In a new program called “StudentAccess” all students in the county school systems (Jackson, Macon, and Swain) now have access to Fontana Regional Library materials through their student ID numbers, even without a library card.
StudentAccess accounts allow students to borrow e-resources and access online library databases. Students can also borrow up to 10 print or audio books from their local public library collection. The student account is free. There are no overdue fines for student accounts, but students are responsible for any fees on lost or damaged books.
StudentAccess is a joint project with the school systems that provides library access via student ID numbers, which students already memorize for the lunch room and other school-based online activities. There is no card with these accounts – students just provide their name and number when checking out books.
As of fall 2017, all Swain/Jackson/Macon students have StudentAccess accounts at Fontana Regional Library, unless parents opted out of the program when they received information from their child’s school.
With their StudentAccess accounts, students can access eBooks and eAudiobooks, including resources from the e-iNC digital library (which features kids and teen collections) and NCKids Digital, which is a special eBook collection designed specifically for school students in grades K-4. Many of these eBooks are always available because they have no limits on the number of users at one time. That means an entire class of students could be reading the same eBook or listening to the eAudiobook at once (check out the Never-ending Reading Collection on NC Kids Digital for a list of these always available books & resources). Students use their school ID or lunch number to borrow online resources.
In addition to online resources, students can also borrow up to 10 print books or books on CD (audiobooks) from any Fontana Regional Library location.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the State Library of North Carolina.
For more information about how to use StudentAccess, please call or visit your local library or see our StudentAccess FAQ.