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Ways to watch movies while quarantined
By Nina Wright
I am writing this column from within the library, although we are currently closed to the public. We hope this closure will help to flatten the curve of virus cases in our community, helping our health care providers to not be overwhelmed with too many cases at once. Additionally, we are concerned for our patrons and staff and want to help keep everyone healthy by not opening our doors.
I know that many people in our community rely on the library for DVDs. Canceling cable is a great way to save money, and we have a fabulous collection, including feature films, classics, foreign films, and television series, so it’s a great way to go! Except, of course, when the library is closed and you’ve watched everything you’ve got at home ….
I know not everyone has a subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or one of the myriad other streaming services out there. Therefore, I wanted to share that the library offers some movies for streaming FOR FREE through our eZone catalog! EZone is, in a nutshell, the place that you use if you want to get ebooks or audio books downloaded to your phone, tablet or Kindle. I suspect most people don’t realize that if you have the Internet where you are, you can stream many great movies for free through the library’s eZone page.
How do you get there? Two quick ways: go directly by using the website address, https://riezone.overdrive.com/. Or, from the library’s catalog (catalog.oslri.net), click on eZone Digital Downloads on the lower right. You do need to have a PIN as well as a library card number to log in. If you don’t have a PIN, you can set one up online by visiting our catalog, entering your card number, and leaving the PIN field blank. Once you hit “Submit” it should bring you to a page where you will be prompted to select a PIN. If this does not work for you, you will need help from us. Sometimes library staff need to clear the PIN field from your account or you will not be able to set one up. If that happens, the best way to contact us during this closure is to email us at [email protected]. Give us your card number and name and what you would like your pin to be and we will work with you to give you access.
Once you have logged in with your card number and PIN, select “Collections” at the top left and choose “Videos” from the drop-down menu. I am quite impressed at the extensive list of films available. I perused the 144 documentaries and saw a lot of highly regarded popular choices such as “Forks Over Knives,” “Blackfish,” and “Freakonomics.” There are some videos that help you teach yourself guitar — maybe you can emerge from this pandemic as an accomplished guitar player! Some of the feature films have waiting lists but there is a handy search button I like to check, “Available Now”. Even if you remove the really popular movies that have waiting lists, there are still some great choices. Those with children in the house — I am happy to report that there is a great selection of children’s movies as well.
When things are getting a little challenging being cooped up at home, hopefully these free offerings from Westerly Library can help make things just a bit better!
Top requested books
1. “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins
2. “A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America” by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker
3. “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett
4. “The Boy from the Woods” by Harlan Coben
5. “The 20th Victim” by James Patterson
6. “Dear Edward” by Ann Napolitano
7. “The Giver of Stars” by Jojo Moyes
8. “Walk the Wire” by David Baldacci
9. “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid
10. “Blindside” by James Patterson
Top requested movies
1. “Knives Out”
2. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
3. “Ford v Ferrari”
4. “Jojo Rabbit”
5. “Bombshell”
6. “Parasite”
7. “1917”
8. “Frozen 2”
9. “Little Women”
10. “Jumanji: The Next Level”
This week
In an effort to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community, all in-person library programs and meetings have been cancelled through at least April 4th. Please check our website at www.westerlylibrary.org or our Facebook page for online resources, virtual programs and storytimes, and more. Thank you for your understanding at this difficult time.
Nina Wright is a reference librarian at the Westerly Library.
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