by Wesley Harris
Claiborne Parish Library Historian
The Claiborne Parish Library has a healthy inventory of 48,000 books, but sometimes the one you want is not on our shelves. No library has every book. But that’s not a problem! Other resources help us provide the book you want.
Through an online collection called Overdrive, our library patrons have access to over 63,000 electronic books. With a library card and pin number, you can access the eBooks at http://overdrive.greengoldlibraries.org. Many of the books are available for Kindle, as pdf files, or as audio books. Just log in, go to “My Help” and follow directions for your device. There’s no need to come to the library and the books can be accessed from anywhere 24/7. The books automatically check themselves back in after two weeks, so no late fees!
Hoopla is a similar online collection. In addition to eBooks and audios, Hoopla includes one million titles including Ezines, movies, TV shows, comics, & music. It is accessed like Overdrive using your library card number and pin at hoopladigital.com.
If your desired book is not on our shelves or in Overdrive or Hoopla, we may be able to request it through LoanSHARK, an online catalog of materials in all Louisiana public libraries. This system allows us to borrow from other public libraries in Louisiana. Other libraries also borrow from us for their readers.
LoanSHARK requests can be made at the library, and the materials will be shipped to us for you to check out. LoanSHARK brings the state’s entire library collection to our library’s doorstep.
Many older works now in the public domain are available through Project Gutenberg, the top destination for free eBooks on the web. Over 160,000 free books like Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, The Federalist Papers, and other materials without copyright protection can be downloaded easily in several formats. You can find them at https://www.gutenberg.org/
Let us help you find the book you want to read.