by Mary Coté

The first place to go, of course, is your local library. Go for the books, story times, DVDs, CDs, magazines, newspapers, audiobooks, classes, events, good times and friendly faces.

But there is so much more!

The North Olympic Library System will continue offering these traditional materials and services, but always is reaching out to friends new and old throughout Clallam County to form partnerships, collaborate and connect community needs to community resources in innovative ways.

With our partners’ help, NOLS hopes to serve community needs more fully, raise awareness of the wonderful organizations in our midst and send you off on enticing adventures. Oh, the places you’ll go!

Explore the park

Already in circulation are the Explore Olympic! daypacks brought to you in partnership with Olympic National Park. These packs are filled with binoculars, guide books and more, including a free pass to use while exploring the park.

To reserve a pack, visit the library catalog and search for “Explore Olympic.”

More recently, NOLS has introduced a full set of 16 laminated Olympic National Park maps for each library branch — beautiful to look at and crucial for planning an enjoyable, safe hike. To reserve a map, look up “Olympic National Park maps.”

Make a splash

Beginning this October, two types of week-long pool passes began to circulate thanks to a generous donation by the William Shore Memorial Pool in Port Angeles.

An individual pass allows library patrons to try classes like Zumba and water walking, while the family pass grants up to six household members access to open swim, lap swim or shallow/deep swim sessions.

Whether alone or with the entire family, NOLS pool passes offer library card holders a free, fun and easy way to test the waters.

At this time, NOLS pool passes only are valid at the William Shore Pool in Port Angeles and do not include swimming lessons.

To place a pass on hold, use the online catalog to search for “William Shore Pool pass.”

Get ready for the fall migration

This October, in collaboration with the Dungeness River Audubon Center and designer Tom Bihn, the library introduced new birding kits that include binoculars, guide books for all ages, a birdsong CD and pamphlets about the basics and etiquette of birding.

These stylish packs check out for three weeks — ample time to get outside and explore the abundant wildlife of Northwest Washington.

And more …

Stay tuned because there are more fun, non-traditional items coming to your library. For more information about these items, visit www.nols.org or call 683-1161.

But for now, as Dr. Seuss wrote, “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so … get on your way!”

Mary Coté is a customer service specialist at the Port Angeles Library. Call 417-8500.