Home & Hobbies

Access to Ancestry.com is available from within the Library. Contains billions of names from census records, passenger immigration lists, vital records (birth/marriage/death), war and muster lists, court/land records, images, indexes, narratives and much more.

*Remote access to Ancestry Library has ended as of 12/31/21. Ancestry Library can be accessed inside any Tacoma Public Library Branch during open hours, opens a new window. Please consider using Heritage Quest, opens a new window, as an alternative to Ancestry Library, for those who wish to do genealogical research from home.

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Car repair info you can get at home!  Chilton's provides exclusive photographs, diagnostics, step-by-step repair procedures, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) maintenance schedules, wiring diagrams, recalls and Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) for automobiles and light trucks in one easy-to-use web site.

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Access to Consumer Reports' website from the Library! Information and advice on consumer products providing ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice.

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Nurture your creative side with 1,000+ video classes in painting, knitting, crafting, sewing & more!  

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Get access to a suite of business and demographic databases including U.S. Businesses, U.S. New Businesses, U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles, Canadian Businesses and U.S. Standard White Pages. 

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Enjoy movies, TV shows, eBooks, comics, music albums, and audiobooks on Hoopla. Check out up to 10 items per month.

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With Kanopy stream "thoughtful entertainment" including independent and popular films, documentaries, The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, PBS and more to your preferred device, including Roku. Also includes great content for Kids! As of November 1st, each user will receive 30 tickets a month to use on Kanopy – some videos will cost 1 ticket while others will cost 5 tickets. Learn more about tickets.

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Find new books to read! Search for a favorite author or title, browse booklists, award lists, or find the next book in a series. Fiction and Nonfiction books for all ages are included.

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(Ages 0-18) The Novelist we love but limited to fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens!  (Does not include books for adults.)

Popular eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines available on your computer, mobile device, or eReader.  Up to 20 checkouts and 20 holds. 

As of May 1, 2023, Libby is the only available app for OverDrive eMaterials.

Enjoy levels 1-5 of Rosetta Stone courses for 30 different languages for free!

Indexes home construction news in Tacoma newspapers from 1883 through 1950. Lists architects, contractor and building style, if known. Indicates whether architectural plans are known to exist. Includes many photographs and indexes over 200 books related to Tacoma architecture or history. Nearly 50,000 addresses included.

Printable activities from Scholastic for any subject: math, science, reading comprehension, STEM, writing and more.  Perfect for parents, childcare providers, and educators!