Gary Spear
Special to the RNH
It’s not your grandfather’s library anymore. Today’s library is a 24/7 virtual library spanning two counties and more, all accessible directly from your PC or mobile device. Our Rio Vista Library is more than all the great books, music, and movies on the shelves downtown. It’s even more than the items in all the libraries in the county.
The Rio Vista Library is a branch of the Solano County Library and is one of the many libraries in the Solano Napa And Partners (SNAP) system. The Solano County Library is the public library system for the county of Solano, consisting of seven public libraries and the Solano County Law Library. The cities of Benicia and Dixon have public libraries that are not a part of the Solano County Library system but are partners of the SNAP Consortium.
All the libraries in the consortium operate as if they were one library, meaning patrons may check out items at any partner library and may return those items to any partner library. Through the automated SNAP catalog system, you can access all material in the Solano County Library, including Rio Vista Library, plus the collections of the Benicia Public Library, Napa City–County Library, Napa Valley College Library, St. Helena Public Library, and Solano Community College Library.
Using a computer terminal in any member library or by going online from your home, office, or mobile device and accessing the SNAP web page, library customers can take full advantage of the following services:
Locate and request books, music CDs, movie DVDs, and other materials and have it delivered to the Rio Vista Library
Place a hold on an item that is checked out and have it sent to Rio Vista when available, via a daily delivery system
Look up magazine articles in several magazine databases, print the full text of most articles, and access an encyclopedia and several other online databases
Review their own records to see what they have checked out, have on hold, due dates, and other matters related to their own account
For those who use their mobile devices, eBook readers, smart phones, or tablet to keep up on their reading, Rio Vista Library offers an exciting new service -- free eBook, and eAudiobook downloads. With the easy-to-use mobile web page (http://m.solanolibrary.com) you can access the full website directly from your mobile device. This eBook and eAudiobook download capability is powered by OverDrive and is compatible with a wide variety of computers, smart phones, and tablets. You can even check out a Nook to experience the world of eBooks.
The way people use the library is changing and the Rio Vista Library is changing too. While walk-in visits are up, a recent survey prepared for Solano County Library and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found that 88 percent of respondents also access the library resources with a PC, and 23 percent access the library from mobile devices.
Help keep Rio Vista Library open and serving the needs of our community. Vote YES on Measure L on June 5. |
