Base libraries may be closed, but the Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Digital Library remains open as the nation and Navy address the ongoing pandemic.

Managed by Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), the MWR Digital Library offers access to thousands of books and resources for authorized patrons to use for recreational purposes, professional development and academic support.

“The digital library has something for everyone,” said Erika Hoagland, MWR systems librarian for CNIC. “Whether it is picking up a new skill or reinforcing an old one. Finding a new movie to watch. Listening to music and learning the lyrics. Taking up a new language. Thinking about the next step in your career development or losing yourself in a book for a few hours. Our digital library has you covered.”

The digital library, which can be accessed at www.navymwrdigitallibrary.org, is open to Sailors, Reservists, retirees, Navy civilian personnel and their families as well as eligible contractors with MWR privileges. Personnel assigned to the Marine Corps and Coast Guard are able to join.

The MWR Digital Library provides users with more than 30 free online services that cater to all age groups and preferences.

For leisure purposes, try Freegal Music and Kanopy streaming video. Both can be used through apps after registering. Freegal Music has every genre of music. Listeners can download three songs a week and have unlimited, ad-free streaming access. Besides movies and documentaries for adults, Kanopy has a large selection of children’s video, including story time books.

Whether for fun or professional development, OverDrive has nearly 90,000 audiobooks and ebooks, including the CNO Professional Reading Program titles and the latest bestsellers for children, teens and adults. RBdigital has thousands of audiobook titles with no waitlists as well as magazines and Great Courses videos.

For those who require academic support, the MWR Digital Library provides access to Gale, which is an online research and education publishing service. Through September, Gale users have expanded access to thousands of new full-text academic journals. The digital library also offers research investment and persona finance options with Morningstar Investment Research Center and Weiss Ratings.

For those who are preparing for various examinations and standardized tests, such as the ASVAB, ACT and GRE, the digital library provides access to EBSCO Learning Express, which prepares users to take over 100 exams.

Finally, to support military children, including those who have been impacted by COVID-19, the digital library provides access to Scholastic Pre-K through 12th grade collections, featuring nonfiction ebooks, lesson plans, printable handouts and more for learning at home.

Reading Challenge

The MWR Library program has a Spring Reading Challenge online at www.DoDVirtualSRP.beanstack.org now through May 16. Readers who log at least an hour of reading time during the week are automatically entered into weekly e-gift card drawings. The reading challenge is open to MWR-services eligible readers of all ages. Participants can read from any book, newspaper or magazine, listen to audiobooks, or read to a child. Readers are encouraged to checkout ebooks and audiobooks from the MWR Digital Library collections.

Check Out Tutor.com

Through funding from the Department of Defense (DOD) and as a service of the DOD MWR Library System, Tutor.com provides one-to-one academic tutoring and on-demand homework assistance at no cost to students in the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. To help alleviate the academic stress due to COVID-19, access eligibility has been temporarily expanded to family members of service members, wounded warriors and DOD civilians. Active duty personnel, civilians and families can receive academic support around-the-clock in more than 100 subjects for grades kindergarten through college.

Sign Up Today

Sponsors and spouses can sign up at home for access to the Digital Library portal with DS Logon, a service of the Defense Manpower Data Center that verifies the user is eligible for Navy MWR services. Personnel can use their Common Access Cards to sign into the digital library.

For more information on the Navy MWR Digital Library, go to www.navymwrdigitallibrary.org or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USNavyGeneralLibraryProgram.

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For more news from Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit www.navy.mil/.