NBPL has made a variety of digital enhancements to our library for our patrons.
- Had the Herald-Zeitung newspaper digitized for the years 1906-1979 and added this new database to our catalog homepage.
- Power Up At Your Library Week was a week-long technology learning experience. Patrons were able to participate in a mobile scavenger hunt throughout the library and win awesome prizes like a Virtual Reality headset.
- We also incorporated a set of 12 VR headsets to our collection to use for programs.
- The Youth Services department begin a program called Coding Club where young adults can come in and learn to code.
- The library also added online tutorials through Niche Academy for patrons to easily learn how to use all of our databases. Niche Academy provides up-to-date tutorials that are available in visual, audio, and text formats to cater to learners of all types.
- We offered a completely digital Summer Reading signup option where patrons were able to easily log their reading, earn tickets for prizes, and unlock fun games.
- NBPL also went paperless for our new patron signups. This eco-friendly alternative allows patrons to signup on a computer and have a completely digital record in our system.
- NBPL actively utilizes its social media platforms which include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Through these facets, the library is able to reach a larger and more digital audience. We strive to keep patrons thoroughly informed and use these tools to update them about events, holiday closings, programs, and other library news.
- NBPL also continues to maintain our app (NBPL2GO), powered by Boopsie. This app gives patrons access to their account, renewals, requests, the library catalog, and all online resources/databases. This year we also added the virtual library card feature which allows patrons to have a virtual barcode of their library card that they can use at checkout.
- All librarians at the library maintain LibGuides (which can be quickly accessed through our library's homepage). These guides give patrons a digital way to view our brochures, calendars, downloads, and more.
- The library has added an additional day to our Open Tech Sessions. This drop-in class is now available every Wednesday and Thursday from 1-2pm. This session gives patrons the opportunity to bring in any technology or device questions and receive on-on-one help.
- The library also continued its Social Media classes every Tuesday at 4pm. This cycle repeated every month and patrons could learn the basics of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Accompanying these recent additions, NBPL continues to offer free public internet access, tech help programs, and social media classes. NBPL is also proud to report that it has reached an all time high in e-book and e-audiobooks circulation usage this year. Our e-book resources and online databases are more popular than ever and are easy to use thanks to our many online resources.