MEDIA RELEASE
BOLIVIA, N.C. – Brunswick County Library is officially joining NC Cardinal this December, giving patrons access to a catalog of over 7.9 million items with their Brunswick County Library card.
NC Cardinal, a program of the State Library of North Carolina, is a consortium of public libraries in more than 60 North Carolina counties dedicated to sharing resources and expanding access to library materials through a single online catalog and system-wide borrowing privileges.
Brunswick County Library will transition to NC Cardinal the week of Dec. 9. During the three-day transition period from Dec. 9 through Dec. 11, Brunswick County Library’s online catalog will be unavailable, and patrons will need to have their physical library card with them in order to check out.
Brunswick County Library cardholders can officially begin using the new NC Cardinal software to manage checkouts on Dec. 12, 2024. Any book or DVD can be requested from an NC Cardinal member and shipped to their pickup library of choice at no cost to the patron, but local patrons will continue to have first dibs on items owned by Brunswick County.
The program is supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina. Brunswick County Library received a $10,000 grant to cover all costs associated with the change and migration to new software. The cost of joining and the first two years membership in the NC Cardinal consortium is funded through the State Library of North Carolina, then an annual cost share for continued membership is determined based upon the size of the library’s collection and patron base. The end result is a cost savings for Brunswick County.
“Joining NC Cardinal is a win-win situation for Brunswick County,” said Library Director Patricia Dew. “All library card holders will have access to almost any book they could want and the County saves money at the same time.”
Find more information about Brunswick County Library and NC Cardinal at brunswickcountync.gov/NC-Cardinal.
About Brunswick County Library
The mission of the Brunswick County Library is to provide materials, services, and programs to support the informational, cultural, recreational, and lifelong learning interests of the community. Our vision is to develop vibrant library branches that are vital community destinations for learning, inspiration, innovation, and opportunity. We have five branches across Brunswick County, offering books, magazines, movies, e-books, audiobooks, and kits for loan. We also offer computer access, educational and community events, and e-books. For more information about Brunswick County Library and how to obtain a library card, visit brunswickcountync.gov/library.
About NC Cardinal
NC Cardinal is a consortium of North Carolina public libraries that share an online catalog and integrated library system (ILS) and share resources with other member libraries. The program’s mission is to maintain and continually develop a working, efficient, and sustainable ILS for public libraries and library staff within North Carolina. It is a program of the State Library of North Carolina, supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Federal Library Services and Technology Act. The State Library of North Carolina supports this consortium by providing initial startup/migration funding to join the consortium and after migration, funding for State Library consultants to facilitate system support, workshops, training, project management guidance, and consortium oversight on a variety of cataloging and circulation issues. NC Cardinal has been operating since July 2010. Learn more at statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/services-libraries/nc-cardinal.
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