Cozy up with a magazine from the library

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Everyone knows that you can check out books at the library, but did you know that you can check out magazines?  We have many people who read magazines and newspapers at the Litchfield Library every day.  But if you’d rather take a magazine home with you, you can check out all but the newest issue.  Some of the back issues are underneath the shelves on which the current magazine issues are displayed, and some are in our back room.  Ask a staff member for help if you don’t see what you want when you lift up a magazine shelf.

One magazine that seems like a good candidate to bring home is “American Patchwork and Quilting”.  It includes patterns for quilts, pillows, bags, and other patchwork items. 

One of our most popular magazines is “Consumer Reports”.  You’ll need to ask for all of these issues at the front desk.  You can check out issues that review cars, appliances, computers, and many more items you’ll want to research before you buy.

One of our newest additions is “Food Network Magazine”.  Featuring the stars of the shows on the Food Network, the magazine is full of recipes to try.  This month’s issue has a bacon theme.

Pioneerland Library System offers e-magazines as well as print magazines.  Through our Zinio service, you can download issues of the magazines we subscribe to electronically.  You can even get set up to be notified whenever a new issue is available.  This isn’t like going to a magazine’s website, where you’ll only find highlights of what’s really in the magazine.  It’s the entire issue, with pages looking just like they do in print, but viewable on your computer or tablet.  Some magazines have additional things you can do with the electronic version, like watch a video or listen to a sound clip.

To get to this service, go to www.pioneerland.lib.mn.us/eMagazines.htm.  You’ll need to set up two accounts online and have an active library card to do so, but the instructions are on our website for you to follow step-by-step.  It’s free to use.

Pioneerland subscribes to 34 e-magazines, including “Country Living”, “Do It Yourself”, “Eating Well”, “Macworld”, and “National Geographic Interactive”.

Read magazines in whichever way you want: electronically, downloaded from our website; in print, checked out and read at home; or in print, read in a library easy chair underneath our antique clock. 

Speaking of the clock, I’d like to thank Greg Heath for donating his time and expertise to repair the clock that hangs in our reading area.  It’s a beautiful timepiece from the late nineteenth century, older even than the original Carnegie library.  Take a look the next time you’re in to read the paper!