Online classes now available

North Providence Library patrons now the opportunity to take online courses. There is a link on the right hand side of the web site, http://www.nplib.com. Check out the many different courses that are available. Patrons will need a library card from the North Providence Library to log on and then create a username and password. Once that is set, patrons and register for a class of their choosing.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

The North Providence Library now subscribes to the Gale Virtual Reference Library. To check it out, go to the Library's website, http://www.nplib.com and click on the link on the right hand side of the page. Or you can use this link http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=ripl28. Many topics are included from Biography to Social Sciences.

New DVDs at the Library

The library has added new DVDs to the Non-Fiction DVD collection. Many of these are replacements for older VHS tapes. Included are DVDs of operas previously on VHS. New titles include Jesus of Nazareth--DVD 232.9 J58. Freestyle made easy--DVD797.21 F857, a swimming instruction DVD. We have The Royal Wedding : William and Catherine--DVD 941.086 R888w and British Royal Weddings of the 2oth Century--DVD 941.085 B862.
Also, the library has the DVDs of the North Providence Town Council Meetings. These are for library use only, ask at the Reference Desk.

Hurricanes at the Library!

Now that hurricane season is approaching, some books of interest owned by the Library are ...

The Hurricane of 1938

• Sudden Sea: the Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti


• A Wind to Shake the World: the Story of the 1938 Hurricane by Everett Allen


• The Great Hurricane by Cherie Burns


• The 1938 Hurricane: an Historical and Pictorial Summary by William Elliott Minsinger


• New York, New England Hurricane and Floods, 1938


• The Great Hurricane and Tidal Wave, Rhode Island, September 21, 1938 by The Providence Journal Company


• New England Hurricane: a Factual, Pictorial Record by The Federal Writers' Project


• The Hurricane and Flood of September 21, 1938 at Providence, Rhode Island: a Pictorial Record


• Photo Record, Hurricane and Flood: New England's Greatest Disaster by The New England Historical Events Association

Hurricane Carol, 1954

• Hurricane Carol


• Hurricane 1954


• Hurricane Carol Lashes Rhode Island, August 31, 1954 by The Providence Journal


• Carol at 50: Remembering Her Fury by Charles Talcott Orloff

Hurricane Bob, 1991

• And Bob Was His Name: Hurricane Bob: a Diary of Destruction, August 19, 1991


• Hurricane Bob, August 16-August 20, 1991: a Brief History by William Elliott Minsinger

Hurricane Andrew, 1992

• Hurricane Andrew, the Big One by Bette Bauman

Hurricane Katrina, 2005

• Hurricane Katrina by Jamie Pietras


• Healing Katrina: Volunteering in Post-Hurricane Mississippi by Timothy Warneka


• Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster by Michael Eric Dyson


• The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley


• Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City by Jed Horne

General Interest

• Hurricane Watch: Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth by Bob Sheets


• Inside the Hurricane: Face to Face With Nature's Deadliest Storms by Pete Davies


• Hurricanes by Michael Allaby


• Violent Weather: Hurricanes, Tornadoes & Storms by Stan Gibilisco


• The Scariest Place on Earth: Eye to Eye With Hurricanes by David Fisher

Books on Samurai Swords at the North Providence Library

The North Providence Library has a collection of essential books on Japanese ("samurai") swords in its collection for collectors and those interested in them and their history. These include:

• The Japanese Sword by Kanzan Sato


• The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Leon & Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara (a top swordsmith alive and working in Japan today)


• The Samurai Sword by John Yumoto


• The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Kokan Nagayama


• Samurai: the Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior by Clive Sinclair


• Arms and Armor of the Samurai: the History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan by Ian Bottomley and Anthony Hopson.

One-on-One Computer Training Available

The North Providence Library now offers One-on-One computer training/help sessions. Adults, 18 years and older, can stop by the Reference Desk or call 353-5600 ext. 109 to schedule a one hour appointment with a staff member for computer help of your choice. For example:

• general Internet searching

• setting up an e-mail account

• using Microsoft Word

• help searching for or filling out a job application

• searching the library catalog

• checking your library account

• downloading audio books

• a specialized topic of your choice

Training sessions are one hour long. Only the procedure for ordering items such as plane tickets or merchandise will be shown. We will not do actual transactions involving credit cards, personal financial information, or banking instruction. The library cannot offer technical support or assist with any problem patrons may be having with their own personal computers/laptops.

Computers and Printers

All the computers at the North Providence Library now have a time and print management program installed on them. To use a computer you will need to type in the number from the back of your library card. If you are visiting the area you can ask for a guest pass. The time limit for most of the computers is 60 minutes, with 30 minute express stations on the second floor reference area. When you click on print, a box will appear on the computer to let you know how much the print job will be. After this, you will have to go to the computer and printers at the reference desk on the second floor, or the computer and printer next to the copy machine on the first floor to pay and retrieve your copies. You will type your card number in, and if you decide to print, click on the print job and insert your money into coin/bill acceptor, and the then your copies should print. The coin/bill acceptor will only accept $1.oo, $0.25, $0.10, and $0.05.