The library is a wonderful place to visit, but we realize that not everyone may be able to come to us. So let the library come to you! Polk County Public Library has many online resources as well as homebound services available to our customers.

Anyone with a Polk County Public Library card, internet access, and a smartphone, tablet, or computer can borrow ebooks from North Carolina Digital Library and Home Grown eBooks.

Home Grown features books with North Carolina authors and topics and there is no wait for any of the books. This is a great resource for local travel and history books. While there can be a wait for books available via NC Digital Library, they do have a much larger selection of ebooks including current bestsellers and perennial favorites, as well as audiobooks, music, and movies.

I personally use NC Digital Library often on my Kindle; you can check out up to five books at a time and have six on hold.

Other online resources provided by the library include magazines, newspapers, and journals via NC Live. Here are just a few things you can do online with your library card: take an SAT practice test or resumé and cover letter course from LearningExpress Library, learn one of 80 foreign languages or ESL with Pronunciator, search current and historical bills from the NC General Assembly, browse Our State magazine, download North Carolina individual and corporate tax forms via NC Department of Revenue, access large-scale maps of North Carolina towns and cities, and take a self-paced prep course for the U.S. citizenship naturalization test from ProCitizen.

We also offer library services to homebound residents of Polk County who are physically unable to visit the library due to illness or disability. To receive services, you must have a library card in good standing. If you do not currently have a library card, we can sign you up for one. To sign up, simply fill out an application on our website. Once approved, a delivery schedule will be established and you can have books, audiobooks, music CDs, and DVDs delivered to your home monthly. Items will be selected according to your suggestions and the areas of interest you indicate on your application and you can request specific items. There is no charge to participate if you are eligible and there are no overdue fines. However, you are responsible for the care of library materials and for ensuring they are available at the scheduled pickup time and location. If you lose or damage materials, you will be charged the cost of the item.

Information about downloading ebooks is available at polklibrary.org/download. There is a “help” section for NC Digital Library that provides step-by-step instructions to assist you with getting started. Information about online resources via NC Live can be found at polklibrary.org/resources. Polk County Public Library’s Homebound Services program is organized by Rita Owens, outreach coordinator. For more information about that program, contact her at 828-894-8721 ext. 225 or rowens@polklibrary.org.

Jen Pace Dickenson is the Youth Services Librarian at Polk County Public Library. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit www.polklibrary.org or call 828-894-8721.