Library users can access new system from home

Dunklin County Library patrons now have access to the library's catalog system from their own homes. Logging on from home enables patrons to see the same system as if they were standing at the counter at the library searching for a title. [Click to enlarge]

Minton and other library personnel are very excited about the new online system. "Anyone in the world can see our catalog," Minton said. "From anywhere in the world, customers can view the titles available in our library and reserve books to check out or renew books that have been checked out."

To use the new online system, patrons must register but to view the titles available all one has to do is visit the site and click at the appropriate place. The Web site address is http://dunklin-co.lib.mo.us/

Once at the site, Minton instructs patrons to click on "TRY OUT OUR NEW ONLINE CATALOG BY SELECTING THIS HYPERLINK." Clicking on the link takes a patron to the same thing they would see if using a catalog at the library itself, and the same things library personnel see when searching for a particular title.

To register in the new system, one must either visit the library or call the library and one of the library's employees will register him.

Once registered, any user can logon and see his library number, view items he has waiting to be picked up, view items he has checked out, or see items he has placed on reserve, according to Minton.

Once a patron is registered, at the library's home site he clicks on "My Items" near the top of the page and is taken to the site where he enters his user name and password. Entering his user name and password opens the patron to a new experience with the library, enabling the user to view and reserve titles he wants to read and to renew up to twice titles he has already checked out.

Minton said the library's old catalog system was a DOS based program, whereas this one is Web based. That makes the system much more user friendly, Minton said.

Titles from all nine branches of the library system will be ready for view by June, 2008, Minton said.

The new system was made available by a grant the library received from the state for approximately $86,000 and by approximately $28,000 that the library had to come up with.

The new system provides for at least one new computer at each branch as well as two new servers to service the entire system at nine branches.