The Utah State Library offers a variety of tools and training for Utah libraries and their staff. We offer so many great library services, some of them have been overlooked. Read on to discover our services that will help your library career, patrons, and community.
Here are six Utah State Library services Utah’s librarians need to know about:
Up your story time game with our big book collection
Kids (and their parents) will be transfixed with story time featuring our collection of giant picture books. Browse our collection and check out these books through the interlibrary loan.
Dig into our databases
Utah’s Online Public Library is home to a variety of useful databases. You just need a library card to learn anything from car repair to crochet. Here are a few of the databases and resources your patrons won’t want to miss:
- Utah Newspapers offers, you guessed it, access to Utah’s newspapers. Through a contract with the Utah Press Association, anyone with a library card can do a deep dive into all of Utah’s newspapers, including small towns.
- Gale Interactive: Science is a great resource for middle and high school students. Learning complex science concepts with interactive 3-D models will help improve students’ grades and spark their curiosity.
- For younger children, MILO & Friends promotes early math learning. MILO is an acronym for Math Introduction and Learning Opportunities. This resource comes from our sister division under Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement, STEM Action Center.
- Do you have a patron who needs to repair their car? Look no further than Chilton Library. This database offers information on repair, maintenance, and service information on most vehicles on the road today.
Be a better librarian with Niche Academy
The Utah State Library is dedicated to providing library staff with training, continuing education, and professional development to help them serve their communities. You’ve likely attended one of our training sessions, but did you know we offer training on demand? Niche Academy offers classes on everything from collection development to working with unhoused patrons. Sign up for a free Niche Academy account today.
Discover the Utah Government Digital Library
The Utah Government Digital Library (UGDL) provides easy-to-use and permanent access to digital and digitized print publications created by Utah state agencies, all county and city governments, and Utah-related publications from federal agencies. View or download statistics, reports, newsletters, maps, images, videos, and audio files on various topics.
Connect with your colleagues on our listservs
If you’re not signed up for our listservs, you are missing out on professional development opportunities and information that will help your patrons and community. Visit our website to sign up.
- The Utah Library Network (ULN) listserv is open to all Utah library workers and is a forum to discuss issues, services, and opportunities in Utah libraries.
- The Utah Young Adult and Children’s Services (UYAC) is open to Utah’s young adult and children’s library workers to discuss pertinent and timely topics.
- The Ad-Manager listserv is for assistant directors and branch managers of Utah libraries to ask questions and learn best practices.
- The Directors listserv is for library directors to communicate with each other, learning best practices and asking questions.
- Our newest listserv is for Marketing and Social Media library staff to plan campaigns, share best practices and ask questions.
- The Beehive Library Consortium (BLC) listserv is for member libraries of the Beehive Library Consortium’s Libby.
Use our large print collection
Did you know your library could check out our large print collection? The Utah State Library Blind & Disabled Program will send your library 25 – 100 large print titles to keep for six months to a year. Your patrons experiencing vision loss will avoid eye strain and enjoy a good book. Contact Lisa Nelson, Blind & Disabled Program Manager for more information.