Collections Overview: Adult

Plano Public Library has something for everyone. Learn about the various library collections in this four-part miniseries under the Library 101 umbrella.

Today, we’re offering a mile-high overview of our expansive collection for adults! Encompassing around half of the collection, our adult materials offer something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a fantastic novel, a useful informational text or a great TV series to watch, we have something that fits the bill.

Reading Materials

With thousands of books available for check-out, our libraries offer reading choices for everyone! See our different categories below:

Fiction

If you’re searching out a good novel to curl up with, Adult Fiction might be the collection for you. New Adult fiction — fiction usually focusing on protagonists in their 20s — as well as romances, westerns and literary fiction all call this collection their home, along with any other novels that don’t fit into one of our genre collections.

Are you struggling to find something of interest to start reading? Kick off 2021 with a virtual book club! Tune into our 2021 book lists, or bring your own choices to our What Are You Reading Now? club.

Genre Collections

What’s your favorite genre? If you’re like many readers of mystery, science fiction or fantasy, you don’t stray too far from your favorite kind of story. We’ve made it easier than ever to find your next read.

Our Mystery collection, indicated with green labels on the spine, contains everything from Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie, as well as current up-and-coming authors. Get a taste of suspense as you delve into the world of whodunits and detectives.

Are you looking for something a bit more out-of-this-world? Our Science Fiction and Fantasy collection, indicated by the red spine labels, offers a taste of everything from the classic writers to more recent publications. Discover new authors and series across the two genres contained within this collection.

Large Print

Our substantial Adult Large Print collection offers accessible options, with a focus on our most popular titles. The collection expands constantly, as we frequently purchase copies of our most-anticipated new titles in large print.

Don’t see a title that you wanted in large print? If it is available as an ebook, you can increase font size to your preferences. Check out our blog post on checking out and reading ebooks, or book a virtual librarian for more extensive help getting set up to view ebooks.

Graphic Novels

Explore the world of graphic novels and discover literary works involving images alongside text. Our graphic novel collection offers an innovative and unique reading experience, from comic books to memoirs. Not sure where to start? Our Grab a Graphic Novel blog series provides suggestions for all ages of readers!

Nonfiction

If you’re trying to learn something new, check out our nonfiction collection, includes anything educational or informative. We organize our nonfiction collection using the Dewey Decimal System, which means that the collection is grouped by subject. Some of our most popular areas of the collection include the following:

158.1: self-improvement
641.5 – 641.8: cookbooks
740 – 749: drawing and decorative arts
914 – 919: travel guides

Media Collections

In addition to our reading materials, Plano Public Library also offers a large selection of media for any kind of viewer.

DVDs

Our DVD collection remains one of our most popular options. Check out movies and television series on DVD from any of our locations. In addition to familiar titles, we also offer films in foreign languages, labeled accordingly with the relevant language.

Need more viewing options? Stream movies through Kanopy! With five credits per month for each library card, watch documentaries and award-winning films.

In addition to our copious DVD options, we’ve recently added a collection of Blu-rays! Follow the link to see what’s currently available, or browse the collection at any location.

Audiobooks

Many of our most popular fiction and nonfiction works are also available in audiobook format. Take home a CD book to play in the car or on a computer, or bring your own battery and headphones to listen to the whole story on a Playaway, an MP3 player-like device.

Our nonfiction audiobooks include a large selection of the Great Courses, which explore a range of topics such as history, science and religion. We also offer eAudiobooks for all ages through Overdrive. See our options for digital content on our eBooks and More page.

Launchpads

Launchpads are pre-loaded tablets with activities for kids, teens and adults to extend your learning experience. Adult-focused Launchpads focus on continued education, featuring language learning, brain games and useful business subjects such as economics and business math.

With over 300 Launchpads in the library collection, there is something for everyone. See the entire collection online here.

Adult World Language Collections

Plano Public Library offers both fiction and nonfiction books for readers of languages other than English. With over 10 different languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Urdu, we have something for everyone. World language collections vary by location but can be placed on hold for pickup at any one of our five locations.

Are you trying to learn a new language? Pronunciator is available for free with your library card. In addition to its 146 languages, Pronunciator also features ESL for 50 non-English languages. Read our blog post for more details.

Periodicals

As our world becomes more virtual, Plano Public Library continues to offer numerous magazines and newspapers for your perusal through Flipster and PressReader. See more options on our website.

Flipster offers unlimited access to some of our most popular magazines, including Time, Consumer Reports Buying Guide and Forbes. Log in with your library card to check out recent editions as well as back issues. Having trouble? Check out our blog post to get started.

PressReader is your go-to source for instant access to thousands of newspapers, including local favorite Dallas Morning News. Sign in to view all of your options, or check out our blog post for more details.

Access our eBooks and eAudiobooks through Overdrive or the Libby app, and you can request print books through our holds service in the library catalog. Our eBook collection is robust, with many read-alongs for kids, picture books, juvenile fiction and non-fiction, and young adult reads.

Placing holds is a great way to fast-track your library experience, or access materials not available at your closest library location. Check out this blog post on placing and picking up holds for more information.

Collections Overview: Adult