Finding hard-to-locate books to read just became easier at the Oxford Public Library.
The library is now a member of Michigan’s eLibrary Catalog, or MeLCat (www.mel.org) for short.
‘We are very excited to now be part of MeLCat,? added Bryan Cloutier, director of Oxford Public Library. ‘MeLCat makes it possible for our library users to reach far beyond the walls of the local library to a growing world of remarkable information resources.?
This service allows local patrons who are unable to locate a particular book in the Oxford library to search a database to locate that book at other Michigan libraries that are part of MeLCat.
The Oxford library is one of more than 300 state-wide libraries participating in MeLCat, including 282 public libraries, 42 academic libraries, 18 K-12 libraries, six special libraries and the Library of Michigan.
The bibliographic database has over 37 million items.
Items can be delivered to MeLCat customers usually within a few business days.
‘MelCat gives libraries a valuable tool to enhance the level of service they offer and to better support patrons? recreation, information and learning needs,? said State Librarian Nancy Robertson. ‘It’s a cost-effective way to give Michigan residents in all corners of the state access to more resources than any single library can provide.?