As many of you may know, I have served the last several years on the San Mateo County Library Board. This Joint Powers Authority provides services to 11 different communities and libraries in San Mateo County, including Foster City. While I will use my computer and the Internet for any number of things, I must admit I have been a “traditional” library user. This means I wander into the Library either for research or pleasure, find my book, and check it out. With the new improvements made to the Library’s website, I thought I would share with you some fascinating and fun programs.
The Library website can be reached at www.SMCL.org. On the website are specific monthly features dealing with particular holidays or ethnic events, activities in the local libraries, and recommended reading lists for adults, teens, and children. There are also Spanish selections and recommendations for teachers.
One of the most interesting parts of the website is the section called “Build Your Own”. It allows an individual to put together a list of books that they intend to read. If you do not know exactly what you want to read but are interested in a particular subject, you can answer a few questions and library staff will create a reading list just for you. Within just a couple of weeks you will receive your own personalized list by email or regular mail. You can also reserve books online to pick up at your local library.
The latest addition to the site is the Digital Book Library. You now have the ability to download eBooks and audio eBooks to your personal computer, laptop, or other portable devices. All you need is your Peninsula Library card and you can check out these digital audio books in the “OverDrive Media Console” format and eBooks are downloaded using Adobe Reader and Mobipocket Reader format. Once you download these eBooks, you have approximately two weeks to complete reading and enjoying these resources. At the end of that time, the eBooks then automatically are erased from your system.
Apparently the Library also has Cliff Notes for our students as well as legal eBooks to help consumers with various issues. I invite you to go to the San Mateo County Library website to enjoy the abundance of services provided. Of course, do not hesitate to use the more traditional method of going to the Library itself. The Foster City Library Hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 am – 9 pm; Friday, 10am – 6 pm; Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm; and Sunday, 1 pm – 5 pm.
Councilmember Deborah Wilder can be reached at dwilder@fostercity.org.
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