Digital Library Services

The warmer weather tends to lead to an uptick in people doing various projects around their homes. Whether it’s fixing a roof or changing something in the bathroom, it’s the season to renovate and repair.

If you’re looking to tackle some work around the house, the library has plenty of digital resources to help you throughout the way (in addition to books about hobbies and home). All of these are free with a library card!

More interested in crafts than home improvements? Check out our blog post about resources for crafting.

Chilton Library

Looking to avoid a trip to the mechanic? Learn to repair and maintain your vehicle with Chilton Library. Find repair manuals, recommended maintenance schedules, and a video library to help guide your work.

Consumer Reports Online

Getting the right tools for the job is important. From faucets and flooring to paints and pressure washers, find recommended products based on Consumer Reports testing.

Flipster

Flipster has more crafting magazines than ones I would categorize as DIY, but it does have Canadian Woodworking and Home Improvement. Recent issues include articles on doing woodwork without a shop and drywall tips.

O’Reilly Learning

Known more for its business and technology resources, O’Reilly Learning also has a variety of books on other subjects. Learn to fix an appliance with Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances (3rd Edition) or find a variety of projects from the publisher Make: Community.

OverDrive

Our OverDrive collection of ebooks has a large assortment of books on home repairs and projects. Whether you’re fixing a deck, redoing a bathroom or refreshing your furniture, there are books on almost every topic imaginable.

Want to start a project but don’t have one in mind? Browse issues of Family Handyman for inspiration!

PressReader

PressReader contains magazines from around the world, including Car Mechanics (UK) and Homebuilding and Renovating. Similarly to Flipster, there are also a number of magazines related to different crafts.

SAMS Technical Publishing

In an effort to reduce waste, more people are going back to repairing items rather than buying new ones. Or maybe you have an old record player or VHS machine that is irreplaceable. Regardless of the reason, SAMS Technical Publishing has repair manuals for thousands of items, from LCD TVs to transistor radios.

Let us know in the comments what projects you tackle using these resources!