Leisure and Do-It-Yourself Resources

Premium Resources

Classical Music in Video

Classical Music in Video will grow to contain 1,000 hours of classical music performances, master classes and interviews with master teachers from around the world captured on video. *

Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center (Provided by the Texas State Library’s TexShare Program)

Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center is a collection of periodicals, books and videos covering common and unusual hobbies arranged in over 140 topics.*

Home Improvement Reference Center (Provided by the Texas State Library’s TexShare Program)

Home Improvement Reference Center is designed to assist homeowners in do-it-yourself home repair, maintenance, and remodeling projects. Step-by-step instructions for thousands of projects in the areas of plumbing, outdoor, woodworking, electrical, and decorating are provided.*

Hoopla

Hoopla provides streaming and downloadable movies, TV shows, music and audiobooks. Use your library card to sign up and create an account (PIN is not required). Library customers are allowed 4 check outs per calendar month. Check out period for video is 72 hours, for music the period is 7 days and the period for audiobooks is 21 days.*

Sams Photofacts

Repair manuals and wiring diagrams for consumer electronics devices including TVs and radios.*

Small Engine Repair Reference Center (Provided by the Texas State Library’s TexShare Program)

Small Engine Repair Reference Center contains small engine repair manuals with thousands of step-by-step maintenance and repair instructions for hundreds of small engine machines including motorcycles, ATVs, personal water craft, lawn mowers, tractors, generators, and more.*

Recommended Websites

AllMovie

Search for movie information by title, person, keyword, and plotline.

Birdwatching.com

Website about wild birds and the sport of birding.

Common Sense Media

Offers developmentally age-appropriate, reliable information so you can decide what's best for your family. Includes reviews of movies, TV shows, books, games, and more.

Craft Site Directory

Directory of arts and crafts sites on the Internet.

Emily Post's Online Etiquette Encyclopedia

The Etipedia is a comprehensive online etiquette reference source.

Epicurious

Source for recipes, menus, cooking articles and food guides.

ESPN

Sports news.

Food Network

Recipes and cooking tips from popular TV cooking shows.

Houston Bikeways

Information for bicyclists in Houston including maps, trails, and much more.

Houston CitySearch

Directory of goods and services in Houston.

Instructables

A collaborative do-it-yourself website where people share what they do and how they do it, covering topics ranging from crafts to sports and games to technology and more.

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Includes access to websites dating back to 1995 as well as a digital library of free books, music, and movies.