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Tutorials & Tools | Highlands Cashiers Libraries
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: 2020/11 - November
A host of resources available through Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library and Hudson Library can help you master the challenges of 21st century technology, the complications of Covid living, and even give you a head start on your Christmas List.
A resurgence in crafty and creative has partly defined this unique year so far. Local libraries are resources for learning or improving arts and crafts skills as well as diving into understanding a long-held interest. And November is the time to begin thinking about homemade gift ideas for the holidays.
At Hudson Library and Albert-Carlton Cashiers Community Library, free tutorials and tools abound. Library cardholders can check out equipment through MakerTools. For example, a dremel tool will perform drilling, grinding, sharpening, cutting, cleaning, polishing, sanding, routing, carving, and engraving. Tutorials guide users through various projects using such a tool. And, there are MakerTools’ starter kits for quilting, needlework, latchhook rugs, and much more. Even sewing machines are available to check out at local libraries.
Memory Lab equipment enables people to organize and digitize old photographs, documents, maps, etc. Whether for personal reasons or as a gift idea, the step-by-step instructions lead users through the process of organizing and saving. Even outdated media, including audio cassette tapes, floppy discs, VHS videos, slides, and negatives can be preserved through Memory Lab. There is no charge to use Memory Lab at the library, but an appointment must be made, and users need to bring their own storage device, such as a flash drive, external hard drive, or DVD.
Another holiday gift idea involves genealogy. Offering loved ones insight into their heritage, and then compiling that information is doable through such free-with-library-card resources as ArchiveGrid, Digital Public Library of America, DigitalNC, HeritageQuest, and more.
And finally, Universal Class – available at libraries in the Fontana Regional Library system – has more than 70 online tutorials. Want to make some gift tags or cards for friends and loved ones? Take Western Calligraphy. Interested in learning how to paint beautiful mountain landscapes? Sign up for Acrylic Painting 101. Or, for food-related gift ideas, find out canning and preserving techniques as well as how to bake quality breads and cakes. Universal Class is free through libraries, and users can glean instruction at their own pace.
Visit www.fontanalib.org.
