Yes, your checked out eBooks and eAudiobooks will show up, but you may not be able to access them in The Palace Project app, depending on where you downloaded them.
Online Resources FAQs
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The Palace Project
The Palace Project app brings together San Mateo County Libraries’ Libby by OverDrive and public domain eBooks and eAudiobooks into a single collection.
Hoopla and Kanopy are not integrated with The Palace Project app at this time.
Yes! You can add multiple libraries as long as they offer The Palace Project app and you have a valid card with those libraries.
Make sure you have a stable internet connection and try downloading again. If the problem continues, you can contact Customer Care for help.
You can visit the Palace Project's Information for Library Patrons page or contact Customer Care for help.
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Calm Service
To sign up for a Calm account, you must have a library card with a barcode starting with “29041,” "29731" or "29735" and an account in good standing. Fill out this short form with your library card number and email. In 3-4 business days, you will receive an email from the library system with instructions on how to set up your account.
At this time, Calm is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. The company is looking to expand its language options in the future! You can let Calm know what language you'd like to listen to by filling out their Calm Language Request form, opens a new window.
Yes! Calm Kids has beginner meditations for various age groups up to 18 years old. The Calm Kids meditations are under the "Kids" category of the "Meditate" screen. Calm also includes more than 30 Sleep Stories for Kids which can be found in the "Kids" category of the "Sleep" screen.
You will receive an email from San Mateo County libraries 3-4 business days after you’ve submitted the form. In your email, there will be a code to use to sign up for a Calm subscription. Please follow the below steps:
- Visit our landing page, opens a new window to subscribe. This should be done on a computer or your mobile browser (not in the Calm app itself).
- Once on the web page, sign in to your Calm account or create an account if you have not already.
- Once you have signed in, enter your Library card number to activate subscription access on your Calm account.
- Log into the Calm app or website, opens a new window with the same account you used in step 2. (Make sure to “X” out of the initial setup questions, and then you'll see a page prompting you to Create An Account. At the bottom, there is the “Have an Account? Log In” option. Use that to log into your account.)
- The new premium subscription will be active, and the full content library will be unlocked.
Most sessions and tracks in the Calm app can be downloaded for future listening offline. For more on using Calm without an Internet connection, visit Calm’s Support site, opens a new window.
Calm is a mindfulness and meditation app and service. Calm offers audio-guided meditations, music, courses, sleep and relaxation tools, and more. The app is available from the App Store, opens a new window and Google Play Store, opens a new window. You can also access Calm via the web, opens a new window.
Check out our Calm page! It covers some of the highlights of what Calm has to offer. You can also visit the Calm’s Support, opens a new window site, which has articles on how to use Calm, including this one on getting started, opens a new window.
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eMedia
Alexander Street provides information, opens a new window about accessing video from their service. This service includes PBS Video Collection.
hoopla provides information, opens a new window about accessing music from their service.
hoopla provides information, opens a new window about accessing music from their service.
Flipster provides information, opens a new window about accessing eMagazines from their collection.
PressReader provides information, opens a new window about accessing eMagazines from their collection.
OverDrive provides information, opens a new window about downloading eBooks and eAudiobooks from their collection using their Libby app.
Boundless provides information, opens a new window about downloading eBooks and eAudiobooks from their collection.
Hoopla provides information, opens a new window about downloading eBooks and eAudiobooks from their collection.
Visit our Palace Project page to view information on how to download eBooks and eAudiobooks from their collection.
We also offer drop-in Tech Help sessions at some of our community libraries, where you can ask questions about using eBooks from helpful staff.
We offer eBooks/eAudiobooks, eMagazines, eMusic and eVideos.
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Link+
San Mateo County Libraries will no longer provide Inter-Library Loan services to library cardholders. However, there are several libraries in the Peninsula Library System, opens a new window (PLS) that continue to offer this service.
Please contact any of these other libraries for more information.
Overdue fines for LINK+ items will be waived as a result of our elimination of overdue fines starting January 7, 2019. Replacement cost for a lost or damaged LINK+ item is $115.00.
Note: If an item is lost, there is a $115 replacement charge payable to the lending library. Some libraries may accept a replacement copy or list price of the lost item. Contact any SMCL location for more information.
The loan period is 21 days with one renewal (for an additional 21 days). You can renew items by logging in to your eLibrary account, opens a new window or by asking a Library staff member. Renewal must be done within 2 days of the due date.
