Jun 4, 2013 2 min read

Avid readers have been known to wear out their wallets thanks to the number of library cards they carry with them. Being able to access all the libraries located within an easy drive has sometimes made having cards at each of them a necessity.

This week, however, Washington County residents will be able to clean out their wallets and limit themselves to just one card thanks to the WAGGIN “one library card” system that is being instituted in all the county’s libraries. Because of the switch, residents of, say, Avella, will be able to easily check out books, DVDs, compacts discs and other materials from Peters Township’s library and vice versa.

They will just need one card. They won’t need cards for both the Avella and Peters libraries, or any other individual libraries.

Also, the holdings of all the county’s libraries, as well as a few in Greene County and one in Uniontown, will be visible on a shared, automated catalog. As a story in the Observer-Reporter noted on Sunday, if readers have a sudden itch to read, or re-read, “The Great Gatsby” as a result of the recently released movie adaptation, they’ll be able to see in a click or two what libraries have a copy or copies available, and they’ll be able to place a hold on a copy from their personal computers or mobile devices.

Under the shared system, it must be emphasized, each library will continue to operate autonomously, with their own buildings, staffs and budgets.

Because of the onrush of digital technology, the role of libraries has been changing at a dizzying rate. It’s good to see that Washington County’s libraries are keeping pace.