Tech Thursday: Using the Public Library's OPAC
Hello All! I want to use this week's post to talk about some of the great resources available through the Chesterfield County Public Library. I think many people overlook the public library simply because they don't know what's out there for them to use.
If you don't have a library card, don't worry! September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month! The Chesterfield County Library Card is FREE for all Chesterfield County Residents. The library system consists of five branches: Chesterfield, Jefferson, Pageland, Cheraw, and McBee. Our county library is also part of a library consortium called SC LENDS consisting of 14 libraries (along with their various branches) across the state that share books, DVDs, CDs, and anything else that circulates. SC LENDS libraries serve a population of almost 1 million people and 14 counties. That means that you have access to a LOT of material through your small town library. With all of these libraries to choose books from, I can almost ALWAYS find what I am looking for, and I will have it in just a few days - for free!
Once you've signed up for your library card, ask the librarian or assistant to give you a pin number. If you already have a card, you can request a pin number by calling the library or by dropping by during business hours.
Fannie D. Lowery Library - Jefferson: (843) 658-3966
Open: 10:00am - 1:00pm and 2:00pm - 5:00pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Pageland Community Library: (843) 672-6930
Open: 10:00am - 6:00pm Monday through Thursday, 10:00am - 5:00pm, Friday and 10:00am - 2:00pm on Saturday
Now, say you are looking for a book and cannot find it. How do you search for it in the greater confines of SC LENDS.
To get started looking for books, click on SC LENDS right in the middle of the page. The page you'll go to will look like this...
I would suggest that you set up an account so you can place holds and manage your account online. Click on My Account, and the login page will look like this...
You will enter your library card number and your PIN number (which you got from the library). Once you are signed in, you can manage your account. You can see what you have checked out and when those items are due. You can see your holds and any fines you may have.
Now that you are logged in, you can place holds on items you are looking for. Under "Search the Catalog", there is a search box. You can search for anything you wish in the box. Format allows you to specify if you only want a book, or an audiobook, or a DVD, etc. Type allows you to specify if you are searching for a specific title, author, etc. I usually just leave both boxes as they are. I do change the Library though. If you want to seach for the Jefferson library, find Fannie D. Lowry Memorial Library under Chesterfield County Library System, and click search. I was searching for a book called Awesome Autumn. When I searched the Jefferson library, I didn't find it. See...
So I changed the library to SC LENDS to search every library in the whole library consortium. This returned 30 copies! If you click "Place Hold", (I put a red arrow so you can see it), it will place a hold on the book for you. The library which has the book ready first will send it out to you as soon as they can. You'll get it at your home library in a few days.
When you click "Place Hold", you will be taken to a page where you can choose how you want to be notified when your hold comes in. You can get a phone call, an email, or a text message. If there are no copies available (like for a really popular new book where all copies are checked out), you will be placed on a waiting list, and the book will be sent directly to you at your library when a copy becomes available.
Using SC LENDS opens up so many more opportunities to share really great books with our students. We are kind of limited in being in such a rural area and having such limitied funding for buying books. We really should take advantage of the many offerings of the public library. I really hope you'll try SC LENDS out! Let me know if you have any questions or want more information!
For a more indepth tutorial, see the video below. This tutorial is from York County Library.
Next week, I will have a tutorial up for the Jasmine Digital Library! It's a new find for me. I just started using it over the summer, and I am kind of obsessed with it. I check out audiobooks to listen to on my drive to work and back, but it's equally fantastic for use in the classroom! Stay tuned!
