The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Wouldn't it be nice if you could check out a library book any time you wished? As much as we love our friendly, small-town library, it's hard to deny that limited library hours - a result of limited funds - can make it difficult or inconvenient to get in and take advantage of the latest offerings.

Weller Public Library's recent member­ship in Washington's Anytime Library has changed all that. Patrons can now check out books at any time of day or night, with­out even leaving the house. I decided I had to check it out (pun intended).

According to Library Manager Rosie Warehime, the Washington Anytime Li­brary is a program that offers free eBook and audiobook downloads - over 11,000 titles -- to member libraries in Washington State. The Waitsburg Friends of the Li­brary purchased a membership for Weller Library in late December and the program went live in January.

When I spoke with Rosie on the 16th, she said there were 27 people signed up for the program. Ten of them had signed up that very day.

While I've been a library patron for well over twenty years, I wasn't officially "in the system." That was quickly and eas­ily remedied by providing my name and address. Rosie set me up on the computer, gave me a card with my new Anytime Library account number and provided verbal instructions for accessing the on­line library. (She also told me not to worry about losing the number because she could always provide it again if I did.) The library can be accessed from most devices that use apps as well as with a computer.

I got account numbers for my kids as well and we decided to test it on several devices. We set up the program on a Nook, a Samsung Galaxy an iPad and a laptop computer. They all worked, though the process was slightly more intuitive on some devices than on others. A bit of play­ing around and we were able to figure out what we needed to do in every instance, though. Our attempt at uploading to a third generation iPod failed because the system requires a fourth generation or newer.

The first step on a mobile device is to download the "Overdrive Media Console" app. You will be asked to enter your Adobe ID or create one. Next, in Overdrive you will see a link to "Add a library." Search for "Waitsburg" and "Waitsburg (Weller) Public Library" will appear. Select it and click "Washington Anytime Library." Click it once more and you'll be directed to the Washington Anytime Library where you can browse thousands of books either by search or by category.

You'll need to re-enter your library and account number the first time you use the system. On a PC, visit anytime.lib. overdrive.com and create an account to read books directly in your browser. The site also has an excellent help section with how-to videos for using the library with most devices. Just click the question mark at the top of the site to see video instruc­tions for setting up an iPad, Nook, Kindle, etc.

I chose to read my books through the Kindle app on my iPad and iPhone and it worked perfectly. It even syncs between the two devices so that I can read a page or two on my phone if I'm stuck waiting somewhere, then pick right back up on my iPad when I'm home.

Initially, we were a bit disappointed to see that many of the books we wanted to check out were already on loan. We'd ex­pected to be able to download our choices immediately. I did find and download "The Power of Habit" and put a hold on "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie," which The Times book reviewer Tanya Patton had highly recommended. My son put a holds on an audiobook and an Artemis Fowl eBook.

We placed our holds on Thursday night and I was pleasantly surprised to find an email from the Library on Monday morning letting me know my hold was available. I opened Overdrive, went to My Account, visited my "Holds" and down­loaded the book. My son received an email on Wednesday saying his selection was ready. I would encourage users to browse the library and put holds on several items. I think that, by taking that approach, you'll most always have something available to read.

Left: Screen shot of the Washington Anytime Library home page.

Patrons are allowed to check out up to five items at a time and can keep them for two weeks. I do believe you can renew a book as well. If you love to read I highly encourage stopping in to the library for an Anytime Library account number. "It's a great program if people will utilize it," said Friends of the Library Board member Elizabeth Wright.

If you haven't visited the library in awhile (or ever!), be sure and stop in. Two brand new laptop computers are available for all local residents to use and access the internet. There are also bookshelves of books for sale, for a small donation. Rosie loves to show kids around the library and help them choose books. "I treat them like they're my own," she said. And if that isn't enticement enough, there's a big jar of candy on the counter. Happy reading!