“Our services are progressing towards more than books in the library,” said Kim Jones, Circulation Manager Librarian at Carbon County Library System (CCLS). In addition to the 94,000 books in the CCLS collection, the library has databases and online applications and services, like e-book collections and other digital offerings.
“My favorite, and the one that I use most frequently and the one that it appears most people use most frequently is 3M Cloud Library,” said Jacob Mickelsen, Saratoga Library Branch Manager.
According to Mickelsen, 3M Cloud Library is available as an app, which the state has built up to include a large number of various e-book titles. Patrons may use their library card number to check out three books at a time for two weeks each. “We don’t get the newest titles on the electronic piece, but we do get contemporary titles,” Jones said.
“Then we have the audio, if you prefer listening to an audiobook,” Jones said, indicating another app called OneClickdigital. Mickelsen explained that 3M Cloud Library and OneClickdigital work in conjunction with one another, so a user may read a book at home and then plug the audiobook into their car and pick up where they left off. Mickelsen added that popular magazines are also available in online databases. Online and app services help to prevent fines and missing due dates, according to Jones.
Despite the push towards digital, CCLS remains on a global interlibrary loan network which may be utilized to order hard copies of books. “We have a lot of homeschoolers who can get their homeschool materials through interlibrary loan,” Jones said.
Mickelsen expressed that he finds a lot of use in interlibrary loan. “Especially out here in quote-unquote ‘the middle of nowhere,’ … we have a decent collection in Saratoga, but we don’t have everything,” Mickelsen said. According to Mickelsen, most titles can be found without any charge.
“I’ve got the only copy of a book about castles in American libraries on its way from Massachusetts right now for a guy who wanted it,” Mickelsen said.
“It’s a great tool for people who like to do genealogy or research of any kind, or just like to read unusual fiction,” Jones said of interlibrary loan.
According to Jones, the library offers services for adult patrons finding employment or writing resumes. CCLS proctors exams for students and provides meeting rooms for clubs and organizations, or anyone that needs a meeting room. Both Jones and Mickelsen asserted that any question a patron has for their local librarian is a question worth asking, and a question they look forward to answering.
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