This year has been a busy one at the Gloucester County Library System. We have implemented a host of new services while maintaining our core mission of providing the books and media our customers want. Our five branch libraries and two association libraries are prepared to provide you with the books, music CDs, audiobooks, and DVDs you need in your everyday lives.
Our online public access catalog continues to be the foundation of our services. As a member of the LOGIN Library Consortium, GCLS card holders can access the collections of fifteen library facilities, which collectively own more than 600,000 items. A sixteenth library, Wenonah, has joined this consortium, and Wenonah residents will soon be able to utilize all LOGIN libraries without fee. GCLS card holders can borrow materials by visiting any LOGIN library. They can also place holds on these items and receive them at their home library. The catalog, which includes features such as images of book covers, reviews, and even excerpts from books in the collection, is available not only within the library, but from home computers.
The GCLS webpage, which was awarded a merit award in 2005 from the National Association of Counties, is the portal to the library’s 24/7 services. By pointing their home computers to www.gcls.org, our customers can:
- Access the catalog
- Put holds on titles
- Renew their books
- Access subscription databases
- Search for and print out millions of full-text periodical articles
- Check on programs at the library
- Use electronic reference collections
- Download over 1,600 unabridged digital audiobooks for MP3 players
- Request interlibrary loans
- Access selected websites
Of course, we have also added thousands of new book, audiobook, CD, and DVD titles at all of our branches. Four of our branches provide free meeting rooms for nonprofit community groups (call 223-6033). We also provide many adult and children’s programs throughout the year, including the popular Saturday Night at the Library musical programs at the Mullica Hill Branch at 7 pm on the first Saturday of each month, October - May.
We provide a free, web-based newsletter to keep you abreast of the latest news from GCLS. To subscribe, just click on the link on our webpage. Another useful tool is Library Elf, which will alert you when your books are due or when you have holds to pick up. Just click on the Library Elf icon on the webpage to sign up for this service.
The library system provides public-access computers at all branches with high-speed access to the Internet and MS Office software. Centralized printers at each branch are available for a nominal cost. Customers can also bring in their own laptops and PDAs and access the Internet over our Wi-Fi networks at each branch.
As always, I am available to answer any question you may have about the library system. You may call me at 856-223-6010 or email me at rwetherall@gcls.org.
Bob Wetherall, Director