Let your fingers do the walking...to the library!

When your parents were young, telephones were used to converse with another person. One could dial the library to ask whether a book was available, and the librarian would nimbly flip through a drawer of dog-eared catalog cards. Or one might inquire about magazine articles for a report, and the librarian would thumb through the subject index of a hardbound Readers' Guide.

The stolid card catalog and printed Readers' Guides are no more. Today's library is continuously morphing, and many services are available not just through computers, but also through phones in ways our parents could never have imagined!

Have a question? You can text a librarian, 24/7, through LNet, the statewide librarian network. Just send the word answers to 66746 and enter your question. A librarian will reply as soon as possible. More information is available at http://www.oregonlibraries.net/sms.


Library2Go is the service that offers free downloadable audiobooks, videos, and eBooks. Until recently, you had to download files to your computer, then transfer them to an external device. Now Library2Go has an app for downloading eBooks and audiobooks directly to the Android, Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile phones. Go to http://www.overdrive.com/software/omc/ to download the right program for your smart phone.

Our library subscribes to a suite of Gale databases, which include reference books, magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers. Gale now has "Access My Library" apps that let you search these databases directly from your phone! Need a story from Time Magazine, a biography of Marie Antoinette, or the latest articles on salmon fisheries? You don’t need to use your computer if you have a compatible device and the Gale app. http://www.gale.cengage.com/apps/aml/PublicPatron/.

I still have a plain old vanilla cell phone, which I only use when I travel. But it’s exciting to know that when I finally break down and get a smart phone, I’ll have some smart apps to use with it!