Computers are ubiquitous. We rely on them for news and information, running businesses and organizations, keeping in touch and sharing pictures with friends and relatives and fun and entertainment. They are in banks, the police station, schools, hospitals, homes and of course, libraries.
Computers play several roles in the 撸奶社区Library. For one hour a day, any member of the public may use one of our six public computers. There's also an express terminal, available for 15 minutes a day, and a reference only terminal, to be used for research. As mentioned in a previous column, wireless Internet is also available. You do not have to be a member of the library to use these services.
The library's catalog is available online, either in the building at three terminals or from home. It's still a lot of fun and amazingly easy to look up a subject or a favourite author and find out what the library has. The website, squamish.bclibrary.ca, also gives dates and times of children's programs, forthcoming events, lists of new arrivals, current bestseller lists and book reviews. There are several databases, such as World Book, at a variety of reading levels to help with your research and school projects. You can request a book that is not in our library online. Have your card number handy. Inter library loans mean that libraries, which are physically quite small like ours, actually have access to millions of items throughout B.C.
Our website is really fun to browse. An hour easily slips by as you explore the many related sites. You can ask a resident librarian a question of your own at the Askaway site. There's even a bus schedule and the current weather.
Does anyone else out there remember cards and pockets at the front of library materials? When you borrowed something, you had to sign the card. It was then stamped with the date and filed away, meanwhile you'd take a date due slip and put it in the pocket of the item to remind you when to return it. So much paper! So work intensive! So time consuming! Now materials are charged out electronically at the front desk, and a date due slip listing all of the items charged out to your card is printed.
In our ever more mobile society, you may want to take advantage of the new Interlink services now available. This means that your one 撸奶社区card gives you physical access to the collections of 18 other southwestern B.C. libraries. You can borrow a book from Whistler and return it in Squamish. You can borrow a newspaper here and return it to the library in Coquitlam. A music C.D. can be borrowed at the central Vancouver library on Georgia, and returned in Gibsons. You'll just need to register your 撸奶社区card with other libraries you're intending to use the full listing is printed in a pamphlet available at the front desk. This is a great new addition to our library's array of services.
Phone us at 604 892 3110, or Google 撸奶社区Library.
