LibGuides: What to Read Next: Library Databases

Beanstack

Beanstack
Join a Manatee Library reading challenge, participate in the youth Summer Learning Program, and log your reading to earn badges!

Books & Authors
Browsing for a new book or author to check out? The Books & Author database offers read-alike suggestions, reviews, award-winner lists, and unique ways to search for both titles and authors.

Easily browse both fiction and non-fiction titles according to general or niche genres, check out librarian and expert recommendations, or narrow down search results by author nationality, gender, ethnicity, and more.

Type a title into the search bar.
From the search results page, select the book you are interested in.
The book record displays a short summary and list the book's genre(s), subject(s), and any awards it has won. You can click on any of these traits to find more books that share that trait.
At the bottom of the record, you will see a list of read-a-likes.

Example of a book record with book recommendations

On the homepage, select a genre.
From the search results page, you can further filter your results by selecting a sub-genre on the left.
Use the age filters at the top of the search results to include or exclude books for children, young adults, or adults.

Genre search page

Select Book Lists on the right side of the homepage.
You will find alphabetized lists of award winners, expert picks, and librarian picks.

LitFinder
LitFinder provides access to literary works and authors throughout history and includes more than 130,000 full-text poems and 650,000+ poetry citations, as well as short stories, speeches, and plays.

It offers complete works alongside additional information sources such as biographies¸ essays and explanations and puts them into the hands of students and researchers for further study¸ evaluation and enjoyment.

Type your query in the Search field or choose Advanced Search for more search options.
Alternately, you can use the Topic Finder button on the homepage or click on Person Search or Works Search in the top right.
From your search results list, click on one of the tabs below the search bar to choose between Primary Sources & Literary Works, Biographies, or Topic & Work Overviews. Use the filter buttons on the right to refine your search results.

A search for "Jane Eyre" and the tabs for primary sources & literary works, biographies, and topics & works overview

Select an item title to begin reading.
You have the option to listen to an audio version of an article or download the mp3 recording by clicking the listen button.
The explore column will show you more content related to the article you are viewing.
The cite button allows you to create a citation for the article in multiple citation styles.
The Highlights and Notes feature allows you to make annotations within an article. You may email, download, and print a pdf of the article, as well as upload it to your Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.

Libby
Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more with Libby, a new library reading app by OverDrive. Titles can be streamed with Wi-Fi or mobile data, or downloaded for offline use to enjoy anytime, anywhere.

Please visit our eBooks & More guide for detailed instructions on how to use Libby.

PressReader
Enjoy access to thousands of newspapers and magazines from around the world with PressReader. Stay informed with the latest news, dive into your favorite topics, and explore publications in multiple languages--all with your library card.

To create a new account with your library card, click the Sign In button and then select "Library or Group." Search for "Manatee County Public Library System" and then log in using your library card number and pin.

In the app store on your iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire device, install and open the PressReader: News & Magazines app. If you are using a computer, visit the website at www.pressreader.com.
If you are outside of the Library, you need to sign in with your Manatee Library Card.
Tap “Sign In” at the bottom of the app screen (see the images below).
Tap on the blue “Libraries & Groups” button. Use the search bar to find the Manatee County Public Library.
Enter your Library Card number and 4-digit PIN. Tap the green “Sign In” button.

Tap “Browse” in the bottom menu to search for publications by name or browse by category. Use the filter buttons at the top of the screen to narrow by language, country/region, and magazine or newspaper.
Tap on a publication. Tap the green “Read” button to download and read the current issue or scroll down to choose a prior issue instead. Tap the calendar button to select a specific date.
You can access your downloaded issues any time by tapping on “My Library” in the bottom menu.
While reading, swipe left and right to move between pages and pinch your fingers to zoom in and out. Tap the headphones icon to hear articles read aloud.
If an article title is highlighted in green, you can tap on it to read that article in a mobile-friendly layout.

Tap on a publication. Tap “Follow” in the upper right corner. Publications that you follow are shown under “For You” in the bottom menu.
Tap “Auto-download new issues” if you want new issues of this publication to be automatically delivered to the “My Library” section of the app for easy access.

When you read an issue in the app, it downloads to your device, which takes up storage space. To delete a downloaded issue, go to “My Library”, select the issue with a long press, and then tap the trash can icon in the upper right corner.

You can also change your download settings to automatically delete back issues. From “My Library” tap the 3-dot menu in the upper right. Tap “Remove Issues” and choose how many back issues you would like to keep downloaded at