Two recently added programs at the Stanislaus County Library will be adding material to the libraries catalog, both in digital form and on the actual shelves.

The Stanislaus County Library recently joined CloudLink, which provides a platform for libraries to share digital collections with other participating libraries. This partnership allows libraries to increase digital circulation and decrease hold times. CloudLink integrates seamlessly with the existing CloudLibrary service.

“The only change customers will notice is more title selections,” said Bryan Sontag, library operations manager. “By joining CloudLink with more than 25 other libraries, our digital collection grew from 5,000 to about 100,000 titles.”

Through Zip Books, a service provided through a grant from the California State Library, customers can request books and audiobooks that are not in the Stanislaus County Library catalog. The library will order available books and audiobooks for delivery directly to the customer’s home using Amazon Prime.

“This innovative new program will enable us to deliver requested materials directly to customers within a few days,” said Diane McDonnell, county library director. “This grant will provide $60,500 for books and audiobooks over the next year.”

To use the Zip Books service, a customer simply completes a form on the library’s website: www.stanislauslibrary.org. The item is ordered and delivered to the library customer. The customer may keep the item for three weeks, just like other library materials. When the customer returns the book to the library, it can then be added to the library’s circulating collection for others to enjoy as well.

Another recently awarded grant from the California State Library will provide 36 Chromebooks to be allocated to select Stanislaus County Libraries, including Waterford, Patterson, Newman, Modesto, Salida and Turlock. The Chromebooks will be checked out for use within the library.