Libraries 101
Brush up on book-borrowing basics so you can help your child navigate the aisles with ease.
There are over 16,000 public libraries in the United States, and no two are alike! Thankfully, they do have a lot in common. Refresh your memory of these fundamentals to help you guide your child. She'll walk away with both a stack of books and a positive attitude towards the library.
Getting Started
Meeting Your Library
Getting a Library Card
Check-outs, Renewals, and Fines
Reserves and Interlibrary Loans
Finding Materials
The Dewey Decimal System
Using Computers
Asking Librarians
Getting Started
Meeting Your Library
If you've just moved to a new town or neighborhood, you may not know where the nearest library is. You can usually find the location in your local phone book (check the blue pages). Or visit the Find Your Library Web Site for help locating larger nearby branches.
Once you've found it, make a note of the hours and days of operation and the library's phone number and post this information in a prominent place. Spend a day at the library with your child so he can see what's available, familiarize himself with the layout, meet the librarians, and find out about events. Take this time to remind him about good library conduct, such as keeping his voice low and respecting the library's property.
Getting a Library Card
You don't need a library card to visit and browse the library, use its computers, or participate in programs such as summer reading clubs or story hours, but it is essential for borrowing materials. Requirements vary, but generally you'll only need to bring proof of residency (such as a driver's license) to get a card. Most libraries require a parent or guardian to sign any minor's application for a card. Beyond that, your child may need to bring a report card or other ID to indicate her grade level and will probably need to be able to print her own name.
Many libraries will also assign your child a Personal Identification Number (PIN) along with his library card, which may allow him to reserve items, to confirm what materials he has checked out and when they are due, and to renew them. If he loses his card, most libraries will charge a small fee for a replacement.
Check-outs, Renewals, and Fines
Once your child has her card in hand, she can check out books, magazines, and audio and video recordings. Loan periods vary from library to library and depend on the type of material. The standard time is usually from one week (for new books, videos, and magazines) to three weeks (for most books). Your library will certainly have this information posted, but don't worry — when your child checks out her books, the due date will be stamped on a card, the same way it has been since you were a kid.
If the due date is approaching and your child isn't ready to return his book, he can usually renew it at least once as long as no one else has requested it. He can renew materials in person at the library or even, in some cases, over the phone or online.
It's important to return materials on time or your child will owe the library fees for each day that each item is overdue. Fines for children's items are sometimes reduced, but daily fines of 5 cents to 2 dollars can really add up after a few weeks! Plus, the library will almost always count holidays and other closed days in the fine and may not allow patrons with outstanding fines to take out additional books. If your child loses or damages something he's borrowed, the library will charge him the replacement cost and may add on a processing fee.
Reserves and Interlibrary Loans
If the book your child is dying to read is already checked out, she can put herself next in line for it by putting it on reserve. When the book is returned, the library will hold it for her instead of returning it to circulation. Your child can also call (or go to the library's Web site) to put a hold on a book until she can go pick it up. How long the library will hold an item varies, but it's good practice to pick up held and reserved items as soon as possible, since keeping materials out of circulation means that no one else can enjoy them.
If your child's branch doesn't carry a specific book that she wants to read, she can request it from another library through an interlibrary loan. She will submit a request to the local librarians, and they will do their best to borrow that book from another library. If it's a matter of simply getting it from another branch it will be a quick process, but if you're in Alaska and the closest copy of that book is in Oregon, it may take up to six weeks.
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Finding Materials
The Dewey Decimal System
One thing that hasn't changed in the last hundred years is the way books are classified in every library in the U.S. The Dewey Decimal System organizes materials into broad topics that are then broken down into smaller sub-topics, which are then divided into even more specific subjects. These numbers are used to assign every book a "call number." Call numbers uniquely identify every single item in the library — quite a task when you consider the Library of Congress (the largest library in the country) has over 24 million books!
At the broadest level, the classifications are:
000 | Computers, information, & general reference |
100 | Philosophy & psychology |
200 | Religion |
300 | Social sciences |
400 | Language |
500 | Science & math |
600 | Technology |
700 | Arts & recreation |
800 | Literature |
900 | History & geography |
So if your child had to do a report about a mammal, he could go to the 500s for science, where he would find that the 590s are all about animals and that the texts whose call numbers begin with 599 are entirely about mammals. For a more detailed breakdown of the categories and classifications within the system, check out this handy list.
Using Computers
What has changed since your childhood trips to the library is that card catalogs have largely gone the way of the dinosaur. Instead, most libraries rely on computers to store their ever-expanding catalogs. Systems vary, of course, but there are a few major types of searches that carry across all of them:
• Author: If you know the first, or better yet, last name of the author, illustrator, artist, or editor of the work you are looking for, you can use that to search.
• Title: If you know at least part of title you are looking for, find it by entering the part you remember in the correct order as the search term.
• Subject: When you're doing research on a subject or can't remember the title or author of a work but can remember what it was about, enter the general topic (such as "mammals") and a list of fiction, non-fiction, and any other media related to that subject will pop up.
• Keyword: Use this method when you know a book's title has certain words in it, but not what order they're in; when the title is long but has a few unique words within it; or if you are looking for materials that cover more than one subject.
Additionally, your library may have made it possible to search by call number, type of material, or ISBN, and may allow you to browse through the listings by entering part of an author's name or title. Let your child know that she can't break the system by exploring what it can do!
Once your child has gotten some search results, he may be able to sort the list by author, title, or call number, or narrow the results by searching for words within his results. The list may also indicate whether a book is available or checked out. Then he can write or print out the call numbers of promising books and find them in the stacks.
Many libraries also hold some of their periodical collections within their databases. At the New York Public Library, for example, your child can read and print every article The New York Times has ever printed (since 1851!) from any library workstation or from the comfort of home (by entering her library card number on library's Web site). It may take a little getting used to, but it's loads easier than microfiche!
Computers in the library may also allow access to encyclopedias and other online references, family history databases, and photo archives. Some libraries also have workstations set up with software your child can use to learn and to complete school projects. The best way to find out what's available is to ask.
Asking Librarians
While computers may have replaced card catalogs, nothing can replace the expertise and dedication of librarians. They know the library's layout and systems like the backs of their hands and can help your child find resources and use the computers. If your child is at a loss as to what to read next, your local librarian can suggest myriad options of great books that will pique his interest. Librarians can also help guide research projects, giving your child ideas of how to begin and pick which books out of a stack (or computer listing) of hundreds will be the most useful for his needs. So make sure your child knows who the librarians are and that they are one of the most valuable sources of knowledge in the library.
