Love reading? Then we’ve got great news for you, because your reading choices — and viewing and listening choices — just grew by leaps and bounds with the launch of LCLC — the Lehigh Carbon Library Cooperative. Twelve area libraries — including Emmaus — have combined forces to give you more options and make borrowing even easier:

Catasauqua, Coplay, Dimmick (Main and Penn-Kidder branch), Emmaus, Lehighton, Lower Macungie, Palmerton, Parkland, Slatington, Southern Lehigh and Whitehall

That means two exciting things:

  1. You can now retire your old library card(s) and get your new LCLC ‘Share’ card that’s good at all 12 libraries.
  2. You can now request items from other LCLC libraries and pick them up at your library of choice in just 1-2 days!

Here’s how it works in a nutshell, with step-by-step instructions below:

  • You search for a book/movie/audiobook, etc., in the catalog, which now shows you results for all 12 libraries.
  • You ‘place a hold’ on it, select where you want to pick it up, and specify how you want to be notified when it’s ready (phone, email or text).
  • The system (called SPARK) figures out the best library to get the book from.
  • Library elves pull the book from the shelf.
  • A dapper delivery driver transports your precious cargo to your preferred pickup location (five days a week).
  • You receive a notification that it’s ready for you.
  • The book waits eagerly but patiently on the shelf for your arrival — up to four business days.
  • Pick up the book, read, enjoy!
  • When you’re done, just return it to any of the libraries.

So here’s how you do it (click on the images below to enlarge):

  • Start by going to the homepage and logging in to your online account with your library card number and PIN (your 4-digit password).

  • Search for an item in the library catalog and choose ‘Lehigh Carbon Library Cooperative’ from the drop-down list:

  • You’ll be shown how many copies are available. All you have to do is click on ‘Place Hold’…available copies in EPL

 

  • …and confirm or complete the pickup location and how you want to be notified (phone, email or text). Click ‘Submit’ at the bottom.choose notification settings and submit

 

  • You’ll receive a confirmation on the next screen. If your hold request is not successful, give us a call at 610-965-9284 and we’ll look into it. Please have your card number handy and the title of the item you’re requesting. You can also place holds in person at the library.

 

  • When your item is ready for pickup (1-2 days), you’ll be notified by your chosen method. We’ll hold it for you at the circulation desk for up to four business days, and when you’re finished with the book, you can return it to any LCLC library.

The best part is — it’s fast and free, saving you loads of money on books, DVDs, audiobooks and CDs that you might have just bought in the past to avoid waiting. Now with the catalogs of 12 libraries at your disposal, the power of SPARK, and some good old-fashioned delivery logistics, you’ve got the world at your feet … or at least all the reading material you can handle.

Have questions? Leave a comment below, stop in, or give us a call at 610-965-9284. You can even schedule a free 30-minute appointment with a librarian who can walk you through these steps at your own pace and help you get the most out of LCLC.