Beyond Books
At Northland, we lend more than just books!
From Board Games to Radon Detectors to the ever popular Wi-Fi Hotspots, Northland lends materials beyond the bookshelves. Here are a few items we have for you to take home that are not books, but equally fun, educational and helpful!
With over 200 titles, we’ve got you covered for game night with board, and card, games for all ages. For a complete list of games, check our online catalog.
Want to reserve a game? You can do it online using the catalog or visit the Ask a Librarian desk.
Here are themed lists of Board Games Northland offers:
Board Games for Parties
Great Games for 2 Players
Role Playing Board Games
Solo Board Games
In an effort to help families care for their loved ones at home, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging has provided Caregiver Backpacks to public libraries in Allegheny County. They are specifically designed to provide caregivers with a variety of resources relevant to the nonprofessional, family caregiver.
Northland has two Caregiver Backpacks available for check-out located at the Ask A Librarian desk on the second floor of the library. Each backpack can be checked out for three weeks. The backpacks contain roughly 13 different books, DVDs, and brochures, including:
- Finding your Way: a Practical Guide for Family Caregivers by Dr. Linda Rhodes
- The Caregiver’s Guide to Self-Care by Jane Meier Hamilton
- Financial Steps for Caregivers: What you Need to Know about Protecting your Money and Retirement by the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement
- Still Alice (DVD)
If you’d like more information, please stop by the Ask A Librarian desk or give us a call at 412-366-8100, extension 113.
Thanks to a grant from the Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA), Northland’s Caregiver Collection includes items, games and activities to enjoy with your loved ones to help with memory and for those caring for loved ones with dementia or intellectual and developmental disabilities. This collection can be found on the upper level near the Large Print collection.
To browse what is available in this collection CLICK HERE (note: these items are not requestable).
Created in partnership with Allegheny County Parks North Park division, our Explorer Backpacks come stocked with books on local species, binoculars for getting an up-close look at wildlife, and a notebook to record what you see for the next explorer to discover. In the Adult Department, our two backpacks each feature a specific subject: plants and birds.
To check out an Explorer Backpack, please stop by the Ask a Librarian desk on the upper level of the library.
Northland offers Airthings radon detectors for check out thanks to a generous donation. Radon detectors can tell when harmful radon gas is in the air of a home or building. The new detectors available at the library are easy to use and only need about 7 days in a building to give an accurate reading. To check out a radon detector please stop at the Ask a Librarian desk upstairs.
Radon detectors were donated by Jeremy and Stacey Shaffer, dedicated to all those who have lost their lives to lung cancer.
We’ve expanded our gaming catalog to include video games! You’ll find this new collection upstairs near our paperbacks and DVDs. We’ve purchased bestsellers and other fan favorites for Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, and Xbox One X. We made sure that we have something for everyone, from RPG to RTS!
These games must be checked out at the Ask-A-Librarian Desk, and while you’re there, please let us know if we missed anything.
Visit the Ask a Librarian desk to borrow a hotspot!
Details and FAQs HERE
Due to high demand, hotspot checkouts are limited to one per household.
- Are you waiting for your internet service to be hooked up?
- Are you going on vacation?
- Do you need a temporary internet connection?
- Northland Public Library now lends Wi-Fi hotspots! These hotspots are available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis.