Library Work

 by Sydney Smith  Rowan Public Library 

          In the world of library work, I consider myself very lucky. I am a librarian in not only one, but two fantastic institutions in Rowan County: Rowan Public Library and the Rowan-Salisbury School System. My favorite part of both jobs is the same. I love getting members of the community connected with the resources they want and need. Our school’s library is well-stocked with books and materials for all ages of elementary students, but luckily, Rowan Public Library offers a great way to connect our students of all ages with even more digital resources.

            One of my favorite ways to connect my students to new reading and research materials is through Rowan Public Library’s Rowan One Card program. The program expands students’ opportunities to explore new reading materials and resources online with their personal or school-issued devices. All students need to access the thousands of free eBooks, articles, and more through Rowan Public Library’s eBranch resources is their district ID (or lunch) number.

If you ask RSSS students if they know their lunch numbers, they can likely recite them at the snap of a finger. After all, students’ lunch numbers don’t only work in the cafeteria--the numbers are a staple in their school days, connecting them to the school library, iPad and Macbook apps, and web programs. By incorporating the IDs as a method of accessing their resources, Rowan Public Library simplified the process of getting more students connected to more materials.

            To access these electronic resources, students can visit Rowan Public Library’s website and login by using their district IDs as the username and the last four digits of the ID as the password. Once the students are logged in, they are able to explore all the online databases of eBooks, scholarly research articles, study guides, and more.

Some resources available through this login include access to the NC Kids Digital Library and the NC Digital Library, which allows patrons to check out a digital copies of books without the fear of late return fines. On such electronic databases, the book is removed from the user’s account automatically on the due date, so the user doesn’t have to remember when to return any borrowed eBooks. Students can also use NCLive to access research materials such as scholarly articles and eBooks. TumbleBooks is also available for our storybook-loving students who love added interactive features such as read-alongs and animation to enhance the text of the stories.

            As an elementary school librarian, I encourage my young students to become independent library patrons. I want to see students become comfortable using libraries because they are supportive community spaces for learning and literacy. By offering easy access to lots of eBranch materials online, Rowan Public Library expands our students’ chances to grow as lifelong readers and researchers. Our students already have the devices from schools in their hands, and now, thanks to Rowan Public Library, we can use those devices in yet another way to broaden horizons even further beyond the walls of our schools’ buildings.