Free E-Resources

The Puyallup Public Library endeavors to provide a variety of electronic resources to our patrons for use outside of the library. For a list of our regularly offered databases, please visit our Database page. For books, magazines, and movies we offer regularly, visit our e-Library page.

This page will highlight resources that may only be available during the current national health crisis. All resources are free and links are provided. For links to free virtual and audiobooks, please visit the Read With Us page, created to parallel the content listed here. This is a small sample of the many organizations providing free learning opportunities. Explore and let us know where it leads!

Arts and Humanities

• Explore the British Museum room by room through their virtual galleries.  
• The Digital Public Library of America is an ambitious project that brings together documents, videos, images, and online exhibits to offer over 36 million pieces of data. Recommended for researchers, instructors, browsers, and students.
• Khan Academy offers classes on a wide range of topics and has introduced scheduled courses for students who are currently at home. Highly recommended.
• The Library of Congress has more than books. See a draft of the Gettysburg Address, listen to music recordings from the 1800s, view rare Ansel Adams photographs, and more.
• Northwest Sinfonietta is a professional chamber music orchestra based in the Pacific Northwest. Visit their video channel to listen to recordings of their live performances.
• The Smithsonian offers access to over two million images, free for public use. 
• The Uffizi Gallery in Italy is home to Botticelli’s famous Birth of Venus painting, works by Da Vinci, Raphael, and other masters.
• The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

Science and Technology

• Words that end in -ology mean the study of something. Join the American Museum of Natural History to find your ology! Recommended site for students age 12 and younger.
• The Astropedia is a joint project between NASA and the USGS that provides maps of celestial objects. Check out this highly detailed map of the moon.
• Learn to code through Carnegie-Mellon University
• Microsoft offers free classes that can lead to certification on their products.
• NASA offers free podcasts, activities, and the opportunity to submit an application to be an astronaut!
• National Geographic offers coursework to learn at home, conveniently divided by grade level. Topics cover social studies, geography, and science.
• Have a weather bug in the family? Try the National Weather Service’s education site and learn about meteorology.
• The National Zoo offers virtual tours, webcams and activities you can do at home to learn about animals.
• The Pacific Science Center in Seattle offers a variety of activities and videos in their Curiosity at Home series.
• The Seattle Aquarium offers webcams to watch their animals. Who can resist otters?