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Health & Fitness

Consumer Reports From Home

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The Smithtown Library - Reference Department, Community Contributor
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So, you want to shop for something and before you make your purchase? Why don't you check Consumer Reports to see if your product has been evaluated? 

Do you have to physically go to the library to check? Well, you can, but NO...you certainly don't have to come in to any of our four buildings (although we love when you stop in and say hi to us). 

Instead, you can grab your library card from your pocket or wallet and do the following: 

  1. Go to the Smithtown Special Library District's website at www.smithlib.org
  2. Click on 'Online Resources' on the top right
  3. Click on 'Alphabetical Listing' in the center of the page
  4. Click on 'C' on the alphabetical menu at the top of the page
  5. Click on 'Outside the Library' next to Consumer Reports.org
  6. Type in your library barcode (the numbers on the back of your library card)
  7. Type in your password (if you've never created a password before, enter what you'd like for it to be. The next screen will ask you to type it in two more times, to make sure there are no typos)
That's it! You'll be in the database that gives you access to Consumer Reports articles. Click on 'Search within this publication' on the top right if you want an article about a specific item, or click on the year and then the date of the issue if you want to browse articles from a specific magazine. These articles are full-text, which means you're reading the actual article right from your computer. Just click on PDF Full Text to see the article (pictures, charts and all). You can then choose to read the article on your screen, print to take with you or file away, or save the article to refer to at a later date. 

Pretty neat, right? That's just the tip of the iceberg. Your library provides so much to you that you may not be aware of. 

Visit us in person or at www.smithlib.org to learn more. And watch for future posts about other cool things available to you as a library resident.

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