Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News
Winooski Memorial Library cardholders now have access to the vast collection of books and resources at Burlington’s public library, the largest in the state.
The expanded access came in January when the Fletcher Free Library joined the Homecard network, a consortium of 30 libraries participating in a cooperative lending program. The Winooski Memorial Library has been part of this network for years, allowing cardholders to access other libraries in and around Chittenden County.
Burlington’s entry into the network makes it more complete, said Nate Eddy, director of the Winooski Memorial Library for the past 4 years.
“Previously, Fletcher Free had been a big gap for accessing Homecard services here in Chittenden County,” Eddy said.
The Fletcher Free Library, located about two miles from the center of Winooski, has an extensive collection that was previously only available for check out by Fletcher Free cardholders. Now, Winooski cardholders can access Fletcher’s materials, and vice versa.
The Burlington library has more than 155,000 books, e-books, video resources and audio resources. Cardholders can also check out museum passes, book club kits and gardening tools.
Lively in spirit, but limited by size, the Winooski Memorial Library has the smallest collection compared to the other libraries in the consortium.
“This is a really great way for us and other libraries to extend the range of materials that they’re able to offer community members,” Eddy said.
The addition of the state’s largest library to the consortium shows promise in accommodating some of the setbacks of library funding, said Emer Pond Feeney, assistant director at Fletcher Free.
Because Vermont libraries receive limited funding from the state and local funding varies, resources are consequently limited. The cooperative nature of the Homecard network addresses this problem and gives participating communities more resources.
“Resource sharing is so important here in Vermont,” Pond Feeney said.
Caroline Bergeron, a Winooski resident and part-time staff member of the Winooski Memorial Library, is an avid patron of the Homecard network. She estimates that she’s been checking out about 40 books a week for over a decade.
With a family full of readers, Bergeron’s weekly load of books can come from anywhere in the network, like the Burnham Memorial Library in Colchester, the South Burlington Public Library and the Brownell Library in Essex Junction.
Bergeron noted that the choice of the library depends on the individual and the materials and atmosphere they’re looking for.
“I sought these other libraries out because of Winooski’s limited selection of kids’ books and have found that different librarians, and just the different spaces, have different vibes,” Bergeron said.
That being said, she is still a big fan of her local public library.
“You know, I just love the Winooski library,” Bergeron added.
Using a card from their home library, patrons can check out books at any member library in person. Books and other materials must be returned to the library where they were checked out. To make a hold, patrons must call the library where they wish to hold their materials.Winooski residents who already have a local library card can go to Winooski Memorial Library to get their card updated for access to the Homecard library system. Residents who don’t have a card yet can learn about applying for one on the library webpage.