New App Puts Rodman Library at Your Fingertips

App Screenshot            Have you ever walked up to the Rodman Public Library circulation desk with materials in hand, ready to check out, only to discover you forgot your library card at home?

            Have you ever lost the receipt that tells you when your books, movies or CDs were due back at the library?

            Have you ever been recommended a book by a friend, but by the time you get to the library, you can’t remember the title or the author?

             Well, there’s an app for that – the new Rodman Public Library app.

            Available for free at app stores, the app provides Rodman Public Library cardholders with a virtual library card that can be used to check out materials at the main and branch libraries as well as the bookmobile. It allows patrons to manage their accounts with access to information such as when materials are due, what they currently have checked out, what they may have requested that is on hold and any fees or fines that they may have incurred. It also has features that enable patrons to search Rodman Library’s vast catalog that contains more than 8 million items through the library’s affiliation with the SEO (Serving Every Ohioan) consortium, which includes 98 library systems in 49 counties, and place those items on hold to be picked up whenever they become available.

            Plus it does much more.

            “What I really like about our new app is that it puts the best features of our website right in the palm of your hand,” says Rodman Public Library Director Eric Taggart. “It puts your library card and many of our best services in one spot for easy access by our patrons, making it easier for them to benefit from their library.”

            Additional features of the app include the capability to download digital materials to a phone or tablet, the ability to view Rodman Library’s monthly calendar and register for events, the capability to access online classes through some of the databases offered by the library, the opportunity to connect with the library via social media, by email or by phone and access to general library information such as its hours and schedules.

            “We are really excited to offer this app as a feature to our cardholders,” added Taggart. “It is very user-friendly and has so many features that we believe patrons who try it will really enjoy its ease and how much they can do through it. It really does put some of our best services right at their fingertips.”

            For some digital services, patrons may be asked to provide a PIN (personal identification number). Generally, a cardholder’s PIN is the last four digits of the phone number Rodman Public Library has on file. Those who need to know what their PIN is or who would like to change their PIN can do so by stopping at one of the service desks at the main or branch library and asking a librarian for assistance or by calling 330-821-2665.