At the Library 4/10/25

 The WPL Website
Has All the Information You Need

by LeAnn Kunz

    I am always surprised when patrons tell me they have not yet explored our website at www.washington.lib.ia.us. It is basically Grand Central Station when you are planning to board and ride the library train! Almost every question you need answered is on our website. Do we have a particular book or author? Check our website. When is the next noontime concert? Check our website. Can I learn how to use the sewing machines in the Make IT Place? Check our website.

    I have spent many years working on and maintaining our website, including transferring the entire site to an updated platform a few years ago. It was a lot of work, but quite satisfying knowing all the valuable information it contains for our community. If you start your journey on the front page you will see in the top right corner an orange box entitled "Search Catalog". Clicking on that takes you immediately to the entire WPL catalog of materials, both physical and digital. If you are like me, you can wile away hours looking for new books by favorite authors. While you are in Catalogland you can also see a list of the newest materials added within the last week and the top checkouts! 

    Next you might want to travel to the left side of the front page where  our schedule of all the program and events at the Washington Public Library is located. Click on the event you are interested in and you will see further details and sometimes a registration form. We also have colorful posters of upcoming events constantly scrolling across the page. In addition, the front page has links to Princh, our remote printing service. Here you can upload your document from anywhere, even from the comfort of your home, and have it sent to our printer. Then stop by to pick it up! Moving on you should cruise on over to two other popular links on the opening page which includes the Bridges link, our available e-books and audiobooks. Simply use the free Libby app to read or listen to materials in that collection. The other link is for exploring our Make IT Place. Clicking on that will take you on a trek through all the details on our Make IT Place and how you can learn to use our machinery, whether it be the laser engraver, cricut, memory lab, laminator, 3-D printers, or sewing machines. 

    Finally if you roam towards the bottom of the page you will see the newest book covers chugging across in a trail. You will also be able to visit our "Tell Us Your Story" podcast by clicking on the big red box on the left. Alison and I host a monthly interview with community members and our podcast is the archive for all of these wonderful stories. In turn you can head on over to the "At the Library" blog by clicking on the big blue box on the right. Each week the staff rotates writing a blog post on what is going on at the WPL. You are able to be aware of all the latest WPL news with one click of the mouse. 

    Plus, the front page is only the beginning of your excursion through our website! At the top of the front page you will see tabs of many more explorations you can take with drop-downs of side trips! The "Research & Learn" tab will lead you learning a new language through the Mango database or going back in time with the Fortepan Washington photos. "Read, Listen, & Watch" will take you to our Kanopy movie streaming service or how to get your child enrolled in the  "1000 Books Before Kindergarten" program. "Using the Library" will carry you to scheduling the use of a meeting room for your service group or teach you how to use the Interlibrary Loan service. Finally, the "About the Library" tab will give you access to read about the library staff, the library board and its agendas and minutes, our strategic plan and annual report, library history, etc. The website really is your starting point to all Libraryland has to offer you! So head on over today to www.washington.lib.ia.us and start your WPL journey.