Your 24/7 Library

By Marie St. Pierre, Reference Librarian

February 22, 2006

Have you ever had those days when you meant to go the library and return some books, but couldn’t find the time?  Or when you were working on a school report and desperately needed one more article, but the library was closed?  Never fear, your Natrona County Public Library is available to you 24/7 through your home computer!  All you need is Internet access, your library card and PIN number, and, with a quick visit to www.natronacountylibrary.org, all your worries will be over.  Don’t know your PIN number?  Just call 237-4935, and we’ll be glad to help you.
           
For those of you familiar with our online catalog, WYLDCAT, you may have noticed the search page has a new look.   With fewer options and a streamlined appearance, we hope the new catalog will make it even easier to find whatever book, movie or other material you desire.  If the item you are looking for is checked out, simply click on the “Request” icon, fill in your library card number and PIN, and it will be placed on reserve for you.  When the item is returned to the library, we’ll give you a call and hold it behind the Checkout Desk for you to pick up.
           
The WYLDCAT catalog allows you access to more libraries than just NCPL.  By clicking on the Advanced Search option, you can peruse the collections in libraries throughout Wyoming.  If you locate an item that NCPL does not have, simply click on “Request” to place an Interlibrary Loan, and we will have it shipped in for you.  This service is free of charge on most occasions (we will contact you about any fees involved, should they arise) and takes one to three weeks to process.   
           
The “My Account” link on the library’s homepage can be extremely useful and save you a lot of time and energy. Through “My Account,” you can login to see what library items you have checked out, when they are due, and renew them (normal renewal restrictions do apply).  You can also see what items you have on reserve and if any are available, as well as make changes to your contact information and PIN number.    A new feature of the updated catalog allows you track you Interlibrary Loan requests.  Now you can make sure your requests were properly submitted and see if they are “idle” (yet to be processed), “shipped” (on its way) or “received” (at NCPL and going through the final stages of processing). 
           
There is a wealth of information available at the click of a mouse through the library’s numerous databases.  When you are burning the midnight oil to finish a report for school or work, databases like EBSCOHost, which accesses a variety of scholarly and scientific magazines, can connect you with up-to-date, reputable articles about current issues.  Anyone preparing for a standardized test will want to visit the LearningExpress Library.  From the GED to the civil service exam to the nursing exam, this extensive database has a wide range of study tools, practice tests and tutorials.
           
Naturally, your library staff looks forward to assisting you in person, but when the doors are closed for the evening, service continues at www.natronacountylibrary.org.

Back to Table of Contents