Looking to get more out of the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library (TNRL) and your library card? There’s an app for that!
The TNRL has launched its new app, which is available for free for Apple and Android products. All you need is a library card, which is also available for free, from any TNRL branch or online at www.tnrl.ca.
Armed with your library card, you can sign up and have the library at your fingertips. Patrons can manage their account, discover what programs the library has to offer, access the TNRL’s many digital resources, find out what’s happening at their local branch (and its hours), search bestselling titles, place holds and renew items, and much more.
While patrons can always go on the TNRL website from their phone or tablet, the new TNRL app provides a much-improved user experience for those using a handheld device, as it’s faster and more intuitive for users.
“The number one reason for downloading the app is usability,” says Jenny Abramzik, the TNRL’s Manager of Discovery and Support Services. “If you’re on a smartphone or tablet and trying to use [the website] catalogue it’s not intuitive or easy. The app is much more intuitive, much faster, and can get to what you want to find faster.
“People use apps for more often and for far longer than they will a website. We want to be where people are and have them use the services they’re paying for with their tax dollars.”
Abramzik notes that there was a lot of market research put into the app, which has been in development for the past year.
“There was lots of field testing, and there will be more improvements as we move forward. We hope to roll out more features, such as push notifications when you have a hold for pick-up, or being able to check things out using the app. We want to grow those services as we go, and there’s lots of promise for the future.”
She adds that most major urban libraries have an app, and the TNRL wants to keep up with the times. “This feels very 21st century.”
Families are able to use the app to link accounts, so parents can manage their children’s accounts and have everything in one place. Users can explore bestselling and recommended titles, link to library programs, link to electronic resources, and even check to see if the TNRL has a book that they spot elsewhere.
“You can scan an ISBN if you see a book at Chapters or anywhere out in the wild, then see if the TNRL has it,” says Abramzik. “If we do, you can place a hold on it, or suggest we purchase it if we don’t have it.” She adds that the library welcomes feedback and comments about the app; email them to questions@tnrd.ca.
“We’re very excited to finally have this launched," she says. "Everything is just a tap away.”
