February means love is in the air, and not just for Valentine’s Day, but for National Library Lover’s Month! National Library Lover’s Month is dedicated to the people who love not just books, but all the services, programs, materials, and spaces that libraries provide. Each February, I like to remind our community what their library can provide for them.

 

We will start with services. We offer several services to our patrons! You can come in to use our public computers or free Wi-Fi, use our copy machine to print, scan, copy, or fax, or get free technology help. We offer free notary services by appointment, as well as passport services on behalf of the Department of State for a fee. We offer tax forms for you to come in a grab during tax season. We also offer extensive outreach services including Home Delivery where we bring books to your home, Community Outreach where we bring the library to your organization, Children’s Outreach to local schools and daycare centers, and Technology Outreach to schools, colleges and universities, senior living facilities, and other locations.

 

Next are our programs! In any given month, we offer upwards of 40 programs for children, teens, families, and adults. We offer a wide variety of programs for each age group including arts and crafts, STEM, book clubs, storytimes, gaming, movies, and more. Our programs vary from month to month, but we do have several weekly and monthly recurring programs as well. We strive to create programs that appeal to just about everyone, and they are always free! The best way to find out what programs are on the docket is to visit our website at bplwv.org/events. 

 

It's no secret that we have a huge collection of books! But it’s not just books, we also offer DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks, board games, puzzles, STEM kits, hobby kits, video games, and more. We allow patrons to check out up to 35 items per library card each time they visit the library, so there is no shortage of entertainment or knowledge to be gained from our many materials. If there is something you would like us to offer but don’t see it on our shelves, we also take purchase requests, just ask for one at the front desk!

 

Finally, there is our extensive eResource collection. These include digital materials that you can access from anywhere by using your library card. We have Libby and Hoopla if you are interested in eBooks and audiobooks, Freegal if you’d like to stream music, and a wide variety of educational databases and resources to help you in school or work. We are proud to offer over 30 eResources and are confident there is something that will be useful to everyone. To see everything we offer, visit our website at bplwv.org/eresources. 

 

Whether it’s one of the reasons above that you love our library, or maybe some other reason, we are so glad to have you as our patron and appreciate the support you give us every month of the year!