While all Clallam County’s public libraries are closed because of COVID-19 concerns, online resources remain available and North Olympic Library System (NOLS) — which oversees libraries in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Clallam Bay — has expanded services and access to them.

Here are details:

• Ancestry Library Edition — Ancestry Library Edition, a service normally only available from within library branches, can now be accessed from home by anyone with a NOLS library card through at least April 30. Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, offers instant access to hundreds of years of history in billions of historical documents and millions of historical photos from all over the world.

• Hoopla — NOLS has temporarily increased the checkout limit on Hoopla to 10 items per month, up from the regular five items per month. Hoopla is an online service that all NOLS patrons can access for free after creating log-in credentials associated with a NOLS library card. It offers thousands of TV shows, music albums, movies, and audiobooks for instant streaming and download and can be accessed from an internet browser, or an app can be downloaded on phones, tablets, TVs and other streaming devices.

Free access

NOLS offers to those with library cards free access to numerous other resources that normally require a subscription fee for an individual to access on their own.

These resources include:

• Chilton Library provides quick online access to repair, maintenance and service information on vehicles.

• ConsumerReports.org enables consumers to make better purchasing decisions on the products they are shopping for.

• HeritageQuest assembles genealogies and local histories on towns and families from all 50 states as well as Canada and the British Isles.

• Lynda.com has over 6,000 online courses with more than 130,000 instructional videos geared toward business, technology and creative fields, with new courses added weekly.

• NewsBank is a comprehensive news product that includes more than 11,000 news sources from around the world. This collection features 143 sources from Washington state alone.

• Novelist helps users find new books based on titles they have read, authors they like, or on topics of interest. It includes categories for adults, teens and children.

• ProQuest features a mix of scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers with wide range of popular academic subjects.

• TeenBookCloud is a streaming service with a digital collection focused on middle school and high school readers. It offers people of all reading levels access to a robust collection of eBooks, enhanced eBooks, audiobooks, graphic novels and more.

• SIRS Discoverer is a multi-disciplinary database for elementary and middle school learners, researchers and educators.

• The Washington Anytime Library offers a wide variety of eBooks and audiobooks to download to your computer or device.

NOLS remains open online at www.nols.org, with variety of resources such as eBooks, eLearning, streaming music and movies, and more — all available 24/7 with Alibrary card number and password.

NOLS’ public Wi-Fi is also available 24/7 outside of all branches during the closure, which includes most areas of the parking lots. Users are requested not to block fire lanes.

Help by phone

NOLS is now offering customer service by phone from 1–5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Call any of the four NOLS libraries and select option 2 for “Customer Service.” Library staff will be available to answer questions about how to get a library card, how to access online resources such as free downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks, and questions regarding library accounts.

The Port Angeles Library number is 360-417-8500, x2; press 2 at any time during the greeting to be transferred to library staff during the open phone hours.

For one-on-one help with downloadable eBooks available through the library, set up a free appointment with library staff by visiting www.nols.org/technology-appointments or calling 360.417.8500, x2. Tech appointments can take place by phone or Zoom video conference.

All NOLS facilities are closed through at least May 4. While libraries is closed, all book returns are also closed. All materials should be kept until library branches are able to reopen.

Mary Cote and other North Olympic Library System staff are available for customer assistance by phone. Photo courtesy of North Olympic Library System