Smartphone users can play Scrabble, update Facebook, and tweet to their hearts' content, thanks to the myriad apps available in their respective app stores.
Now, smartphone users have a new app option: Checking in on the Stanislaus County Library.
"We've got an app for that," said Beth Holmes, Stanislaus County Library spokesperson.
The free app allows users to search the Stanislaus Library's extensive catalog, see library locations, and view operating hours. Users can log in to their library accounts to renew books, check on late fees, and place items on hold.
The app even connects users to the library's Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr accounts.
Functionality may be similar to that available at the existing stanislauslibrary.org site, but the new mobile app is streamlined and simpler to use on the go, Holmes said. It also offers new features, like a GPS-based map of nearby libraries.
Though the app has been available for less than a month, it's already making waves with library patrons, Holmes said.
"We've had a lot of good response, especially from our Facebook page," Holmes said. "People absolutely love it."
The effort to develop a mobile app began in October, Holmes said, as the library sought to both keep up with new developments in technology and stay connected with customers.
The Stanislaus County Library ultimately contracted with Palo Alto-based Boopsie, Inc., the leading mobile app provider for universities and libraries worldwide, to produce the app at a cost of $15,000. That cost came from the general library budget.
The Stanislaus County Library app is available by searching most major app stores for "SCFL Mobile." Other phones with a web browser may access http://scfl.boopsie.com/ for a web-based version of the app.
"It's a lot of fun and it's really easy to use," Holmes said.