Quite a collection - New Services of the Solano/Napa County Library System

Quite a collection
By Karen Nolan
Posted: 08/19/2009 01:00:50 AM PDT

Last week, the Solano Public Library sent a couple of emissaries to visit The Reporter and tell us what's new.

I've been a library card-holder for almost two decades, and, while I was a more frequent visitor when my children were young, I still seem to get by one branch or another at least once a month. I've also been familiar with the online database page for years. Still, I was astonished by how much the library has to offer that I didn't know about.

I was particularly impressed by the number of online resources that can be obtained from home or work -- including an electronic library card (click on the Get a Library Card link in the upper right hand corner of the library's home page: www.solanolibrary.com.)

Some, such as EBSCOhost and ProQuest, which contain magazine and newspaper articles, and the Encyclopedia Brittanica Online are old friends.

Others I had never ventured into.

For instance, the netLibrary Collection, which contains more than 7,500 e-books that can be read online and nearly 2,000 audio books that can be downloaded to MP3 players and, in some cases, iPods. Many of the books are classics, but there are modern pieces, too, including a host of military and Air Force writings.

Are you into genealogy? Check out HeritageQuest Online. For the last couple of years, I've been on the lookout for a particular census record concerning my great-grandfather. Just for the heck of it, I typed his name into the searchable 1900 census
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-- and I think I may have found the record.

Ever had to make an emergency home or auto repair and wish you had some guide to go by? The Home Improvement and Auto Repair reference centers offer photos, drawings and instructions on common problems.

For parents with kids in school, or adults who are going to school themselves, a host of materials available. Check out the Student Research Center, which lets you search newspapers, magazines, books, encyclopedias, TV and radio transcripts and primary source documents. Or try Homework Help, which offers live tutoring for all ages -- including college -- in the afternoons and evenings.

Need to analyze a topic? Visit the Points of View Reference Library, which provides not only pro and con articles on controversial subjects, but teaches students how to think critically about the information. I am personally going to recommend the "Health Insurance: Guide to Critical Analysis" to some adults I know.

One other tidbit I learned: You don't have to be a Solano County resident to get a library card, but if you don't live here, you must go into a library to obtain one.

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The author, a Vacaville resident, edits The Reporter's opinion pages. E-mail: KNolan@thereporter.com. To have a librarian visit your group or business, call Lani Clarke at the Vacaville Public Library-Cultural Center, 784-1541, or e-mail laclarke@so-lanocounty.com.