accessing book titles in all library systems statewide

Attention: Minnesota residents! I have an amazing new source of books! 

Did you know your local library card can provide a massive network of books far beyond your small town branch? 

Most people know you can request books from other branches within your regional library system. It is a fantastic service. (Fun fact: When I lived in Orlando, a courier service delivered library books right to my door! The only downside? Someone stole a package once, and I had to pay for the replacement. But otherwise, it was amazing!)

I have used regional requests for years. However, while hunting for books by Josh Silver, I stumbled upon two hidden features on the Kitchigami Regional Library website that completely blew my mind.

If you live in Minnesota, you need to start using these two tools right now. 

MN Link: Search the Entire State (and Beyond)

If your local library system does not have the book you want, do not give up. Look for the MN Link button on your library's home page (or just go directly to the MN Link site).

This tool lets you search the library catalogs of the entire state of Minnesota. This includes public libraries, university systems, and even some libraries in surrounding states! It drastically increases your chances of finding rare, out of print, academic, not as popular titles, or just more breadth than a smaller library system tends to purchase and make available.

- You request the book online through MN link.

- The book is shipped directly to your home library for free pickup.

Cloud Library: Skip the Hoopla Daily Limits

You might already use Hoopla for e-books, audiobooks, movies, and television shows. Hoopla is great, but libraries put a daily budget limit on it. If you try to download in the afternoon, you often get a "daily limit reached" error.

That is where Cloud Library comes in. 

- There are no limits because the digital titles are purchased directly for your library system.

- If a title is available, you can borrow it instantly without worrying about a system-wide daily cutoff.

With these two options, I've now been able to find every title I was hoping to read. 

What are your favorite library hacks? Have you used MN Link or Cloud Library yet? Let me know your experiences - or any other library secrets I missed - in the comments below!