The Gail Borden Public Library District (GBPLD) is the library I chose to explore virtually. It is located in Elgin, Illinois and was featured in American Libraries for being particularly innovative for those with disabilities during the pandemic. This really drew me into exploring this library because accessibility and thinking about all types of patrons is vital to librarianship, particularly during the pandemic. Everyone’s routines were drastically changed, and for those with disabilities this can be a very big deal. The article shed light on the impact of the pandemic on people with disabilities and the library features they rely on.
The GBPLD website is attractive and easy to navigate. It is available in both English and Spanish. There is a plethora of online resources in their 24/7 eLibrary in a variety of media so that learners of all types can find the resource for them. While a few of these resources are free to the public, it is to be noted that a library card is required for access to many of these resources. It is free to obtain a GBPLD library card upon signing up with a proof of residency in the Elgin area. The library district serves a total of 144,597 residents, making it the 5th largest library population in the state of Illinois. 99,639 residents hold library cards, that is 68.9% of the population. Their collections, including eMaterials equals 531,893 items. The online reading resources include BiblioBoard, which has a wide selection of books to read online and eBooks. A subscription to PressReader that allows access to news and magazines, and TumbleBook Library for young children to read books online. There are also many materials available for listening, for those with visual impairments or just prefer audio learning. GBPLD has access to many eAudiobooks through cloudLibrary, Hoopla, and Audiobook Cloud. They also have music services available through Freegal, medici.tv, and Hoopla. You can also watch and stream materials through Hoopla, Kanopy Streaming, and medici.tv. Hoopla is designated for younger children, and the other avenues have content for all ages. GBPLD has many other materials designated for younger children and their learning such as LOTE Online, which has story time books available in all languages; Scholastic Teachables, tutoring programs, math programs, and more. They also have access to Mango Languages, which has a variety of language lessons and Elgin Area Memories which allows users to learn about the history of Elgin and view genealogy. I was very impressed with the amount of materials offered to patrons, and the database collection did the same. The library has access to 45 databases, and even has a navigational page of the most popular topics and which databases to use. These topics include: Tutoring and research, job help/interview preparedness, local newspaper archives, health information, financial services and help, vehicle selling/buying information, local history, and information about becoming a US citizen.
In addition to the resources offered online, GBPLD offers many outreach programs and services. During COVID, these have shifted to be mostly online. Updates on COVID and its impacts on the library are posted regularly. A BookMobile, requiring mask and social distancing, has a regular schedule around the neighborhood with stops, and patrons can request a stop out of the usual route as well. They offer many online classes through Zoom and YouTube. Many are catered towards children, offering storytime programs in both English and Spanish and a YouTube channel run by the library that does follow-along activities and experiments. There are programs for adults as well, including computer lessons and book clubs. All adult programs are offered in English and Spanish. There are book clubs for all reading levels and age groups. They offer over 1600 services, attended by 66,000 patrons. They post updates on their FaceBook and Instagram pages about their services each day. You can reach them via text message, phone, email, and post. You can also connect with the library on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, and Flickr.
A couple unique features I noticed- they offer passport services to patrons and they participate in a Museum Adventure Pass program, which connects patrons of the library to free access to participating museums across the state. Although there were many online services for all types of patrons, I didn’t see any programs or sections of the website that were designated for children or individuals with disabilities despite the feature in American Libraries pertaining to the subject. All reading levels were present on their online resources, and I was pleased with the website and all classes being offered in both English and Spanish. It had me curious about the amount of Spanish speakers in the area, and according to the census 40% of Elgin speaks Spanish. Overall, the website was attractive, easy to navigate, and very informational. It has easy access to the library policies, social media links, sign-up for programs and classes, and its online eLibrary.
References
Home. Gail Borden Public Library District – Elgin, Illinois. (2021). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://gailborden.info/.
Udell, E. (2021). A DISPROPORTIONATE PANDEMIC: Library patrons with disabilities face compounded challenges. American Libraries, 52(3/4), 26–29.
Elgin City, Illinois. Explore census data. (2019). Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1723074.