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Something for everyone. That’s really the goal for us when it comes to managing the Library collection. A lot of one thing is only good for the person who prefers that thing. So we try to create a balance. A good rule of thumb for a small collection is that, on average, it is replaced completely every 8 years. This doesn’t mean that every book is replaced; some may be replaced more than once during the 8 years. We try to maintain the right mix of new and old and we try to preserve the portions of our collections that are about our local heritage and culture.
We make mistakes. Be sure to tell us when you think that happened. Also, you may use our Suggest A Purchase Form to encourage us to buy something for the collection.
We decide what to buy by using a very lengthy set of principles that guide us (most of the time) to make good decisions. In Library lingo we call that a Collection Development Policy and you can read that by clicking on the link. It’s part of the Board’s Statement of Policies.
Remember also that if we don’t have it in our collection, we can usually borrow it for you from another Library. Click on Interlibrary Loan for more information about how to do this.
We have a few special collections you might want to know about.
eBooks
It’s not just about Kindle, Amazon! eBooks are popping up all over. In fact, we’ve offered them at the Library for quite awhile now.
The Library offers you access to thousands of eBooks and audiobooks through Your Library Without Walls, a provincially-managed but Library-funded resource.
The Library neither owns nor maintains the Your Library Without Walls website and we know that sometimes it can be a challenge to navigate. That’s why we’ve created eBooks 101, a step-by-step guide to borrowing eBooks and audiobooks. If you still need help getting started after following these steps, just contact the Library.
The eBooks and audiobooks available through Your Library Without Walls show up as electronic resources in our catalogue. You can also borrow eBooks from the Library by simply borrowing one of our eReaders. To learn more about that, click here.
eReaders Available Here!
You can now borrow Kindle eReaders from the Library.
We have Amazon Kindles loaded up with popular and critically acclaimed eBook titles. Check out one for up to 2 weeks and experience eBooks for yourself. The Kindles are loaded up by genre-- each has either fiction, non-fiction, or mysteries.
If you are age 13 or older you just need your Library card to borrow or place a hold on one of the Kindles.
More details about this pilot program are published on a Kindle FAQ sheet available at the Service Desk or you can read it by clicking here.
Video Games!
The Library has a collection of video games available for you to borrow. As a public library we strive to provide cultural, recreational, and entertaining materials—as well as informational and educational materials—for all age groups in the community, including youth. This collection targets youth and was chosen with input from teens and funded by the Friends of the Library and IslandLink Library Federation. Want to be one of the first to try out this great new collection? All you need is a Library card.
Got questions? Check out our FAQs.
Audio Books
If you want to listen to recorded books, you can check them out from the Library where we have a very nice collection. If you want access to a vast collection of audio books that you can download and listen to, why not try Library to Go? You can “borrow” any title you like to listen to on your home computer or personal digital assistant (PDA). Each title has a check out period after which it is de-activated.
Just click on the link below and follow the instructions or contact the Library if you need help getting started.
Book Club Sets
Book Club borrowing made easy! Now you can get enough copies for all your members! These sets are all newer titles and can be borrowed free of charge through InterLibrary Loan. Your book club members can keep them for five weeks, and the sets can be reserved in advance. This valuable resource is made available through IslandLink Library Federation in cooperation with North Coast, North East, and Kootenay Library Federations.
Click here to see a list of available Book Club Sets
If you would like to borrow or reserve one of these sets,
Easy Reading for Adults
Do you want to improve your reading skills? This English language collection provides reading materials to adults who are working to increase their reading skills. It contains short fiction and non-fiction books with subject matter that appeals to adult learners. It also includes some teaching guides for literacy tutors. We try to make sure that this collection is current and attractive to make it appeal to developing readers.
French Language
We offer you materials in the French language for both children and adults. These collections are relatively small, but we are adding titles to them every year. Ask at the Service Desk for more information.
Listen To Music
It’s like having your own personal music CD collection. Except this one has more than 70,000 CDs in it. It sounds almost too good to be true, but the Powell River Public Library offers free access to the Naxos Music Library. Up to 5 simultaneous users of the service can listen anywhere they have a computer and speakers or headphones.
Local History & Culture
A very important part of the Library’s Vision is to preserve the history and culture of Powell River. One way we do this is by building a collection of materials that relate to our local history and culture. This collection includes materials that are mostly about Powell River and the Sunshine Coast as well as some titles about Vancouver Island and British Columbia. We also collect published materials by local authors. You may use this collection by permission within the Library, but often a second copy is available for you to borrow from our circulating collection. Ask at our Service Desk in the Library for more information.
Research Databases
You can’t see them unless you sit at a computer, but they are vast and full of wonderful information. Your Library has licenses that let you use many electronic research databases both from computers in the Library and from your home computer. These products give easy access to information for casual, academic and professional research. Click on the link for details.
