By Michelle Waltos

Librarian

Individual magazines at the supermarket or convenience store are pricey, and while subscriptions offer a significant discount, the cost can still add up — not to mention the paper waste.

Why purchase magazines when you can read them for free? The Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) offers online access to over 60 current issues of popular magazines through RBdigital Magazines. This digital magazine service features full-color high resolution magazines for instant desktop reading, mobile streaming, and mobile-app download. Some of the titles offered include Newsweek, Vogue, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, Seventeen and Highlights.

Getting started is simple. All that you will need is a library card with PIN and a digital device such as a computer, tablet or smartphone. Visit nopl.org/magazines to connect to RBdigital Magazines and create a free account. 

Browse magazines by title or genre. There are no holds, no checkout periods, and no limits to the number of magazines checked out and downloaded. In other words, you get to keep them for as long as your account is active. The latest issues are released simultaneously with the print edition and immediately available for you to read. You can even sign up personal notifications of favorite magazines, and view previous issues that you may have missed.

Download the free RBdigital app for Apple or Android and you’ll be able to download the magazines to take with you and read offline whenever you are ready. The app includes features such as hyperlinks to websites, bookmarking, and zoom capabilities.

Find this resource and many more by visiting nopl.org. And as always, if you need help using your device or any library resources, please call your nearest NOPL branch and a librarian would be happy to schedule a time to provide one-on-one assistance.