This past year the library continued to bring good service while also making many improvements. Computers are always available for free public use. Library patrons can access the Internet and use computer applications for word processing, spreadsheets and other tasks. The library’s CAP student gives assistance to computer users and also gives instruction in website design, database use, and computer basics. About twenty-two people use the library’s computers each week.
One of the new services offered to library patrons is downloadable audio books. The provincial Ministry of Culture has funded an online service that allows anyone with a library card to download narrated audio books as digital files. Patrons can listen to the books on their computer or transfer them to a portable device. A great variety of fiction and nonfiction titles is available.
New online databases are available through the library’s computers. These specialized sources of information are normally only accessible by subscription, but the library now offers them free to everyone. Ancestry.ca is a genealogy database that contains over six thousand sets of electronic records such as birth and death notices, passenger lists and property documents. Users can find their relatives and print copies of original historical documents. The Auto Repair Reference Centre contains hundreds of repair manuals for models of vehicles from 1945 to the present day. Anyone can find technical information on their automobile with a quick search. Career Cruising is a database that can help people locate their ideal career. Users can take a test that will suggest different kinds of jobs and educational paths.
There are 798 people who have active library cards. This represents 26% of the Township population. Most municipalities have between 15% and 20% of their population as members of the public library. In the past year library patrons have checked out 9,683 Adult Fiction Books, 3,811 Children’s Fiction Books, 1,074 Teen Fiction Books, 1,898 Adult Nonfiction Books, 426 Children’s Nonfiction Books, 274 Audio Books, 276 Music CDs, and 3,924 DVDs. This year’s library programs drew visits by 1299 children, 174 teenagers, and 201 adults.
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