Orem Public Library patrons have added cause to celebrate in 2009 after the library debuted a slick, new Web site last month with new features, resources and information that are just a mouse click away.

From new online resource and catalog pages, to staff pick lists and downloadable media, the redesigned Web page (lib.orem.org) not only is more visually appealing and easier to use, but it essentially serves as a portal for patrons to use many of the brick-and-mortar services that were once available only in person, said Meg Spencer, division librarian of access services at the Orem Public Library.

Anyone with a connection to the World Wide Web and an Orem library account can now reserve books for book groups and pre-register for a library card by going to the site, she said.

"It's kind of like our 24-hour branch," Spencer said. "It makes library services available even at 2 in the morning."

Using a new city Web platform, library administrators, with the assistance of city Web master Stewart Goodwin, were able to customize the site with the services, features and information most asked for by patrons. New elements and services can be added as they become available, Spencer said.

In the extensive redesign, Spencer said, the library's three major objectives were to have a Web site that is patron-friendly, increases access to information and services and serves as a place to highlight upcoming library programs and activities.

"We're hoping that by having lots of things people can use and updating it, they will want to check it out more often," she said.

Visitors can browse the library's vast collection catalogs, skim New York Times Book Reviews and National Public Radio's book site, and check out and download the best-selling audio books to their MP3 player. They can also jump on over to links for the library's partner organizations including the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Orem Arts Council, Mountain West Digital Library and Kids on the Move.

Patrons with valid Orem library cards also have free access to subscription-only online catalogs and databases such as EBSCO, Consumer Reports and online versions of popular magazines such as Newsweek, Time and Sports Medicine. Many of these services require patrons to enter their library card number and personal identification number.

In coming months, Spencer hopes to add most collection recommendation resources, such as the newest collection acquisitions in fiction and nonfiction and monthly library staff picks.

"It was thrilling," she said of having a hand in making the new site a reality. "It was kind of one of those situations where everything worked out better than I hoped. You can't say that all the time."

Touch-screen computer for group study

The library also recently acquired a 42-inch table-top, touch-screen interface Apple computer primarily for use by study groups, said Merilee Clark, an associate and teen services librarian with the Orem Public Library. The library was able to purchase the computer partially with a $10,000 grant it received from the Utah State Library system.

In the past, groups doing research have had to crowd around a single computer in the library's Internet lab, but now a group of students or researchers can spread out and scan online databases and peer-reviewed journals in comfort, Clark said.

Because many secondary schools in Orem incorporate group research and senior group projects into the curriculum, the library created an introductory DVD about the new touch-screen computer that was distributed to English teachers.

"There's fun things like Learning Express, and they can practice for AP tests and the ACT online," she said. "We're really hoping this will be useful for group activities."

Groups can call ahead to reserve the computer at 229-7050 and individuals can also use it on a first-come, first-served basis, Clark said.