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Reading Rumble @ GA

Reading Rumble HQ for Greater Allegheny students, staff, and faculty who want to read for fun, well-being, and the chance to shame our frenemies at the Beaver and Fayette campuses.

Finding Your Next Read

There are many great (and free) sources of reading material available to you. Here are some of our favorites.

The PSU Libraries

You don't have to use your campus library to find things to read, but we do have a lot to choose from. And if we have a copy of something you'd like to read at another campus, just click on the I Want It button and choose GA as your pickup location to have it sent here in a few days. There are several ways to access the PSU Libraries' collections, including:

Browse the Leisure Reading collection at Kelly Library. This is a great option for people who like to pick up and look through books to find their next read. We have over a hundred popular titles for a variety of reading levels and genres, with new books arriving monthly.

Don't forget the stacks. In addition to the Leisure Reading collection, we have lots of classic and contemporary fiction titles in the PQ-PS sections of our regular collection. Non-fiction or biography fans might find a match in our history sections (D-F) or elsewhere. Not sure where to look or how to find the right section? There's always someone who's happy to help at our service desk. 

Search the Libraries Catalog. Search for books in all PSU Libraries locations. Remember, you can borrow a book from another campus for just as long as you can with books at GA.

The Catalog works best when you're looking for a specific title or author, but you can also search by keywords to find books on a topic of interest. Here are a few starter searches that make use of some of the options you have to refine your results. You can use these searches to browse our virtual shelves, or add your own keywords for a more focused hunt.

Search for books in the fiction genre - Notice all the more specific kinds of fiction you can choose in the Genre options, like romance, sci-fi, and young adult to name a few. You can also use the Language options to choose books in your preferred language, or the Publication Date option to limit your results to very new stuff.

Search for books in the biography genre with M (for music) call numbers - Open up the Subject options to focus on rap, rock, or country musicians, women singers, etc.

Search for graphic novels - Try choosing Online from the Access options to see the graphic novels that are available as ebooks.

Did someone say ebooks?

Libby by OverDrive - eBooks and Audiobooks
Follow the link above to learn about a fun and easy way to borrow ebooks and audiobooks through Penn State on Libby.

More eBook sources in the Libraries and beyond

Some useful starting points for non-book reads

PressReader - Our favorite database for reading hundreds of newpapers and magazines on almost any topic in full-color print layout. Check out our PressReader.guide to make the most of features like alternate translations and text-to-voice conversion.

PSU Student News Readership Program - Instructions on signing up for a free subscription to the New York Times (games included!) and the Wall Streat Journal.

Our Wonderful Public Libraries

The Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh offer tons of great books and online content, and there are branches in White Oak and McKeesport. If you don't have a borrowers card yet, you can apply for one at a CLP location or online. Once you're a member, you can connect your account to the Libby and Hoopla apps to borrow ebooks, audio ebooks, and a bunch of other stuff!

Westmoreland Library Network. If you live in Westmoreland County, you can also register for a WLN library card and access their Libby collections.

Free Library of Philadelphia. All PA residents can register for a FLP card to expand your Libby library even farther!