The Vermont Department of Libraries has a new way for patrons to access materials from libraries across the state — the Palace Project app — and some librarians think the app has the potential to expand their digital collections even further.

Seventy libraries in Vermont currently use the app, which is intended to consolidate e-book and audiobook titles in one digital location for patrons through Lyrasis, a nonprofit company that works to support libraries.

“The Palace app, we feel, is sort of the next step for ebooks and audiobooks for libraries, in that it allows other content from other companies to come in through a single app,” said Tom McMurdo, the assistant state librarian for information and access.

The free app gives anyone with a library card the ability to virtually check out materials on their device, and eliminates the need for patrons to use multiple apps to access the library, according to the department’s recent announcement.

The department initially began rolling out the app last year with 30 libraries around the state and added more libraries through two further growth phases. The goal is to eventually reach all of the 185 public libraries in Vermont, according to McMurdo.

At the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, the app has been in place since last year, but the library’s co-director Carolyn Brennan still hopes for more from the service.

“I think one of its advantages is that it is kind of currently in development and has some potential for expandability,” Brennan said.

Joanne Pariseau, director of the Goodrich Library in Newport, also hopes for a bigger selection from the Palace Project app as it continues to develop.

“Unfortunately, the collection is not as vast as the previous program we had,” Pariseau said.

The collection of titles in the Palace App currently numbers 3,100 e-book titles and 3,300 audiobook titles, all of which are available to library card holders at any one of the 70 participating libraries, according to the department’s website.

The app also provides materials in languages besides English, such as French, Spanish, Arabic and Farsi, according to McMurdo.

“We are trying to be more inclusive and also trying to build up the value of the libraries for people who may come from places where the public libraries and libraries are not organized in the same way,” McMurdo said.

In Vermont, libraries have had access to a different app — Overdrive — for several years through the Green Mountain Consortium. Overdrive later became the Libby app. Some libraries are facing challenges with learning the ins and outs of yet another service.

“It has been a bit of a slow rollout because I feel like a lot of our folks kind of just got used to Libby after Overdrive was sunset,” Brennan said.

The opportunity to access library collections online is a key resource for Vermonters in rural areas, according to the department. In Montpelier, Brennan agrees that a digital library is important, but also raises the issue of equitable access, as internet access is not universal across the state.

“I think digital access in Vermont is also still a little bit of a dual-edge sword because you have to have an internet-capable device,” Brennan said.

The issue of a “digital divide,” as McMurdo calls it, is significant within the Vermont library system, but it’s an issue the department is well aware of.

“It’s a question of the digital divide and it goes beyond just access; it can also be your device. Do you really want to read a book on a phone? It can be daunting in that respect. But many of our libraries do lend out devices to read things,” McMurdo said. “Offering this service for free underscores the Department’s commitment to equity across communities, regardless of population, location, or the size of their local library.”

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