St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the St. Mary’s County Public Library are again joining forces so that area residents can obtain a library card from both institutions.
From Monday, Sept. 8, to Friday, Sept. 19, college students, faculty and staff can sign up for a county library card at the circulation desk of the SMCM library. Local residents can, in turn, get an SMCM library card at the Lexington Park Library. The campaign is designed to increase student and local resident awareness that each library system has unique, complementary services to offer the other’s card holders.
Local residents with an SMCM library card benefit from the college’s academic collection, databases and computers. Those in need of a computer or library help after public libraries close will find the college’s later hours of operation convenient, closing at 1 a.m., Sunday to Wednesday. The library contains more than 80 research databases, including online newspapers (new and historical), online academic journals, legal resources, and electronic books. The SMCM library also contains some 900 magazines and journals in print and about 5,000 videos and DVDs. Reference librarians are available for research help six days a week.
Last year, more than 30 county residents took advantage of the campaign to sign up for a college library card.