There's No Age Limit for Fun & Learning
At the Napa County Library, we believe there’s something for everyone. We don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach for our programs and services. We gather feedback from patrons, insights from our diverse staff, and input from partners. This helps us ensure our work is valuable to the community.
One area we focus on is supporting our senior population.
Over the years, I’ve spoken at various agencies in the county. These include the County’s Comprehensive Services for Older Adults and residents of The Meadows. Here are the resources I share with them. You might be familiar with some of these resources but there might be some that are new to you, too.
Ebooks
Ebooks are now my top recommendation for easier reading. They allow for larger text and even a reverse display option—white text on black background. This greatly improves readability.
The Napa County Library’s two main ebook platforms are Libby and Hoopla. Both have strengths and weaknesses, and they both play a significant role in our collection budget.
Libby is excellent for new releases by popular authors, like New York Times bestsellers. We are part of a library consortium in Northern California, which expands our collection. The downside? Many patrons use the same collection. It follows a one-user, one-copy model.
Fortunately, we buy extra copies of popular titles, available only to Napa County Library patrons. Our goal is one copy for every five holds. This helps keep wait times reasonable.
Hoopla is another ebook resource I recommend, especially for audiobooks and nonfiction. If you’re looking for books on needlework or crochet, you’ll find many titles in Hoopla, but fewer in Libby. Hoopla has over a million titles, including movies, music, and graphic novels.
A key difference from Libby is that Hoopla allows unlimited, simultaneous use. Many people can read, watch, or listen to the same title at the same time. This is great for small book clubs or sharing recommendations with friends.
PressReader
PressReader is the next resource I highly recommend to readers. When I was growing up, my parents didn’t have a lot of books in the house, but they did read a lot of magazines. They were everywhere: in wicker baskets near the couch, on bedside tables, and stacked on various other surfaces. Redbook, National Geographic, and Field & Stream were among the most prominent. Since I was a slow reader, I gravitated toward magazines as well, so Boy’s Life and later Thrasher (I was an '80s kid, so skateboarding was a big deal) became my go-to reading material.
Today, PressReader offers thousands of magazines and newspapers worldwide, available the same day they’re published. It’s a great way to stay connected and explore various subjects—even learn a new language.
If all this talk about electronic resources feels overwhelming, don’t worry! We offer one-on-one tech help at all four libraries. We can assist patrons in setting up accounts, searching for materials, and downloading them. You’ll be surprised at how easy these resources are to use.
The Library of Things
The Library of Things has grown significantly over ten years, now offering hundreds of items. From puzzles to board games, it allows you to try things before buying. We also have cake pans, cookie cutters, and metal detectors. This year, we added Stay Sharp Kits, which include games, puzzles, and activities to support learning and cognitive skills.
Additional Online Resources
Additional online tools include Consumer Reports, New York Times online access, and Kanopy, which offers thousands of films for streaming, from classics to modern arthouse cinema, foreign films, and both short and feature-length documentaries. Explore all our resources.
Books by Mail
This service is exactly what it sounds like: We mail books directly to people’s homes. Residents living over 30 minutes from a library qualify for this service. This includes those who may not drive or who are facing other difficulties. We also set up temporary accounts for those recovering from medical conditions.
Author Talks
Each year we offer hundreds of programs and have thousands of attendees. One special series we offer is author talks through the Library Speakers Consortium. Each month, we host online author presentations that you can watch in real time or view later.
Volunteer Opportunities
Last but not least, I must mention our dedicated volunteers. They find meaningful work at the library, where their time truly matters.
This includes volunteers who help adults learn to read through our Literacy Program, those who serve on our Library Commission, and the many volunteers who assist the Friends of the Library at all four of our locations by receiving donations and helping sell them back to the community. The funds raised go directly toward supporting our programs and services.
If you are interested in volunteering for the Literacy Center or Friends of the Library you can fill out this interest form.
We hope you’re already a library patron and that you visit us regularly, and I hope I’ve also highlighted a few resources that may be new to you or perhaps sparked your interest in visiting the Napa County Library, if it’s been a while. You’re always welcome at the library!
Anthony Halstead
Director of Library Services
A version of this blog was originally published online in the Napa Valley Register on June 10, 2026 with the title “Aging Issues: A world of opportunity.”
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