Author: Kate

Do you want to open an account at Seneca Free Library and join the NEXT group [our shared catalog system that includes over 40 libraries] of Libraries? Having a library card means so much more than just checking out books and movies, it means access to digital resources Flipster, HOOPLA and Libby! Be sure to ask about these when you open your account.

To open an account in the NEXT system at the Seneca Free Library, you need to be at least 9 years of age,  have a photo identification and proof of current residential address. Yes, that is two separate forms of ID. Proof of address could be a utility bill, insurance papers, or tax papers with your current address printed on it.

We do check to make sure people are not already in the shared catalog system. You do not need a new account if you are moving here from another system library. If that account is not in good standing, fines due or long overdue books, the patron will need to settle with that library before they we can update the account and check out to them.

Children between the ages of 9- 18 children need to have a parent or guardian present to give permission for them to get a card and be guarantor for the account. When the parent has an account, we attach the child’s account to theirs. The parent’s account must be in good standing.

When you sign for your child to get a library card, you agree to be responsible for replacement fees for lost or damaged materials.

Once you have your library card, please bring it with you each time you come to the library. You receive 2 library cards, the smaller one can be placed on a key ring, if you wish.  Our patron base is online with more than 50 other libraries, we are sure to check out on your account if you have your card.

If you do not have your library card, a photo ID will need to be presented.

Thank You! There doesn’t seem to be a way to adequately say thank you to our generous friends and patrons who donated to the library during Nemaha County’s STEP Foundation Match Day. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Seneca Free Library received $2,294.00 in donations add in the matching funds and our total is $4,588.00!

All of the donations made during this campaign will serve members of the community very well. It is a blessing to have an active foundation such as this in our community. To learn more about them, visit their website at www.nemahastep.org. 

For complete list of the organizations that received donations that day, see the link below:

https://mscnews.net/news/index.cfm?nk=76272

Nemaha County STEP Foundation Match Day will be Friday, August 25, here in our Community Room from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Foundation board members will be on hand to answer any questions you have about STEP and to accept donations. Donations can be given to the general fund, or donors can specify between several entities having accounts with the STEP Foundation.

The library is accepting donations this year that will go towards replacing our microfilm reader. The new machine will still be able to read Microfilm, Microfiche, Aperture cards and 16mm and 35 mm film reels. A new feature is the ability to scan color slides or negatives. How many of you have color slides? How many of you have negatives just filling up a shoe box? You can bring them into the library, view them, then save to a thumb drive for sharing with family, printing, or using for a digital photo album.

For more information about Match Day visit the foundation website: www.stepupnemaha.com. For more information about our microfilm scanner just ask the librarians. We do have donation forms on hand if you are unable to make it to the library that day. 

We thought the start of the new year would be a good time to highlight and remind our patrons of a few of our policies. 

Sharing our catalog with 40+ other libraries is wonderful, if we don’t own it, or the item you want is currently checked out, we encourage you to place a hold on the item and it will be shipped to our library when it becomes available. But we often forget to remind patrons they have one week from the day it arrives at our library to pick up their hold. If you have an email address listed, you automatically receive an email, so it is important that we have your correct address and that you check your emails regularly. If no email is listed we call the number on the account the day the item arrives. This is a system-wide policy, all libraries in the system are asked to keep items moving and not let them sit on the shelf collecting dust.

If an item you have checked out is on hold for another patron, we cannot renew it. If possible we tell you when you check out an item whether it is popular and will need to be returned in 2 weeks. This, too, is a system-wide policy.

New movies have a one week check out with no renewals. Everyone wants to watch the latest releases, we’ve determined 1 week should be long enough for you to enjoy the movie and return it so another patron can check it out. We aim to please as many people as we can with this policy.

We are often reminding patrons to have their library cards with them to check out. We ask this to protect our patrons. We are happy to have people from all over the county coming in to use our library. However, we do not know everyone in the county well enough to know they are who they say they are, if they do not present a card. When something is checked out on your account you are responsible for that item if it is not returned, whether or not you checked it out. Not everyone gives permission for family members to use their accounts. Life is just easier for everyone if you have your library card ready when you reach the circulation desk. We actually have had neighboring libraries mistakenly check out items to our patrons because no library card was presented. Save your account and trouble by bringing your library card. 

Our copies cost 20 cents a page, one side. If you print on both sides of a sheet of paper it costs 40 cents. It doesn’t matter if it prints in color or black & white, 8 x 11 or larger. Also if you hit the print button we expect you to pay for everything that prints out. There is a way to print only the pages you need, if you need help figuring that out, just ask.