A new service provided by the James V. Brown County Library enables area residents to have access to virtually every major library in the state, Robert Machinski, director of the library announced last week.

This unique service is made possible through the use of a recently installed teletype machine which will speed up the process of locating library materials.

The service is part of a new state program designed to assist library patrons in locating books not readily available in their particular area.  To implement the program, the state library at Harrisburg, in accordance with the Pennsylvania Library Code, has established various district centers, one of which is the Brown library.

As a district center, the Brown Library serves Lycoming, Clinton, and Tioga Counties. The service area will expanded January 1 to include Potter, Bradford, Columbia, Montour, Union, Northumberland and Snyder.

When a resident in a service area experiences difficulty in locating a book, the Brown Library—using a teletype machine—will request assistance form the Union Catalog in Philadelphia, which has a huge card catalog listing books in all the major libraries in the state. Union Catalog personnel then determine the location of the library that has the book, and they forward this information to the Brown Library. Then the local library again using the teletype machine—requests that the book be sent here.

Mr. Machinski points out that the new service may be used to not only locate books but also phonograph records, films and other library materials.

In addition to the teletype service the James V. Brown Library in its capacity as a district center, will provide advisory and field services to smaller libraries. Mr. Machinski said two field workers are expected to be hired to assist the smaller libraries in the service area.