Get a book from interlibrary loan. Number 32 in a series of uses for your library card.
The Great River Regional Library (GRRL) collection of books, magazines, DVDs, audiobooks and music CDs is nearly 1 million strong. But even a collection that large doesn't include everything. GRRL's collection is a public library collection, not an academic collection. Therefore, the selection of academic textbooks is minimal. For those items, you'd be better served looking in a university library. It also doesn't include many books of a local or regional interest from outside of Central Minnesota; if you want a book on the history of Peoria, Ill., you'd be better served getting it from Peoria's public library system.
Here's the good news. GRRL can find those items for you. We have staff dedicated to tracking down items our patrons have requested that are not owned by the system. Every day, they find manuals, regional atlases, dated fiction and other items not otherwise available at GRRL. Collaborative agreements among libraries make interlibrary loans relatively simple. In 2010, our interlibrary loan staff arranged more than 45,000 loan exchanges between GRRL and other libraries around the state and country.
If you're looking for a book (a video or CD also) and don't find it on the GRRL catalog, feel free to click on the Suggest a Title tab at the top of the catalog page. Complete your information and click the Submit Request button. It's possible the library will purchase it. If not, our interlibrary loan staff will begin their search and notify you when the item is available.