Maybe you’ve noticed that we’ve been adding a lot of new non-fiction books to our collection lately. The role of non-fiction books in public libraries has evolved in the past thirty years, with fewer people using print reference books, but with many people still reading popular non-fiction for pleasure or in support of a hobby. We try to purchase books from a variety of viewpoints (politics, anyone?) and buy many of the books on current best-seller lists. We are always open to suggestions, so don’t be shy about making recommendations! If there is a particular area of the collection that you think we need to update, feel free to let us know.

Here’s a sampling of the non-fiction titles currently on the New Shelf at one of our branches. We don’t always buy a copy for each branch, so once you scroll past the images, I’ll explain a way to see the new non-fiction at “the other branch”.

There are actual two simple ways to search for new items that may not be at your regular branch. First, starting from the home page (https://eapld.org/), in the Search frame on the right-side of the page, select On-Line Catalog and hit “Go!” without entering a search term. This gets you into the catalog. You should see a tab labeled “New at the Library”. Click on that, and you can scroll through all the items added in the last couple of weeks.

Another method is to use the “Classic Catalog”. Again, starting from the home page (https://eapld.org/), in the Search frame, click on “Looking for the Classic Catalog.” Under the heading Classic Catalog, click on “Submit” without entering a search term. Follow the rest of these steps to locate new non-fiction:

• Click “Search”.
• Click on the “New” tab and select a time period in the box called “Received Since”.
• Click “Set Limits” and scroll through the collection box to find “Non-Fiction.”
• Select “All Branches”, “Aurora”, or “Dillsboro”, and hit “OK”
• When it takes you back to the orange “New” screen, just click on “Search”
• You should have a list of the newest Non-Fiction items at your chosen branch.

Happy Reading!