Despite chatter about the Internet making them obsolete, many local libraries have found ways to embrace, utilize and thrive on new technologies that allow them to provide new services to the community.

While the standard books are still a mainstay, there has been an evolution that has brought computers with Internet access, DVDs, audio books, and help with building résumés and searching for a job.

"There is never a dull moment. We have learned a lot in the past 10 years. We still do all those other things we used to do and add these new ones," said Wallingford Public Library Director Leslie Scherer. "Libraries are really a community center."

Even though the number of people who come to the library has increased, there has also been a big push to use new technologies that allow people to access library resources from their homes.

The Southington Public Library recently announced a new downloadable audio book service that allows patrons to put audio books on their iPods or other MP3 players from the convenience of their own homes.

Southington Library Director Sue Smayda said that to use the service, paid for by the Friends of the Southington Library, people first need to come in and set up an account at the library. Once the account is set up, a media player from the company that coordinates the program must be downloaded from the company's Web site.

Once that is installed, users may browse through titles or search through the nearly 1,000 books currently available in genres such as mystery, humor, children's, horror and study aids. If the user has an iPod or iPhone, he or she must also have iTunes installed on the home computer to upload the book to the music player.

The audio book then stays on the MP3 player for three weeks unless it is renewed, and then, since it is a checkout from a library, it deletes itself.

"Media-savvy people will have no problem with it. People can call us with trouble. We do have the technical help available," said Smayda, who is a fan of the Recorded Books company. "They have the best narrators. I know some people that will get books just because of certain narrators."

In Meriden and Wallingford, a similar download system has been in use for a few years and it has been very popular. Scherer said Wallingford had 1,100 in the last fiscal year and Library Director Karen Roesler said Meriden had 911 downloads.

"It's really catching on now. I've always been quite impressed with the number of people that are downloading audio books," Roesler said.

Another way libraries connect with patrons at home is through interactive Web sites that allow people to do research or browse the library catalog.

"As Web sites have changed, we try to change ours so it will be familiar with ones people are familiar with. Our Web site is something that has done a lot to change the way people access materials," Scherer said. "Now when we come in in the morning, there is a lot of things we have to pull that were requested overnight."

Wallingford and Meriden are part of a consortium that shares resources and gives them better buying power. Through this consortium, the group added Library Thing to the online catalog. The feature adds user ratings and what other readers of books also liked, similar to the way Amazon.com has a rating system for books on their Web site.

All three libraries said the use of public computers has been extremely popular, especially for people who are job searching.

"It was predicted that the need for library computers would shrink as more people had home computers, but it has become just the opposite. As it becomes more and more important to have a computer, public computer use has increased," Roesler said. "Whether they have one at home, they don't have high-speed or their computers crashed, we don't really have enough to serve the public. There is usually a line."

Smayda said that Southington even has a laptop designated specifically for helping people who want one-on-one help, as long as they make an appointment ahead of time.

With all the new offerings, all three noted that people are starting to come to the library just to hang out. They said it is typical to have a diverse crowd coming in with laptops to work or just to read magazines. The additions to the typical checkout - such as DVDs, Playaway individual audio books and audio CDs - offer a lot of choices when those people need a break from work.

rrathsack@record-journal.com

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