At the Library 5/2/24

At the Library 

by Cary Ann Siegfried

THREE Libraries – ONE Card!

In April, the libraries of the Washington County Library Association (Kalona, Washington & Wellman) have reduced the number of cards Washington County residents have to carry in their wallets and have broadened access to library materials for county library users.

Many enthusiastic library users in Washington County carry cards for Kalona, Washington and Wellman, and while they can still do so if they prefer, those wanting to simplify their lives can now use their “home” library card in all three libraries. The “home” library for citizens of Kalona, Washington and Wellman would be their city library; rural Washington County residents should generally choose the library that matches their city address.  

In addition, library users can now search all three libraries through their library’s catalog.  After performing a search, Washington users would simply click “Search Other Libraries” in the upper left hand corner of the screen and when a box appears listing other libraries available, check the boxes for Wellman and Kalona and click “Apply”.  The search list will change to show what items Washington has available and then show what other libraries have available.  If a book is not available in Washington (or is checked out) but is available at one of the other county libraries, users can place a reserve on it and indicate that they want to pick up the item at the Washington Public Library.  Depending on processing times, reserved items should usually be ready for pickup in 2-3 days. 

Not all items will be available to transfer between libraries.  Reference books, local history items, games, etc. will not be shared (though patrons are always welcome to use this material within the library).  In addition, items must have been owned by the library for 30 days before they will be shared between libraries.  Reserves will be prioritized to “local” users, e.g. if Washington card holders have five reserves on a title only owned by Washington and a Kalona user has one reserve, the book will not go to the Kalona user until all five Washington card holders have checked it out.

Library staff in all three of our county’s libraries are excited to be able to provide this new service to our residents and look forward to even more ways of working together to provide excellent library service to our county!