View from the Library: Come in for some Christmas spirit
December is such a great month for reading and watching movies. We continue to purchase new books, movies and audiobooks for our collection each week so you are sure to find something great. We have a wonderful selection of Christmas-themed books and movies, perfect to get into the holiday spirit. Stop in or use our curbside service. We are happy to hunt the shelves for you and offer suggestions.
If you didn’t already know, our library is part of the Partners Sharing Group in the Montana Shared Catalog. We share materials with over 30 other libraries in the state. Our sharing group has voted to explore ways to make fulfilling holds more efficient and has decided that we will do this by keeping new items in each individual library for 60 days. This is a test project to see if our library customers are able to get their holds faster, while still being able to get the materials they want. You may begin to see the term “local holds only” in the online catalog. This means that you won’t be able to place a hold on the item unless our library owns a copy. If you use our library but have a library card from a partner library, please give us a call and we can help you with holds. We are looking for feedback, so please watch for online surveys or let us know through email or a phone call. Your voice is very important in this test project as to whether or not it will continue past the six-month trial.
In need of holiday gifts or stocking stuffers? Look no further than the library gift nook full of literary inspired gifts. Everything in our gift nook is 20% off throughout the month of December, with limited quantities available. You are supporting library services with each purchase.
Don’t forget about all of our great digital services: Creativebug for craft and cooking videos, Freegal for ad-free music, Flipster for great digital magazines, AncestryLibrary for genealogy research (available from home through December), Kanopy for unique movies and documentaries as well as kids’ videos. So many great services to try. All you need is a free library card.
We have a new app. Search for Montana Shared Catalog in your app store and download this great app today. You can search the catalog, place holds, check on your account, renew items and so much more. Your library card is saved in the app, so you can just show us your phone when you’re ready to check out. You can even add multiple cards to your app to make family checkouts a breeze. Be sure to delete the old BookMyne app if you still have it.
Watch for holiday-themed Mother Goose videos featuring your friendly library staff members throughout December. You can find links on our website or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Visit our website at www.northlakecountylibrary.org for links and more information. We are still looking for an Information Technology Librarian, so visit our site for the job posting.
The library is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. The library is open 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays for those individuals who are considered to be high risk for COVID-19 exposure. Curbside pickup is available for everyone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Masks are required.
The library will be closed Dec. 24-26 for the Christmas holiday, and we will close at 4 p.m. Dec. 31. Please call us at 883-8225 or email us at polsoncl@polson.lib.mt.us with questions or to request curbside pickup.
Abbi Dooley is director of North Lake County Public Library in Polson.