We’ve just discovered something new – an extension for the Google Chrome browser that allows you to find books, music, and more at your local library as you browse the internet. That’s right, you don’t even have to be on our library website to see if we have a book you want! It’s called Library Extension, and it currently works only with the Google Chrome browser, but will soon be available for Firefox, as well.

If you’re thinking “what’s a browser?”, it’s the program you use to enter (and browse) the internet.  Windows computers usually come with Internet Explorer as their default browser, and Macs come with Safari as their default browser. Firefox and Google Chrome are two other browsers that can be installed on your computer, as well. “Extensions” are  small software programs that can modify and enhance the functionality of the browser.

The “Library Extension” extension is kind of cool. Say you are looking up a book on Amazon:

Library Extension appears on the right side of the screen and tells you if your local library owns the book. You can even place a hold on the library book right from Amazon!

Similarly, the extension works with GoodReads:

In this case, the library holdings show up below the book description. Library Extension currently works on Barnes and Noble and Google Books sites, as well.

Try it out, it could make it easier to save some money on books this year. Borrow before you buy!