As we are all working on social distancing, the Library has put together a list of items that you can use digitally from the comfort of your own home.
For suggestions just for kids and families visit our Family Suggestion Page.
If you are a Massachusetts resident and don’t already have a Boston Public Library ecard, you can register for one online now at https://www.bpl.org/ecard.
If you are a Lowell resident, you can also register for a Lowell eCard.
We will continue to update this throughout social distancing with new webpage suggestions.
Make your own face mask – sew and no-sew options
Get information
City of Lowell Emergency Operation Center – ask your questions at 978-674-4052 or by calling 2-1-1
Coronavirus Resources for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Community – On Facebook and State of Massachusetts Resource
Food Resources
Mill City Grows – Mobile Market Online Ordering
Lowell Public Schools – FREE lunch sites
Red Sox Foundation Emergency Hardship Fund to apply for a $250 grocery store gift card
Assistance during COVID-19 Transitions
Economic Impact Payment (Economic Stimulus Checks)
Department of Unemployment Assistance – or workers who have been laid off, cannot work, or have reduced hours
How to apply for unemployment benefits – Massachusetts
Department of Transitional Assistance – Food and Cash Benefits
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice – MA Workers Emergency Relief Funds – workers in the service, domestic, and entertainment industry
Small Business Administration – Coronavirus Relief Option
Small business Loan Recovery Fund – MA
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of a COVID-19-related reason but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits.
Health
Health Insurance via the MA Health Connector
Lowell Community Health Center – Patient Screening
Lowell General Hospital COVID-19 Information
Commonwealth of MA – Coronavirus FAQ in multiple languages
Network of Care – Behavioral Health
Housing & Utilities
Department of Housing and Community Development COVID-19 Website
Community Teamwork Emergency Response/Assistance
Xfinity Internet – Application for Low Cost Internet
National Grid – Gas and Electric Service
Education
Lowell Public Schools – At Home Learning By Grade Level
Lowell Public Schools Family Resource Center – Technology and Learning Assistance
Greater Lowell Technical School – At Home Learning By Grade Level
Wide Open School – At Home Learning for All Ages (online and offline resources)
Free/Low-cost Internet – Comcast Internet Essentials
Youth-RelatedÂ
Tips for Caring for Children and Yourself in a Crisis
State of Massachusetts – Emergency Childcare
Tax Filing Websites – May have limitations – see each site for details
IRS Free File – Online Taxes at OLT.com
IRS Free File Program – by TaxAct
IRS Free File Program – by Free 1040 Tax Return
IRS Free File Program – by ezTaxReturn.com
IRS Free File Program – by FileYourTaxes.com
IRS Free File Program – by H&R Block
IRS Free File Program – by FreeTaxUSA
IRS Free File Program – by TaxSlayer
Offer assistance
Lifting Lowellians: Assistance and Mutual Aid
Pandemic Support Team – support local small businesses by buying a t-shirt – $10 goes to the employees of the establishment – $7 goes to Noreast Custom Apparel, the producer of the t-shirt. All orders will be shipped.
Greater Lowell Community Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
Chatterpack’s Free, Online, Boredom-Busting Resource List
E-books, audiobooks, movies & more
First, use your library card to access our Electronic Resources with everything from ebooks, audiobooks, music, magazines, genealogy and much more!
ProQuest is giving unlimited access to eBook central holdings until mid-June.
Visit another library’s online collection, including the Harvard Library, Library of Congress, and the Bodleian Library thanks to ILoveLibraries.com
Open Culture has Audiobooks, Online Courses, Movies, Languages, Textbooks, and eBooks in a wide variety of topics.
Smithsonian Historical Images has some great photographs to browse.
Become a citizen archivist – Help the National Archives with transcribing, editing and more of unique documents related to our country’s history.
Check out the Internet Archive, a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. Also see their blog post, 7 Things To Do If You Can’t Leave the House.
The Digital Public Library of America has over 36,807,992 images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States for you to explore.
Stir your curiosity on a variety of topics with TED Talks.
Listen to music online at AccuRadio, iHeartRadio, Jango, and more!
Catch some old classics for free on PopcornFlix
During this time of social distancing, Ancestry is allowing in-home access for patrons – access the temporary Ancestry Library Genealogy site for in-home use – you can access to U.S. Census Collection; U.S. Data Collection; U.K. and Ireland Collection; Birth, Marriage, and Death Records; Immigration Collection; Military Collection; Family and Local History Records; Court, Land, and Probate Records; and more.
Booklist announces free online access to get information about reviews, booklists, and more!
Amazon Prime Video presents SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection
State Library of Massachusetts Resources and Collections Online
Explore something new from the comfort of your own couch!
British Library Makes “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” available digitally
Visit museums from around the world that offer virtual tours.
The American Archive of Public Broadcasting has a unique collection public broadcasting materials online that you can peruse.
Sign-up or take a course at an Ivy League School!
Michael Simon will be teaching a nightly cooking series and answering your questions about essential pantry items through Facebook Live at 5:00 PM EDT.
Missing the theater? Tony winner, Lauren Benanti invited theater students to share their performances via Twitter at #Sunshine Songs. Check out these talented individuals!
The Metropolitan Opera is offering nightly encore performances from their LiveinHD Series starting at 7:30 pm EDT until 3:30 pm the next day.
Mental Floss put together a list of 50 amazing skills you can learn on YouTube.Â
15 plays and musicals you can streamline at home.
Broadway World also about vintage musicals for viewing.
Learn about the history of Lowell by checking out photos and the timeline at the Lowell Historical Society.
Virtual Walking Tour of the Acre – courtesy of RichardHowe.com
100 screen-free ways to spend your social distancing/quarantine time
Color their collection! –Free Coloring Pages from 100 museums
Andrew Lloyd Webber to stream his musicals online!
Exercise at Home
Planet Fitness is offering home work-ins for you to keep up with your gym.
Virtual Field Trips
The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections
The Cincinnati Zoo will be offering Facebook Live safaris daily at 3 PM while the zoo is closed.
The San Diego Zoo has an exciting website with lots of great activities.
Tour Yellowstone National Park!
Explore the surface of Mars with the Rover.
FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs.
Enjoy a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China.
Take a virtual trip to the British Museum and learn about the Rosetta Stone.
See amazing art at the Louvre.
A teacher put together a listing of Virtual Field Trips that you can take from home!
Head to Alaska and take a peek at their wildlife cameras! Â
A collection of great virtual field trips to try out
Go under the sea with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s web cams.
Take a virtual visit of the catacombs under Paris
Health & Wellness
Resources to Stay Physically and Mentally HealthyÂ
Fitness Studios and Gyms Offering Live Streams
NFI Family Resource Center of Lowell is offering via Facebook workshops, videos and more on mental health, stress, depression and more.
Massachusetts Association for Mental Health is offering a new website resource for adults and children seeking support for mental health and substance use needs
Digital Escape Room (created by fellow librarians)!
Hogwart’s Digital Escape Room –Â This escape experience was created by Sydney Krawiec, Youth Services Librarian at Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, PA.
Escape from Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland theme) –Â This escape room was created by Erin Honeycutt, Children’s Librarian at Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System in Moultrie, Georgia.