social media platform for digital storytelling and ecommerce. The social networks we will cover are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Ashley will also introduce a few creator tools like Canva, CapCut, and ChatGPT that you will want to add to your social media toolbox.
Please bring your mobile devices to follow along with the session.
Registration for this in-person class is required.
LinkedIn Learning
Canva Resources
Instagram Resources
Join Ashley, our social media coordinator, in an Anyone Can Use YouTube for Monetization workshop on December 6 in Brooks Place. Learn how to build a following on your channel to unlock YouTube creator status! Once you are accepted into the YouTube partner group, you can start earning money on your videos/views.
During the class, we will go through the basics of how to build a "niche" YouTube channel, best practices for creating "niche" content, how to disseminate the content to a targeted audience quickly, and the free tools you can use to help along the way.
The only requirement to attend the class is an interest in building a YouTube channel. Your channel can be about gardening, teaching yoga, product reviews, sharing your pets' special talents — as long as you choose a niche and STICK WITH IT!
Who should attend? Individuals, creators, and business owners who have a desire to build a video channel for their brand or business.
Bring your mobile devices to be able to follow along. (No specific apps need to be downloaded prior to the session.)
Registration for this in-person class is required.
LinkedIn Learning
YouTube Resources
Join us for Anyone Can Use: Ancestry Database on Wednesday, May 17, at 11 am in Brooks Place to learn how to research your family history.
Ancestry is the largest online genealogy database in the world, with billions of records in census data, vital records, immigration records, military records, directories, photos, and more. Join our session to explore basic features and tools of Ancestry Library edition. Ancestry Library is available for your use in the Library, either on our computers or your own device using the library's WiFi network.
Also included will be a brief overview of the Heritage Quest database, which you can access either in the Library or at home with your Westport Library card.
Genealogy
Newspaper Databases
Primary Resources
Join us for Anyone Can: Get the News for Free on Wednesday, April 19, at 11 am in Brooks Place to learn how to catch up on the news with various library resources.
This session will provide an overview of the Library’s digital newspaper services, both current and historical. We’ll also go over how to use Hoopla’s BingePass to access magazines. The class will focus on how to access these resources with a computer, but you can also use a phone or tablet, so please feel free to bring yours.
Newspaper Databases
Digital Magazine Services
Primary Resources
Join us for Anyone Can Use: LinkedIn Learning on Wednesday, April 5 at 11 am in Brooks Place.
We’ll show how to find content on what you want to learn from the more than 16,000 online video courses on everything from basic and advanced computer literacy to photography to business. Search for specific skills or choose a curated list of courses for an in-depth dive on a topic, including classes in nine languages. Access anywhere with your Westport Library card.
Education databases
Instruction
Technology
Join us on Wednesday, March 1, at 11 am in Brooks Place for Anyone Can: Download Books, Movies, and More with a Westport Library Card.
In this class, we will go through the steps to successfully download all the Library digital apps on your devices in one sitting. We will show all the offerings on each app, including ebooks, eaudiobooks, movies, television shows, and music. You will learn how to install each app on all the devices brought to class. (Kindle eReaders are not supported.) At the end of our time together, you will have one or more functioning apps installed on your device(s) to give you greater access to The Westport Library's ebooks, audiobooks, movies, television, and music.
Registration for this in person class is required.
Come to class with: Westport Library Barcode Number and PIN, your email address, your phone number, a username and password, and your phone, tablet, or laptop. (Kindle eReaders are not supported.)
Join on Wednesday, March 15 at 5:30 pm in Brooks Place for Anyone Can Use: Business Databases.
In this one-hour class, you will get an overview of the Library’s business databases that you can access free with your Westport Library card. Resources covered will include Nexis Uni, Morningstar Investment Research Center, our digital magazine and book services, and our newest database offering, Wall Street Journal Digital.
Registration for this in-person class is required.
Business, Finance and Legal Databases
Business and Career Resources
Business Books
Join Ashley, our social media coordinator, in an “Anyone Can Use Social Media for Marketing” workshop on Wednesday, February 15, at 11 am in Brooks Place. At the end of the session, you will have a better idea on how to use each social media platform for digital storytelling and ecommerce. The social networks we will cover are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Ashley will also introduce a few creator tools like Canva & CapCut that you will want to add to your social media toolbox.
This session has a workshop component that will require a few preliminary steps to participate. At the end of the workshop, you will know how to create a quick and easy stop motion video. Stop motion videos are excellent ways to repackage content and feature products digitally.
*** To follow along and participate patron must bring your own device plus have the following apps installed on your device prior to class:
Registration for this in-person class is required.
Looking for grants for your nonprofit? Join us on Wednesday, February 1, at 11 am in Brooks Place and learn how to maximize your use of Foundation Directory, the most comprehensive prospect research tool for fundraisers, with 265,000+ grant-maker profiles. You will learn how to search for grant-makers, who have funded organizations working on causes and with communities similar to those you serve. This session will be useful for both new and seasoned users of the Foundation Directory.
The training will be conducted by Tracy Kaufman, network engagement manager at Candid, representing the Northeast region. Tracy is a librarian by trade and has been with the organization since 2007.
Registration for this in-person class is required.
