by Chris Smith | Special to the Advocate

Making New Year’s resolutions is a snap; keeping them is a different story. Those who would like to get fit, upgrade their careers, engage politically, spend more quality time with friends and family or take on a new hobby will find plenty of resources to help achieve their 2015 goals at the Jefferson Parish Library.

Here’s a sampling of the hundreds of thousands of resources available.

Check out a book, movie or CD. The fundamental purpose of a library is to serve as a source for literature past and present. JPL branches also offer patrons thousands of movies and CDs.

Attend a program. The library offers programs for all ages: children, teens and adults. Adult programming includes music concerts, art or history talks, genealogy, writer groups, video clubs, book signings, story times and more. Check out the library website.

Meet an author. The library hosts at least one author per week for a talk/signing. They are accessible. Come and talk to them.

Track down your family history. The library has numerous genealogy classes as well as many books and databases to help you track down your ancestry. Plus we have librarians who will help you discover your past.

Get tech-savvy. The library offers classes about computer use as well as other digital devices.

Explore the library’s digital content. Download e-books and audio books. Download free music via Freegal. Borrow movies and television shows via Hoopla. Stream music via Music Online. Download popular magazines via Zinio.

Learn a language. JPL offers plenty of books but we also have Mango, an online language-learning system that can help patrons learn languages such as English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian and Russian.

Homework help. The Brainfuse HelpNow program offers instant live homework help in math, science, English, social studies and other subjects for those in grade K-12.

Job searching. The library provides Brainfuse JobNow, in which patrons can receive live job coaching, real-time interview practice, full-service resume lab, 24/7 access to local job resources and more. The Brainfuse JobNow Adult Learning Center provides access to a library of rich adult learning content (GED) and live, professional assistance in resume/cover letter writing, U.S. citizenship prep, MS Office Essential Skills Series and more.

Save money. Shop the Friends Gift Shop. There are hundreds of books and other items from which to choose. There also are videos, puzzles, children’s books and magazines.

Get involved. If you resolved to give back to the community and volunteer for a good cause, consider joining the Friends of the Jefferson Public Library. Volunteers find opportunities in the Friends Gift Shop or behind the scenes in preparation for the group’s two Big Book Sales. It feels good to give a few hours per month to an organization that turns that money directly back to the library by paying for programming, equipment, technology and more.

HOLIDAY CONCERT: The 30-plus members of the Jefferson Parish Community Band will present a holiday concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. The concert is free of charge and open to the public.

For information about programs at the 15 branches of the Jefferson Parish Library, go to www.jplibrary.net or “like” the library’s Facebook page for daily programming updates.

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