The library's online presence has gotten a major overhaul. We have been focusing more on our facebook presence than our own website in recent months, but we have finally upgraded our entire site to provide easier, more intuitive access to the resources therein. There are more reasons to go there than ever. Here's the highlights:

The homepage contains a rotating display of our featured content, under which you can find a link to our most recent library newsletter. We still have our Wowbrary widget on the bottom, displaying our new titles. If you click on more, it will take you to a sortable list of our new materials. You can also sign up for email notifications whenever we get new materials by authors, genres, or formats you enjoy. Another cool thing about our new homepage is that you can search the catalog right from the banner along the top!

We have arranged a series of dropdown menus along the top:

• "Library Collections" represents our physical holdings. "Books & More" takes you to the catalog. "Magazines" takes you to a list of our periodical subscriptions. Now, though, it is actually useful because each entry links directly to the catalog record you can place holds. We have separate pages for information on our discount passes and local history holdings. And lastly, we have a page for gadgets and gizmos, which is where we are cramming our non-media collections.

• "Online Resources" now contains direct links to our two ebook platforms (Overdrive and Axis360). We've added links to our Biblioboard collections and the Digital Commonwealth as well. What I am most excited about, though, is our revamped Research and Reference page. These are by far our most underutilized resources, which is a shame. I especially encourage those working on school projects to hit the "K-12" limiter on the left-hand side and see our relevant offerings for school projects. Any database that has "in context" in the title offers curated collections, so they can literally be a one-stop shop for reference materials on people, places, or historical events.

• "Calender of Events" provides...well...a calendar of events. You can see what is coming up soonest on the home page, though. We'll also be cross-posting events on Facebook.

• "About the Library" is the dropdown for information about inner workings of the library, such as how to get a library card, hours & directions, and trustees & staff. The Friends of the Library have gotten their own page, and we still have one dedicated to our renovation ambitions. If you click on "How the Library Works," you'll be treated to a FAQ about the library as well as links to our policies and procedures.

Instead of reading all of that, though, I hope you just go and explore it, get to know it, bookmark it, and get in the habit of using it. Email me at jsnook@cwmars if you have any questions.