Consumer Reports has been around as a magazine since 1936. It’s one of the few places folks can get unbiased reviews on products that have been rigorously tested in several ways. It is also available as an online subscription. If you are a resident Colonie cardholder, you can access the online version of Consumer Reports on any device, anywhere.
If you prefer video instructions, check this out.
Accessing Consumer Reports
To use the library’s subscription, you must click the link on the library website. Head to colonielibrary.org/research and click on Consumer Reports. If you’re in the library, it will take you straight to the home page. When accessing this resource from any other location, you will be prompted for your library barcode before you can access the site.
Navigating Consumer Reports
From the home page, you can search using the bar at the top of the screen:
When you find the item you are looking for, click it for more information, including ratings for individual models and helpful shopping tips.
Just below the search bar, you can select a broad category:
After clicking a category, there may be subcategories to choose from. When you find your desired item, click it for more information.
Below the categories, you’ll see some featured articles and other items. Keep scrolling for links to the most popular items. Below that, there is a link to browse items from A-Z.
The next section, titled “Shop CR Deals,” is exactly what it sounds like. Click the “see all deals” button to see what’s available.
Just a few deals are shown on the next page, but you can see more if you click the “see all [#] deals” link on the top right.
If you’d rather flip through a virtual version of the most recent magazine issue, keep scrolling down until you see a thumbnail image that looks like this, and click on “view current issue”:
Caveats
A couple of options on the screen will not work because you are using a library subscription, as opposed to an individual subscription. Those are:
- Recommended for you (personalized news feed)
- Most of the options found in the My Account menu (person icon at the top). The exception is the My Benefits section, which is available to all.
- Saving items (heart icon)
Summary
You are always welcome to come to the Information Desk to browse the last couple of years of Consumer Reports issues, but if you’d rather access this information online with the bonus ability to search across several issues, try our Consumer Reports subscription today!
