Your mobile-friendly library

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Wi-Fi users at our library have probably noticed a pleasant change to our Wi-Fi sign-in process recently.  Instead of going through a long registration process and having to log in with an email and password, now you can just choose our network and accept the terms of service, and you’re ready to go!  This makes using our Wi-Fi really easy.  You will still be limited to four hours per session.  This easy login is available at the Grove City and Dassel libraries, also, and is rolling out in all of the Pioneerland libraries.

At Litchfield, we have gotten a separate line for our Wi-Fi in the past year.  Because of this, you don’t compete with all of the people on our busy public computers when you come in to use your laptop or tablet.  Our Wi-Fi is even a little bit faster than the wired computers.  If you’re a student who needs to do homework on a tablet or laptop, or a business person on a mobile device who needs a place to office for the day, you can use the public library to get your work done.

Speaking of mobile devices, there is a new version of our Overdrive software for Android and iOS.  If you check out ebooks or audiobooks on your iPad, iPhone, or Android tablet or phone, this new software should make the experience better than ever.  The new version is redesigned with streamlined navigation and a one-stop menu.  You can sync your bookmarks and reading progress across multiple devices.  Audiobook users have an exciting new feature: variable speed playback on iOS.  And if you’re using Overdrive on these devices for the first time, the app will help you add your local library and learn how to get books.

If you use your Apple or Android tablet or phone to check out our ebooks or audiobooks, be sure to update to the new version to get these new features.  If you are an iPad or Android tablet user and you haven’t tried it out yet, I encourage you to go to your app store and search for Overdrive.  It’s free, and then you can use your library card to check out ebooks and audiobooks for three weeks at a time.  The audiobooks work with iPods, too.

Do you have a child who likes to use the iPad?  We will be participating in Overdrive’s Big Library Read in late September with a children’s book geared to kids ages six to ten.  This means that the book Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth will be available for unlimited numbers of people to check out from September 16 through September 30 on our Overdrive service.  You won’t have to wait for the person ahead of you to return the book before you can check it out.  It will be available in both ebook and audiobook formats.  This is one of Jane O’Connor’s new chapter books starring the picture book character Fancy Nancy. 

Libraries are more than collections of printed books these days.  Mobile device users are very welcome to use our library as a Wi-Fi hotspot and to check out downloadable books, wherever they are.