Saturday, October 27, 2012

All Sorts of Storytimes!

If you have a child or children under the age of 6, we've got all kinds of story times and activities for you and your child to enjoy!

On Mondays @ 10am, we have a Preschool Storytime in our Community Room! A staff member or designated storyteller reads a few picture books to the children, singing songs in between the books to keep their attention. After the Preschool Storytime is over, children are free to play in the back room, in the play area upstairs, or to find and check out library books.

We have a Baby Lapsit story time @ 11am after the Preschool Storytime on Mondays. During this story time, infants and toddlers are welcome to sit on their parents' laps in the Community Room to listen to picture book stories and songs. After the story time is over, parents can chat, select books and board books, and let the toddlers play in the back room. There is also a Baby Lapsit story time every Thursday @ 10am.

The Storyriders story time is once a week @ 11am on Wednesdays. These educational story times have a theme, such as apples, fire safety, colors, or music. Children listen to Miss Barb read picture books, sing songs related to the day's theme, then put together a craft or play a game! Kids really love these story times!

We also have special bilingual Storytime Fiestas! Children listen to Miss Joanne read picture books in Spanish and English, then everyone sings Spanish and English songs and creates a craft. Sometimes Miss Joanne also brings authentic Mexican food for everyone to enjoy! Keep an eye out for the Storytime Fiesta posters!

Bring your children, your friends' children, your nieces and nephews, grandchildren, or the children you babysit - All are welcome to the storytimes, and best of all, they're free! It's a great way to get children  excited about reading, and parents and guardians can network and chat.  Hope to see you here!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Donating Books and the Book Sale

When you've read your books hundreds of times and have them memorized by heart, you have a few that you never really liked, or if you're moving, it may be time to give some books away and make room for new ones! If you're looking for a place to donate your used books, why not bring them to the library?

We gladly take donations of gently used items. We accept most books and DVDs, but we cannot take any Reader's Digest books, old magazines, textbooks, or encyclopedias. (These sorts of items can be put in the free book boxes located in our lobby.) If you have recent books or DVD's you'd like to donate, we may process and add them directly to our collection! Older items will replace our worn copies or supplement our existing copies. If we can't add an item to the collection, we'll sort it in our Book Room and sell it during our weekly Book Sales.

Every Saturday we have a Book Sale in the Book Room from 10am-1pm. We have a variety of donated books (self-help, cooking, teen's, biographies, and fiction, just to name a few) as well as a few DVDs, CDs, books on tape, and other goodies! All of the proceeds benefit the library, so don't hesitate to purchase an item for yourself or a friend. With most hardcover books at only $1 each and paperbacks set at 5 for $1, you can't go wrong! Our collection is constantly changing, so check back often!

We depend heavily on our patrons to keep the library beautiful and running smoothly. Donating books that you no longer want or need to the library really makes a difference to us! Many thanks to all of our current Book Room regulars and donors, and thanks in advance to our future supporters! You are a great help!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Using Your Account and the Catalog at Home

Sometimes, you'll have a list of books (or a specific book) that you want to request, but you just can't get to the library or you can't find time to call. Maybe you forgot your due dates, or you're not sure if you returned everything on time. That's no problem - as long as you have a computer with Internet access, you can see the items you have checked out, view any fines, browse the collection, or request an item by yourself!

To access your account, simply visit our website and click on "My Account" in the left-hand column. The next screen will ask you for your barcode and your pin. Type in all of the numbers on your library card, then type in your pin and click the login button.  Your pin is the last 4 digits of your phone number. Once you log in to your account, you can view a list of the items you have checked out, and their due dates. You can also see if anything is overdue. If you have any fines, lost books, or other fees, they will be listed under the "Blocks" section of your account. If you have items that are ready to be picked up, click on "Hold Requests" to see what the items are and where they are located.

Renewing an item online is easy. Log into your account, then click on your list of items checked out. Click on the box next to the item you want to renew, and hit the "Renew" button. You can only renew items once online; if you need to renew something again, please call the library. We will renew our items up to 2 times. If the item is from another library, we will only renew it one time. If the item is requested by someone else, it cannot be renewed and you should return it as soon as possible.

To search for a book, visit our website, click in the box under "Search the Catalog," then type in a title, author, or subject to search through our catalogThe catalog consists of all of the items in all 24 Berks County Public Libraries, so if we don't own the item you want, you can usually have the item sent here from another library. Once you find the item you want, click on the title. A new screen will show you the libraries that have the item. Click on the "Request" button to request the item. If you are not already signed in, you will be asked to sign in using your barcode number and your pin. After signing in, make sure your home library is selected as the location, then click the accept button. Ta-dah! Your item has been requested! You can then go back to searching the catalog by clicking the red x and resuming your search with the original webpage. The library will contact you either by phone or by email when your item is ready for you to pick up.

Note: New items (i.e., anything that has been released within the past 6 months) will not be sent to other libraries for 6 months. Libraries want their own local patrons to get a chance to check out their new items before they are sent all over the county to patrons at other libraries. Therefore, if you want to watch a movie that was just released, and our library does not own the item, you can request the item but you'll have to drive to another library to pick it up. Also, if  we have the new item that you want, make sure that you request our specific copy - otherwise, you'll be put on a general list and have to drive to another library to pick it up.

If you have any questions about accessing your account, changing your information, items in your account, or if you need help with searching the catalog, don't hesitate to call or email the library! We'll be glad to lend a hand!