New website

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, January 2015; written by Lisa Pearson.

In our current culture of social media, smart phones and wikis, most people don’t get very excited about the launch of a new website. They seem so turn-of-the-century. However, a library website is so much more than an online posting of hours, company logo and items for sale (or, in our case, items available for checkout). Libraries are no longer dusty repositories of books; a large percentage of library resources are in digital format and available to patrons any time of the day and night. Since our physical collection of books, movies and audio is now housed in a brand new facility, it seems only logical that we provide a shiny new location for our digital collection. Therefore, we are announcing with much exuberance our new online library presence.

If you are a past visitor to our website, you will notice right away that we have a new address: ketchikanpubliclibrary.org. We are still a member of the First City Libraries consortium, and your library account will still let you access materials from any of the libraries in Ketchikan, but our new URL is more intuitive. The other thing you will notice is the updated look of the website. Our previous site was designed in 2005, and in computer years a decade is positively antique. Computer screens are no longer a uniform size (small), so we have made sure that our new site fits nicely on a huge desktop screen as well as a tablet or a smartphone. It’s all about scalability and easy access across multiple platforms.

Aesthetics aside, the most important thing about our new website is how much easier it is for patrons to find information. All the information about our upcoming events is presented in an interactive calendar that you can filter by age level, or export to your Google or Apple calendar. You can sign up for our monthly newsletter and receive information about our upcoming events automatically. You can also print off a copy of our traditional graphic calendar.

Links to all our databases and to SLED (the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway) are organized in an easy drop-down menu at the top of the page. We have databases for home repair, language learning, resume writing, auto repair, legal forms, crafts, genealogy, and small engine repair. We also offer learning resources for kids, such as live homework help with online tutors, BrainPOP animated learning content, and the Testing & Education Reference Center.

If you would like free access to thousands of eBook and audiobook titles, just look for the ListenAlaska+ link on our website. We also have a vast collection of music downloads (pop, classical, jazz, folk, country and world beat) available with our Freegal access service. New books, videos and audiobooks are also advertised on our new site. You can search the library catalog directly from the website and find out what titles are available at the various libraries in Ketchikan. If you prefer to use your smartphone to access information, free mobile apps are available for our library catalog, ListenAlaska+, and our multiple databases.

The new library website is your online portal to library information and digital collections, but we are also available on social media. The website features links to our Facebook page, Twitter feed, Pintrest page and our Tumblr feed. Follow us to stay posted on our upcoming events and programs, as well as all fun things library.

With the launch of our new website, the Ketchikan Public Library has an online library as diverse, fun and educational as our beautiful new building on Copper Ridge. Come visit us!