Every now and then, despite working at a library, I’ll yield to temptation and purchase some magazines. I’ll read only parts of them, before they inevitably languish in a dusty stack – not being used, read or appreciated. I could recycle or donate them, but I refrain, for fear that when I really need to re-read or refer to a certain article, it won’t be available.
The truth is that most of the content in magazines, I will never use. Some articles are of no interest to me whatsoever, and a huge portion of magazines consists of advertisements. Even if I were searching for an article that I knew I had, I probably wouldn’t remember which magazine contained it.
A more efficient, inexpensive and environmental alternative to buying magazines is to use our e-library. A Calgary Public Library card is your subscription to hundreds of different magazines! Here’s how to find popular ones:
From our website, select e-library and then “Research Databases from EBSCO” (have your library card handy!).
At the top of the EBSCO search screen, there is a blue “Publications” tab. Use its drop-down menu to select MasterFILE Premier. Here, you’ll find an alphabetized list of the magazines to which you have access, and a bibliographic record for each, indicating how many past volumes are available.
Some stops of note:
- Consumer Reports
- Vanity Fair
- Maclean’s
- Vegetarian Times
- Art in America
- Smithsonian
Take the time to explore this database - its scope is enormous!
Then, start sorting your old magazines! Keep the ones you absolutely love, and donate the rest to a children’s school, an artist, or your local thrift store.
Still not convinced about getting rid of your old magazines? Does it help if I tell you that the Central library keeps its magazines and has them bound into books? Don’t fret – they’re always here if you need them!