The North Country Library System recently released a new “app” for managing library accounts on mobile devices. The free app is available for Android, Apple, and Kindle phones and tablets, and is a must have for anyone in St. Lawrence County and the rest of the North Country Library System.
I’ve download the app to my Android phone and my iPad, and there are a lot of great features packed into the relatively small file size – it won’t take up a huge amount of valuable space on your device. The obvious benefit to the app is the ability to manage your library card account: review what items are checked out, renew items with upcoming due dates, and place items on hold. Beyond the basics, there are a couple of interesting and useful features.
To log in for the first time, you need your library card number and your PIN (the default is usually the last four number of the phone number on file with your library card application). Once logged in, you can review what items are checked out, when items are due to be returned, and what items you have on hold. If a title is eligible for renewal, you can easily renew it with a few taps.
The entire North Country Library System catalog is searchable, and you can locate titles or authors of interest and see what libraries have the item available on the shelf. Basic search categories are for books, audiobooks, movies, or music – the search function isn’t quite as advanced as the desktop version but it certainly worked well for a couple of random searches I made to test it out. You can place a hold, and pick up the item at the library of your choice. One of the nice features under Search is the ability to scan an item’s ISBN barcode with your device’s camera. If you see an item in a store, or at a friend’s house, you can easily scan the ISBN barcode and search the NCLS catalog without needing to type in the full title or author.
If you’re interested in library events, you can search for events by county and see a combined event calendar, or you can narrow down your search to a single library. Events are listed chronologically and you can select individual events to view more detailed information.
Looking for information about a specific library? With a few taps, you can access the library’s address, and optionally tap to access Google Maps and directions. Another tap on the phone number will connect to your phone’s dialer and you can make a telephone call. A tap will take you to the library’s website where you can review additional information about the library’s policies, programs, and services. Another tap will connect you to the library’s Facebook page.
Other NCLS services are available with a quick tap – access to our Overdrive downloadable ebooks, America’s Historical Newspapers, Consumer Reports Magazine, Artist Works, Universal Class, Beanstack, and reference databases.
The app also generates a digital barcode of your library card that can be used at the library to check out books. This is a great feature for users who may not carry their wallet to the library, but do have a cell phone in their pocket.
If you have a smartphone or tablet, be sure to download the new app and give it a try. It’s available for free on Google Play, iTunes, and Kindle. Download the app and stop by your local public library and check us out!