330+ NC History eBooks Just Landed in NC LIVE!

If you've ever picked up one of those sepia-colored pictorial history books at a local bookstore or museum gift shop, the ones packed with vintage photos of your hometown's Main Street, mill, or lighthouse, you already know Arcadia Publishing. Now, thanks to a new partnership with NC LIVE, those North Carolina titles are available online for free to our library cardholders.

What's New?

NC LIVE has added 330 Arcadia Publishing eBooks to its HomeGrown eBooks Collection, covering local history in 130 cities, towns, and regions across North Carolina, from Building the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains to the Outer Banks on the coast. Like the rest of HomeGrown, these titles are unlimited and simultaneous-use, so there's no waitlist or checkout limit. As many patrons who want to read about their community's history can do it at the same time.

The addition was funded through an Institute of Museum and Library Services (ILMS) grant tied to the nation's semiquincentennial, alongside three new Gale Archives Unbound collections on the American Revolution, slavery in America, and the Civil War (also free through NC LIVE).

Why It's Worth a Look

Arcadia's Images of America series is packed with real photographs, like old storefronts, mills, schools, and neighborhoods, that bring your town's past to life in a way a textbook never could. With 130 communities covered, there's a good chance that your hometown, or a place you've always wondered about, is in the collection.

This addition comes as the country marks its 250th anniversary, so it's also a great way to dig into how North Carolina's local stories connect to the bigger America story.

How to Access the Collection

1. Go to the library's website at pljcs.org

2. Find the "Collection" menu at the top of the pages and open it.

3. Under the heading "Download & Stream" select "eBooks & Audiobooks"

4. In the list of resources, find "NC LIVE's Homegrown eBook" Collection and select it.

5. You may be prompted to type in your library card n

   umber and PIN.

   1. Use the search box in the top left corner to search by city, town, university, or region.

   2. Search for Arcadia Publishing to browse all 330 titles in alphabetical order.

   3. Use the following link to access the collection now: 330 Arcadia Publishing eBooks via NC LIVE HomeGrown eBooks Collection.

Try It Yourself

Search your own hometown, or a place you've always been curious about, and see what turns up. Read instantly in the browser. No downloads, no holds, no due dates.

Which title are you most excited to read?