On today’s episode of “cool things your library card might be giving you that you don’t realize,” Mango Languages! It’s a language learning app that from what I can tell is pretty good as far as affordable language apps go, and today I learned that one of the library cards I have includes a Mango Languages subscription (which is normally $12 or $20 a month, depending on if you just want one language or want access to all their languages). On the Mango Languages website you can search by your city, library, institution, etc. and find out if they offer free access to Mango Languages (link here but you can also find it by scrolling near the bottom of their “pricing” page).
Literally, I decided to try to commit to learning Spanish, but after doing the free lessons on Mango and seeing the price (a reasonable one, but I’m trying to save my money to move) I heavily considered ditching the idea (as I refuse to use the evil owl app that wants me dead and is getting way too cozy with shitty AI). But yeah, libraries!
Extra info as well if you live in the US, obviously there are places that let non-residents pay for library cards, but even if your city’s library doesn’t offer Mango there may be at least one or two libraries that still offer free cards for online access as long as you’re a resident of the state. If you’re a Texas resident, then go get a card from Houston Public Library. They have a Mango Languages subscription and a big catalogue in general, it’s probably the card I use the most on Libby lol. You do have to prove you’re a resident and I think that just means providing drivers license info, but I got my card back in 2021 so I don’t remember the specifics or if the process is the same.
