Upgrades Coming to SearchOhio

ZANESVILLE, OH – A service provided by the Muskingum County Library System is going offline for some much needed upgrades.

SearchOhio is a statewide network of Ohio libraries that allows users to request and borrow fellow library’s materials.

There is another service similar to this one but for academic libraries called OhioLINK.

Amber Rodland, the Circulation Services Coordinator at the John McIntire Library, says this pause in service will help to combine SearchOhio with OhioLINK, making it much easier for everyone to find their materials.

“So it’s a lot more user friendly, it’s a lot more attractive too,” Rodland said. “There are going to be thumbnails so you can actually see images of the items, as opposed to just a list view and it’s also going to give patrons a little bit more control over their account. So right now, if the patron wants to see what they have on hold and it’s pending, they have to call us and ask, if they want it canceled they have to call us and ask, which is fine, we’re happy to do it. But this just gives them a little bit more autonomy, especially for some of our heavy users who tend to hit those lending limits or those request limits.”

Rodland says the pause in service has already started for OhioLINK but the pause to SearchOhio will begin on August 1st and will last until October 27th.

“We recognize this change is happening kind of right in the middle of our remodel so it’s in the midst of a lot of changes already occurring, this was something that was kind of outside of our control, so we’re doing the best we can,” Rodland said. “In order for patrons to have access to the materials they want and in the end it’s short term pain for long term gain. It is going to be a significant improvement to the overall user experience.”

If you’re stumped on your next read, the Library has you covered, just head to the “Find It” tab on their website and click on the “What to Read Next” link.