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Jessica Nelms

Rae Converse, left, of Mountain Rest and Joe Eggleston of Walhalla make use of the computers at the main branch of the Oconee County library in Walhalla. Thousands of county residents and visitors are tapping into the growing high tec resources being offered.

WALHALLA — Bob Hunter and his wife, Judy, had plenty of questions once they arrived in town for their travel-trailer vacation from their home in Emmett, Mich.

For answers, they turned to the Oconee County Public Library’s (OCPL) main branch in Walhalla.

Everything they needed to know was at their fingertips. The Hunters sat down in front of a computer and looked up everything they wanted to know on the Internet. They made a list of the waterfalls and landmarks they wanted to visit, checked out places to eat and nearby attractions to visit.

The Hunters discovered what many local residents are discovering every day: Oconee’s public libraries are a great one-stop source for information.

Library Director Sue Baldwin says more people are turning to local libraries like never before during the lingering recession. She said many have used the libraries’ resources to search for jobs, write resumes or check out books to help them with career options.

Despite budget cuts, Baldwin says that Oconee’s libraries have worked hard to maintain their level of service. Upcoming technological improvements will go far in enhancing those services, she says.

For instance, by Sept. 1 OCPL will be upgrading its bandwidth and connecting to a new system that would enhance cataloguing and circulation capabilities.

“The biggest thing will be response time,” Baldwin said. “It will be much quicker.”

The addition of new software also will allow the public to sign up for computer time in a more efficient manner.

Furthermore, by July 15, OCPL will be going wireless.

That’s going to allow anyone with a laptop to sit anywhere at their local branch and connect to the Internet.

Baldwin says the improvements help OCPL hold its own against any other library system in counties comparable in size to Oconee.

“It gives us equal footing with the libraries in the surrounding counties, which is a great thing too,” she says.

Through a reciprocal agreement with neighboring Anderson and Pickens counties that few are aware of, Baldwin says anyone with a library card in good standing in Oconee may also obtain a library card in the nearby counties and use all of their resources.

“As far as collection of books goes and delivery of services, we’re there with the big boys,” Baldwin says.