Expand Your Horizons
Learn a new language with online Mango, read about the perfect local restaurant with our travel guides, or attend a performance from artists representing different cultures and forms. Your Library is your key to exploring the world whether you are traveling there or enjoying it here.
Blogs
Keeping Family History Alive
This month as you gather with friends and family (genetic, adopted, and/or chosen) you may swap old stories, look at photos, and remember some of your shared history. While you’re at it, why not take a moment to think about preserving some of that history? ...
Cooking Up Some History
As we begin to gear up for holiday dinners and do our best to make sure our neighbors have food to eat, it's easy enough to get caught up in the here-and-now demands and anxieties.
(Related content: "Ditch the Potluck Stress" from the November 2025 issue of UMAmi)
But in all of ...
Events
Take Home Kit: Black History Month Knowledge Quizzes
Go on a quest for knowledge with Ralph Ellison's annual trivia quiz! The quizzes are take-home kits, so there's plenty of time to test your knowledge. You will get the questions and the answers along with a prize.
Explore this passive program and display in our teen section to learn a little about the history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and about how they have built generations of leaders.
Secret Underground Railroad Quilt Patterns Passive Program and Display
Check out our Underground Railroad Quilts passive program and display to learn about the secret quilt codes that guided freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. Then, color your own quilt block and add it to our community quilt.
Visiting the Adult Day Center for arts and crafts.
Art Playtime is a joyful early childhood program designed to spark imagination, creativity, and discovery through play. Children explore open-ended, process-based art activities where the focus is on self-expression, not the final product.
Disclaimer(s)
This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to be in attendance and be engaged with your child for this program.
Looking to improve your English speaking skills? Join us at the Jones Library and practice ESL through conversation!
Databases
A to Z Food America
This resource contains more than 2,000 state, regional, and ethnic recipes - including food culture articles - as well as historical and reference articles including an ingredients section. This is the largest food database of its kind focused solely on diverse American cuisine.
A to Z Maps Online
Provides access to over 100,000 various types of maps for the U.S., world countries and continents. A to Z Maps Online contains a large number of specialized maps like antique maps, bathymetric and fishing maps, climate change maps, environmental maps, geography and geology maps, Holy Land maps, tree and bird distribution maps, and more. It also contains flags from world countries and international organizations.
A to Z the USA
This database contains state, county and city information for all U.S. states and territories. It lists facts and statistics about arts and culture, climate and weather, demographics, flags and seals, government and politics, history, maps, photos, and more.
A to Z World Food
This resource contains 7,000 traditional recipes from 174 countries, along with thousands of ingredient, food culture, and reference articles, making this the largest food database of its kind.
A to Z World Travel
Contains travel guides for over 200 world cities. Each guide contains helpful information about a particular city's food and restaurants, climate and weather, embassies/consulates, health and medical services, travel essentials, money and banking, electrical and telecommunication requirements, and more.
Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America
Contains citations to books, journal articles, magazines, newspapers, and U.S. and Canadian government documents (with coverage going back to the seventeenth century) about the culture, history and life of indigenous peoples in North America. This resource is provided by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
Collections
Grass Roots Press - Hoopla
Grass Roots Press is a niche publisher, specializing in resources for adults with limited literacy skills. They have an international reputation for publishing high-quality materials for adult basic education and English language learners. This collection can be accessed through Metro's subscription to Hoopla digital. It can be found independently by searching for "Grass Roots Press" in the publisher field using the Advanced Search function.
Metro Library Podcast
Offering Oklahoma-themed podcasts celebrating Oklahoma arts, culture and history as well as the lives of influential Oklahomans today, the Metro Library Podcast is produced by the Special Collections of the Metropolitan Library System.