For those who have been wondering what happened to the library’s microfilm, wonder no more.  The microfilm was sent away to a company in Indiana to be digitized for easier use.  We now have all of the newspapers that were previously available on microfilm available on computer files that are searchable by key word.  The process, called OCR (optical character recognition), took about three months to complete, but it will make for much faster searching of old records for our genealogists and others interested in finding articles in old local newspapers.  The files are grouped in the same way the microfilm rolls were grouped, which means there are approximately three months of newspapers in a file.  The user can type in a name, or any key word, and the program will take you to the first instance of that word in the file.  If that isn’t the reference you were looking for, just click and the program takes you to the next instance of that word and so on through the entire file.

              Everybody knows the library has books of all kinds to help people further their education and just for enjoyment.  Almost everyone now thinks of the library as a great place to go to use a free public computer, but there are many services offered by your local Meigs County Library that you may not even realize are available.  Many of these services are available for free or at minimal cost.  The library has copy machines that are available for use by the public with black and white copies only 10 cents per page and color copies for 50 cents per page.  We offer fax service that is free to a local or toll free number and $1 per page to any domestic long distance number.  You can also receive faxes at the library for $1 per page.  Color copy service is available only at the Pomeroy Library.  Black and white copies and fax service are available at all library locations.
              The library’s notary service has been quite popular.  We have a notary available in each of our buildings any time the library is open.  There is no charge for notary service.  One of the relatively new services that the library offers is Passport photos.  Passport photos can be made at the Pomeroy Library only.  A special camera is used to make the photos to the exact specifications that are needed and you receive two photos on a sheet for $10.  This type of photos is used not only for passports, but also nursing licenses, concealed carry permits and for various other identification needs.  With the addition of this service, Meigs County residents no longer have to travel outside of the county to have a passport photo taken. 

           Regular library users have noticed some changes to the library database over the past few months.  There is a wider variety of materials, more copies of popular titles are available and the catalog shows that some of the items are owned by places like Ironton and Jackson City libraries.  In November of last year, the Meigs County District Public Library and the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library took advantage of an offer from our library circulation software provider The Library Corporation (TLC) to merge the two library’s databases to form one big database which includes all of our materials.  The newly formed cooperative venture is called the Ohio Valley Library Consortium (OVLC). 

When do you plan to increase your hours?  Can I sign up for a computer class now?  These are just a few of the questions we have received from the public since the library levy was approved on March 6^th.  The support of the library by the community is truly appreciated.  I want to assure our supporters, the people of Meigs County, that we are doing everything we can to restore services as quickly as possible.  The thing about a levy though, is that although it was approved in 2012, the library will not receive any additional funds from the levy until at leas