Introducing Alexander Street

October is National Arts and Humanities Month

The month is ending, but your access to recorded performances and arts education materials from the library is ongoing!

Thanks to the California State Library (CSL), SJPL patrons now have access to Alexander Street, a multimedia platform featuring content related to performing arts, humanities, and social sciences.

“This helps California put a capital A for Arts in the online STEAM resources we’re offering public school students and teachers – and every Californian with a library card,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas. “It’s a perfect way to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month, except the celebrating doesn’t stop at the end of October!”

Collections include:

• Smithsonian Global Sound: a virtual encyclopedia of unique American folk, blues, soul, jazz, and protest songs, as well as a broad range of world music
• LA Theatre Works Collection: audio recordings of classic and contemporary plays performed by leading actors from around the world, recorded specifically for online listening
• Performing Arts Collection: video content including performances, documentaries, interviews, and instructional material

For full descriptions of these collections, see the CSL press release.

With Alexander Street, you can:

• Watch Broadway performances from the comfort of home
• Get a behind-the-scenes look at your favorite shows and view production materials
• Learn the tricks of the trade and get advice from professionals
• View learning guides to enhance understanding and spark discussion
• Explore the performing arts from a range of perspectives
• Hear new interpretations of classical music and literary favorites
• Take an audio tour through history or around the globe

Where to Find It

To access Alexander Street, visit the SJPL website. Select Books & eResources in the menu bar, then eResources, A-Z. From the A-Z Resources page, click on Alexander Street.

On the Alexander Street main page, click Menu, then My Collections to see all of the available collections.

Get Started

Please contact library staff with questions about Alexander Street or any of our other eResources. You can also find more information, FAQs, and tutorials on our eResources Help page.