County Library to Expand Access to Residents

Library patrons in Tulare County will have two more ways to check out their favorite reading materials.

Tulare County Deputy Librarian Jeff Scott said the library is expanding access to residents through making 30 Nook e-readers available this week and by purchasing two additional Lending Library book machines.

Nook e-reader

Scott said 30 Nook e-readers will be available for check out at the Visalia Branch. Residents interested in checking out a Nook can stop by the library at 2 p.m. on Friday and learn more about how the device works.

“When I’m asked what will libraries do about e-books, I tell them, we HAVE e-books,” Scott said. “If you don’t think you are tech-savvy enough to use an e-book, staff will Barnes and Noble will be at the library to help.”

The electronic devices are pre-loaded with titles with five different genres to choose from: romance, mystery, young adult, non-fiction and best sellers. Each patron can check out the Nook for up to 21 days.

The introduction of Nooks to Tulare County Library patrons will be limited to the Visalia Branch. If the program is successful, Scott said the e-readers will be made available at other branch libraries. Funding for the Nooks was made available by a $3,000 grant from the Tulare County Library Foundation. The funding was used to purchase the Nooks and electronic titles.

Lending Library Program

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors today approved the sole source purchase of two Lending Library book machines for the communities of Tipton and East Porterville. A lending library is an automatic book machine that makes hundreds of books available to residents who choose to use library services.

In 2010, the Tulare County Library purchased a lending library machine as the start of a pilot program in Cutler. Since then, two more book machines were purchased prior to the two additional machines approved today by the Board of Supervisors.

A lending library machine is simple to use. Residents can come to the machine day or night, scan their library card, and select the book they would like. For example, if they see a children’s book that they like, they can simply select the letter number combination to retrieve the book.

“This is a pilot project that the Tulare County Library System is extremely proud of,” said Brian Lewis, County Librarian. “Based on the success these book machines have had in other communities, we are looking to expand this program to provide more access to underserved communities that do not have access to a public library.”