Virtual Reference

The Putnam County Public Library strives to connect our visitors to a variety of qualified, up-to-date, and accessible resources for whatever needs you may have.

While the library is closed, we are excited to announce a new service: Virtual Reference. Virtual Reference is the library’s newest service that connects our patrons at home to our librarians and library staff in the building through video chat rooms using Google Meet.

Using video chat to get the answers you need is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Check our calendar for Virtual Reference hours.
2. Click here.
3. Enable your audio (required) and video (optional).

Adult Reference

The Adult Reference department is available to help locate common answers to common questions, from tax information to voter registration, from placing holds to finding a hard-to-find journal article, Adult Reference can help locate an answer.

Any question can be a reference question, but here are some popular types of questions that we get:

1. A Reader’s Advisory Reference Question: I just finished reading Nora Roberts “Three Sisters Islands” and would like to read a similar series, can you suggest a new series?”

1. Research Reference Question: This kind of question “usually comes from an adult specialist seeking detailed information to assist them in a specific work. This is the kind of question that is undefined until resources can be found and evaluated, then the question is honed and a focus developed around which the researcher will continue their study.

“I have to research the topic of the Great Depression, but only focusing on how the USA got out of this era.

1. Ready Reference Question: These questions are single, usually uncomplicated, lines of query that generally have a simple, uncomplicated answer (factoids).

“What is the capital of Rhode Island?”

“What is the average lifespan of a Yellow Nape parrot?”

“What is the average flight speed of an unladen swallow (African)?”

Archives Department

While the doors to the Archives Department are closed we are open to all of your historical and genealogical questions and requests. Our Archives Department have a number of online resources available here.

Our Archivist and the Archives Department staff are available to answer a variety of questions and requests from how to use our digital resources, to finding difficult-to-find photographs, documents, and records relating to Putnam County History.

The Archives Department can also be contacted by email or phone.

Technology Services

The library’s Technology Department is dedicated to assisting our visitors with technology questions, great or small. One of the library’s most beloved programs, Community Help Desk, is back in a digital format with our Virtual Reference Services.

Though technology help can be difficult over the phone, or even in a video chat, we make it easy by introducing Team Viewer to our collection of tools to help the community. Team Viewer will allow our Technology Department staff and Technology Director to solve computer problems for patrons remotely. To download Team Viewer, follow the instructions in this video.

We, regretfully, cannot assist in hardware repair at this time. However, we can assist with most software, internet, tool related questions.

The Technology Department can also be contacted by email or phone.

Virtual Reference