By Judy Woodward
Every month, the reference librarians at the Roseville Library receive dozens of questions from the public. Here are two of the more interesting queries we received recently:
Q. Am I able to use my Saint Paul Public Library card for the Ramsey County Library? I’d like to be able to login and reserve things online. Is this available?
A. All Twin Cities library systems have agreed to honor each other’s library cards. So, yes you can use your Saint Paul Public Library card with the Ramsey County Library in Roseville and other locations.
First, make an in-person visit to any of the Ramsey County Library branches with your library card and a piece of photo identification. Your current driver’s license is ideal. If your photo ID does not have your current street address, please also bring a very recent bill or statement mailed to your name at your address.
Once we confirm your name and have a current address for you, we can create a Ramsey County patron record for you with your St. Paul card.
Q. How do I find books by author rather than title?
A. If you’re of an age to remember the old card catalogs, which were sometimes divided into different physical sections for authors, titles, and subjects, you’ll be happy to learn that finding materials nowadays in our online catalogs is much easier than in days past.
We now invite you to start your search with an all-purpose online search box. Just type the name of the author you’re looking for in the search box. We don’t care what order you use or how much information you can give. For example, if you’re looking for books by one of our area’s most popular mystery novelists, you can type in “William Kent Krueger,” or “Krueger” or “Krueger, William.” They should all bring up the same results.
Judy Woodward, who lives in St. Anthony Park, is a reference librarian at the Roseville Library, 2180 N. Hamline Ave. The library’s general phone number is 651-724-6001.
