Sudbury Library wants residents to know about its new services

The Greater Sudbury Public Library wants to get the word out about some of its newer services.

The library has started a new campaign that uses humorous ads to promote its digital services and Wi-Fi hotspots.

One ad has a picture of a cat with 3D glasses and the text, "Need a reason to stay in? We got you."

The ad is for two services, Hoopla and cloudLibrary, that let people borrow e-books, audiobooks, movies and even comic books.

Jessica Watts, the city of Greater Sudbury's manager of citizen services, said the pandemic has sped up a shift to the library's digital services.

"We definitely saw a shift, especially when we closed completely," Watts said. 

"We saw a shift of many people who may not have been digital users previously. They learned more about our online resources and how they work, and we saw a steady increase in the use of our resources there."

Watts said the pandemic meant the library had more funds to spend on its digital collection when branches were closed, or were limited to curbside pickup. 

To promote its Wi-Fi hotspots the library has a digital ad that encourages patrons to get connected.

The library started to lend out Wi-Fi hotspot devices in the spring. The devices connect to Bell Canada's cellular network and create a small Wi-Fi network anywhere with cell service.

"We had a resident from a long-term care facility borrow a Wi-Fi hotspot to be able to connect virtually with their family," said virtual librarian Jennifer Ross, when the library first started to lend out the devices. 

Watts said the library started with 10 of the devices, and now has 20 it can lend out for one week at a time. 

She said Wi-Fi hotspots are just one way libraries have continued to change so they can meet the needs of their patrons.

"If you think of 10 years ago where libraries were, I think we're in a very different place now," she said. "And so I think libraries will continue to change and I think we should."