The all new CountyCat Mobile is a service for mobile devices that allows you to search the catalog, maintain your account and get information from the public libraries in the system while on the go.    

To get started using CountyCat Mobile, point your device browser to http://m.mcfls.org/ or search for "CountyCat" in your app store or app marketplace.  CountyCat Mobile works on all web-enabled phones and includes apps for Apple, Android and Blackberry devices, among others.

With CountyCat Mobile, you can:  

• Search the CountyCat catalog. Start typing in your search and results will start appearing immediately (similar to Google autocomplete). 
• Place holds on titles directly from your mobile device. Manage your existing holds and renew items you have checked out.  
• Find hours and location information for all public libraries in Milwaukee County and find the nearest library at your current location.  
• Connect to OverDrive eBooks and Audiobooks. Check out and download OverDrive ePub and MP3 titles directly to your device.  
• Use the BookLook feature to scan ISBN codes on any book and see if the library has the title.  
• Find events taking place at libraries across Milwaukee County. 
• See new materials that have recently been added to the collection.  
• Find out what your library is posting on Facebook and Twitter.  

If you have your mobile device, you can scan this QR code and download CountyCat Mobile right now:

New interface and OverDrive Read format available 

The Wisconsin Public Library Consortium has revealed a brand new interface for the OverDrive Wisconsin Digital Library.  The enhancements are part of OverDrive's "Next Generation Experience" being rolled out to libraries nationwide.  Two new enhancements deserve special note:  OverDrive Read and the site's new "responsive design."

OverDrive Read is a new way of viewing eBooks that only requires a browser, either on a computer or mobile device. There is no special software or Adobe IDs involved. OverDrive Read will act as an additional method of viewing eBook titles on OverDrive and is not replacing any formats already available. OverDrive will still support existing file formats for Kindle, Android, Apple and Nook, but OverDrive Read will appear as another option next to them.  To use OverDrive Read, your browser must support HTML5 and CSS3, but most modern browsers have this support built-in already.  (If you're using Internet Explorer, you may need to download the Google Chrome Frame Plug-in. It's free and only takes moments to install.)  

Also today, the Wisconsin Digital Library website will begin to use a "responsive design" which allows the mobile and desktop experience to be the same--optimized for any size screen regardless of a user's device. The exception to this for right now will be for those browsing the site within the OverDrive Media Console app on Apple devices, but this will be moved over shortly as well.

You can view a brief video here that explains the changes in greater detail:

The Next Generation Digital Library One Step Checkout Demo

If you have any questions or need help with the new changes, visit the OverDrive Wisconsin Digital Library site, click on "Help" and view the link to the "Next Generation Experience." You can also reach WPLC support here.

What did Mineral Point's High Street look like in the 1870s? How did a Milwaukee magazine help lead the American craze for bicycling in the 1890s? Which stars performed at the Northernaire Resort in Three Lakes in the 1950s? The answers can be found on the newly redesigned website of  Recollection Wisconsin, the collaborative statewide digital program formerly known as Wisconsin Heritage Online. Recollectionwisconsin.org provides Wisconsinites and audiences worldwide with free access to history resources from the collections of libraries, archives, museums and historical societies across the state. Students, teachers, family history researchers and the general public can use the website to explore more than 120,000 historic photographs, postcards, maps, letters, diaries, articles, books, artifacts, oral histories and other materials from dozens of Wisconsin communities.

The Recollection Wisconsin program is sponsored by Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) in partnership with the Milwaukee Public Library, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Financial support is provided by a grant from the Nicholas Family Foundation.