Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
A UMass Boston student looking for a book at the university library Healey Library
A UMass Boston student looking for a book at the university library Healey Library
Original photo by Riley Hammond
U Mass Boston | Life

Why Every Student Should Have a Library Card

Lyris Alfred Student Contributor, University of Massachusetts - Boston
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Boston chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I consider myself an avid reader, and I truly believe this stems from my visits at my local library as a kid. I have memories of my mother taking me to the library during my summer breaks, signing my first library card with my oversized signature, and learning how to check out books. Now that I’m a college student in my final year, I’ve grown to associate libraries with studying. College students in Boston know how quickly the Boston Public Library by Copley station fills up during midterm and finals season. It’s always a race to get a seat with a nearby outlet. I would consider this my canon event.

While libraries are perfect for the obvious purposes of reading and studying, the slew of resources that they offer can go overlooked. I’m speaking from experience because a couple weeks ago, I stopped by at a library to switch my library card to the limited-edition Laufey Book Club card (the design was adorable), and with my card, the librarian handed me a brochure and a few infographics listing all the accessible resources with a free library card. I was so surprised that, the following weekend, I made my friends sign up for their own so they could start reaping the benefits.

On the Boston Public Library’s (BPL) website, you can visit the ‘Online Resources’ section to see what’s provided to you. With a library card, you can access e-reading platforms like Libby, ComicsPlus, Boundless, and Palace. For newspapers and magazines, you can read articles from the Boston Globe, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, PressReader, and Flipster. If you’re looking for interesting movies to watch, check out Kanopy and Biblio+. I’ve watched numerous documentaries on Kanopy, so I highly recommend it. Want to pick up a new skill or hobby? Learn a new language using Mango Languages, engage in arts and crafts through CreativeBug, practice mindfulness with the app Headspace, or hop onto LinkedIn Learning to revamp your resume. Speaking of LinkedIn Learning, they have several other job and career resources including, but not limited to, O’Reilly Learning and Google Career Certificates.

If you’re interested in learning more about your heritage, you can utilize their newly added resource called MyHeritage which allows you to search for records connecting you to your ancestors. The BPL also has Ancestry, Digital Commonwealth, Atlascope, and My China Roots. They give you access to their ‘Genealogy’ and ‘Local History’ pages if you’d like more support during the research process.

If you have children or young siblings, the BPL provides access to several education resources like LOTE4Kids, ComicsPlus: Children’s, PebbleGo, and more. These are great platforms to use if you want to keep the little ones preoccupied but also want them to learn in the process. I remember my mother forcing me to practice math on IXL over the summer to beat the ‘summer brain drain.’

If you have a knack for business, look into their business resources like Morningstar, Value Line, AtoZdatabases, Mergent Intellect, and more. I know Morningstar is a popular one amongst investors and people interested in investing. Lastly, don’t forget to check out their research resources like JSTOR if you have midterm papers to write. I hope this encourages you to sign up for your own library card and that you find these resources helpful!

Lyris Alfred

U Mass Boston '26

Lyris Alfred is a writer at the Her Campus at UMass Boston chapter. She loves to write about topics related to brain science, the college experience, and lifestyle.

Outside of Her Campus, Lyris actively participates in the Neuroscience Club, the Women in Computer Science Club, and the Growing Women in Science Club. She also works in the Dean Suite in the College of Education and Human Development. She is currently a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Boston studying Psychology. She plans to study behavioral neuroscience in graduate school and work as a neuroscientist.

Her favorite pastimes include listening to various music, writing poetry, reading a fantasy novel, walking her dog, Leah, and strolling through the city with her friends.