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LIBRARY LOSES RIGHT TO RETAIN WEB SITE NAME
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photo By Keith Hagarty After recently losing their domain name, the Ocean County Library's official website can now be found at www.oceancounty.lib.nj.us. |
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What's in a name?
For the patrons and officials of the Ocean County Library System, a heck of a lot.
Patrons have been accustomed to finding the county library's official Web site at www.oceancountylibrary. org. However, over the past couple of months, when patrons typed in the Web site domain name, or URL (Uniform Resource Locator), they have instead been directed to a national library resource site.
The new alternative domain name for the county library can now be found at www.oceancounty. lib.nj.us. The new domain name is not official, however, since library officials are still looking into another possible name change down the line.
Library administrators did not even realize they had lost the system's original domain name until October 6, but by the time then. it was too late.
"The library lost the domain name when it did not renew its registration," said Ocean County Library Director Elaine McConnell.
The library has owned the domain name since 2000, and has successfully renewed it before until it lapsed this year.
While the Web site name change has caused some confusion amongst patrons, the director of Ocean County Library believes it will only be a temporary headache. No customer information was lost or compromised with this loss." said McConnell.
The library Web site is the online hub of the entire system, serving over 510,000 residents in its 20 branches; the Ocean County Library is comprised of 33 municipalities. According to library officials, patrons vary widely in median income, age distribution and racial and ethnic makeup.
In addition to general information about the library system, patrons can find news and announcements about upcoming events, programs, branch locations, hours, resource links and the online catalog.
A brief explanation to patrons alerting them of the change has been posted on their newly activated Web site. In addition, the library has been notifying patrons of the change on the bottom of their library receipts, flyers and posted announcements in the branches.
Sitting at a computer at the Ocean County Library headquarters looking for some interesting children's books for her 6-year-old son, Oscar, Desiree Parkinsen, of Bayville, had no idea why the domain name had changed.
"I was wondering why I couldn't get through and check out anything when I was online the other day," she said. "I wonder how many other readers were just as confused as I was. I was thinking that maybe they dropped the online thing altogether."
Patrons had been experiencing problems with the former Web site a couple of weeks before the library system officially lost their domain name on August 31.
The current Web site domain name, www. oceancounty.lib.nj.us, had been used by the library prior to 2000. The domain name is a federally issued URL address. However, library officials initially changed the domain name believing that the change to www.oceancountylibrary. org would be more streamlined and therefore, easier for patrons to remember.
McConnell thanked all patrons for their patience and loyalty during the change.
"Ocean County Library is working to resolve this and we will keep our customers informed of our progress," said McConnell.
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