The resources of Atlantic County’s 11 library branches are now as close as your fingertips.
A new mobile application available to cardholders with Apple or Google Android devices allows users to access most of the library system’s information without setting foot in the library or sitting down in front of their computers.
For more information on the app, visit www.atlanticlibrary.org/app
“We hope it’s much more convenient for them to do whatever they need to do,” said Karen George, director of the Atlantic County Library System. “We’re happiest when people are using us.”
George said users can browse the catalog, renew materials, view event calendars and even access the library’s research databases and audio download service from anywhere they have phone reception.
It also has another feature that George hopes will encourage more people to read. Using the phone’s camera feature, users can scan a book’s barcode to see if the book is available at the library or to purchase from an online retailer.
“When you’re out at a store and see a book you want to read, right then and there you can look it up on your smartphone, place a hold and see where the closest library is,” she said.
George said the app was funded through a $10,000 grant from LibraryLinkNJ, a nonprofit organization funded by the New Jersey State Library. Using the funds, she said, the library hired Boopsie, an app developer that has created apps for other library systems, to create one for Atlantic County.
Since the library first began testing the app in early June, George said there have been 436 users and 28,886 queries. But the library is just starting to ramp up promotion for the new tool.
“It’s been online since then, but we’re just now getting it advertised,” she said. “I think people have been really enjoying it and it’ll make using the library much more convenient.”
Contact Wallace McKelvey:
609-272-7256
Follow Wallace McKelvey on Twitter @wjmckelvey
