Cookies and lemonade and an unusual “petting zoo” were offered Monday at the Barton Community College Library, which hosted “Librarypalooza.”
As celebrations go, this one was fairly quiet — which is only fitting for a library. But dozens of students and staff stopped by to learn more about what the Library has to offer and to register for a chance to win prizes.  There were no animals, but the “Technology Petting Zoo” provided an opportunity to try out iPad minis, a Chromebook laptop computer and two brands of electronic readers, Kindle Paperwhite and Nook.
Library Assistant Deedra Gibbons said there were also welcome kits for new students.
The iPad minis and headphones can be checked out to use in the Library. Starting next week, students will be able to check out the e-readers for up to two weeks, Gibbons said. “They will be pre-loaded with fiction and non-fiction books.” The Chromebook will also be available to check out.
All of this took place in a cozy nook at the Library known as the Coffee Cave. Coffee, sodas and snacks can be purchased, and there’s even a microwave oven where students can heat up their lunch while they read a newspaper or watch the Weather Channel. “It’s very popular,” Gibbons said.
Not everyone who attends BCC or works for the college is on the Barton County campus, but the Library offers more than 60,000 online and print books, and over 38,000 print and electronic magazine, journal and newspaper titles, as well as an online library catalog.
A new Library video tour can be watched online at youtube.com/BartonLRC. This link includes information about how to find credible information, the basics of searching, primary vs. secondary sources, databases vs. Google and Wikipedia, copyright and plagiarism and other tutorials.
During the fall and spring semester, the Library is generally open from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. It is closed on Saturday.