You may cancel a LINK+ hold by logging in to your eLibrary account, opens a new window and clicking Cancel next to the item.
Note: If the item is In Transit or Received, the request may not be cancelled.
LINK+ items are held at the Customer Service Desk of the Library you selected as a pickup location. A staff member will check out the LINK+ item for you. When you are done with the LINK+ item, it must be returned to the Customer Service Desk at your original pickup location.
Borrowers are limited to 20 LINK+ items at one time. Each LINK+ transaction counts as a hold. Users may have up to 20 holds on their account at any one time.
You will be notified via email when your LINK+ item has arrived. You can also log in to your eLibrary account to view your holds. The library will hold the LINK+ item(s) for 10 days. If not picked up by then, the item will be returned to the lending library.
Items usually arrive within 6 days.
Patrons may request items that are not in our online catalog. The item must be listed as "available" in the LINK+ Catalog, opens a new window to be requested. When you place a request for an item on LINK+, it is counted as a library hold. You may only have a total of 20 holds at any given time.
Note: Some items appear in the LINK+ catalog but are listed as unavailable or checked out. These items cannot be borrowed.
LINK+, opens a new window is a combined catalog of books from participating public and academic libraries throughout California and Nevada. Members of the LINK+ consortium utilize a single searchable catalog to seamlessly borrow books from each other.
To get to LINK+ click on Services and then on LINK+ (Inter Library Loan). You may also click on
Try your search in LINK+ when performing a catalog search.To borrow from LINK+ you must have a current SMCL card in good standing. To apply for a card, fill our our online form. Once you have your SMCL card, follow the instructions below:
- Locate your item in the LINK+ Catalog, opens a new window and check the holdings by selecting the link that reads, for example, 6 LINK+ libraries have this item.
- Click Request this item.
- Choose San Mateo County from the institutions list and click Submit above information.
- Type your Name and Barcode, choose your Pickup Location, and then click Submit.
- The book will be sent from the owning library for pickup at your chosen SMCL location.
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Museum Passes: Discover & Go
You must live within the service area of San Mateo County Libraries in order to log in and reserve passes, opens a new window. Discover & Go is set to track your zip code. If you do not qualify to reserve a pass because your zip code is not in our service area, we recommend that you try your home library (within your own zip code) since many local library systems offer Discover & Go.
Below is a list of other libraries in the Peninsula Library System that also participate in the Discover & Go program. If you have a card through one of these libraries, follow the link to log in and print out your passes.
- Burlingame Public Library, opens a new window
- Daly City Public Library, opens a new window
- Menlo Park Library, opens a new window
- Redwood City Public Library, opens a new window
- San Bruno Public Library, opens a new window
- San Mateo City Public Library, opens a new window
- South San Francisco Library, opens a new window
More information on the program is available at our Museum Passes.
Once the pass has been printed your reservation cannot be cancelled.
You can cancel a pass that has not been printed by logging into Discover & Go and clicking on Cancel Pass. Please remember that once the pass has been printed your reservation cannot be cancelled.
Most attractions do not have an annual limit per library card number; however, there are some attractions that have placed a restriction on the number of times you can use a pass. You will find details about each pass within the Attractions page while logged in at Discover & Go.
You can have two active reservations at a time. For example, if you make one reservation for a visit in June and you make a second reservation for a visit this Saturday, you can make another reservation after you complete your visit this Saturday.
You can see which museums and cultural destinations are available within the Attractions page while logged in at Discover & Go.
There are various limitations on using the Discover & Go passes. One of them is that you cannot use an eCard to get them, so you will need to come to one of the San Mateo County Libraries and get a library card in order to use the Discover & Go system.
As a San Mateo County Library card holder, Discover & Go provides passes for numerous museums and cultural institutions throughout the Bay Area.
Each Discover & Go pass expires immediately after the reservation date, so there are no returns required and no possibility for overdue fines! This unique program allows library users to make reservations online by date or by attraction and print out a pass.
Patrons without Internet access can reserve a pass by telephone or in person and print out a pass at their local library.
- In order to make a reservation, you must have a valid San Mateo County Library card, and be at least 16 years old (according to your library card account).
- You cannot use an eCard or institution card.
- You can have up to 2 reservations at a time.
- You can cancel a reservation only if you have not already printed the admission’s pass.
- The pass is for use only by the person named and only on the date specified. No photocopies are allowed. Valid ID is required.
- The number of persons admitted per pass varies by attraction. Consult the Attractions page while logged in at Discover & Go regarding admission.