Persuade a friend to get a Great River Regional Library card this September and you could win an Apple iPad.
September is national Library Card Sign-up Month. Throughout the month, new cardholders and cardholders who refer them into the library system will qualify for the iPad drawing. GRRL provides public library services in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties.
“We provide a service that is modern, efficient, easy to use, and useful to people of all ages,” said Karen Pundsack, the library’s patron services coordinator. “We’re hoping the iPad drawing will encourage new people to join the system so they learn how the library can add value in their lives.
Library cards are provided free of charge. Services are funded through county, state and federal taxes. To receive a card and qualify for the ‘get carded’ promotion, adults need to complete the get carded application form (with referral information if applicable), and provide a photo ID and proof of their current address. The promotion is also available to lapsed patrons with expired cards who re-register. Children under 17 do not need a photo ID. The card is good at all 32 GRRL locations.
GRRL owns more than 950,000 items including books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks and magazines. GRRL also has a digital library at its website (griver.org) offering eBooks and eAudiobooks. Service features some people may not know about include:
• Systemwide borrowing. A user at any GRRL location has access to all 950,000 items on the system’s shelves through the online catalog. Usually, an item can be delivered to a local library within three days of placing a hold. “If you don’t know how this works our staff will be happy to show you,” Pundsack said. Items can also be returned to any of the library’s locations.
• Suggest a title. The library’s website includes a “Suggest a Title” tab patrons can use to suggest the purchase of a book, DVD or CD not already on the catalog.
• Interlibrary loan. The library doesn’t purchase every requested item, but may instead conduct a nationwide search for obscure or out-of-date items. In 2011 more than 20,000 requests were met using interlibrary loan.
• Study guides. The library has study guides (book and online) for numerous national tests such as the ACT, PSAT, and GED, and also more specialized tests such as the Medical College Admission Test and CPA exam.
• Media. Newcomers often think of the library in terms of books and are surprised by the depth of the CD and DVD collections.
Many library “power users” visit every week or even more often, borrowing books, music, movies and magazines for the entire family. “Everybody needs information,” Pundsack said. “If you are planning a vacation, planting a garden, or want to learn about personal finance, the library has resources you can use.”
The iPad prize is funded by a donation from the St. Cloud Friends of the Library. #