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"Reaching Our Connecticut Kids" Homeschool Support    

Using Connecticut Libraries

Tips from Local Homeschoolers

 

Articles:

1. A Very Small, Unofficial Guide to Reaching Outside Your Local Connecticut Library, by Amanda Hale

2. Using the IConn Digital Library from Home Via the Internet by Christine Montano

 

A Very Small, Unofficial Guide to Reaching Outside Your Local Connecticut Library

By Amanda Hale

Overview of Non Local Library Usage in Connecticut:

Your local CT library card allows you to visit and check out any circulating item from any city or town library as well as from other libraries such as state universities and colleges.    

 

What constitutes a "circulating item" differs from library to library.   Non-Reference books usually circulate freely at all libraries.  Magazines (usually back issues) circulate at some libraries but not at others.  At a given university, foreign language instructional videos may be used on site but not checked out, while at a town library the same material can circulate (i.e. be checked out). Note: Libraries that offer museum passes usually reserve these passes for residents or library organization members.

 

Borrowing from Another library for the 1st time:

You may be asked to fill in a form and/or have an additional bar code placed on your library card the first time you visit certain libraries.  All libraries do not use the same software system; therefore they may need to do this to establish you as a patron.  Many libraries allow you to renew by phone--a handy feature you might inquire about when borrowing from a non-local library.

 

Returning Items:  2 Options (possibly)

1.       You may return any items to the library you checked them out of—very logical.  Additionally, you may be allowed to return to a different branch of this library system without any problems.  For instance, Bridgeport Library allows you to borrow from Bridgeport Main Library and return to say, the Bridgeport North Avenue Branch.  You can always ask about the town’s policy to be sure

2.      You may return Print Media (e.g. Books and magazines) to any public library--what a timesaver!  However, Non-Print Media must be returned to the library system from which you obtained it. This means CD's, Videos, Cassettes, books with cassette/CD, Software, etcetera. According to one librarian, these items are easily scratched or damaged to risk travel within the “system”.

 

Some libraries have a special after hours drop box for non-print media (such as Newtown) while others do not.  Moreover, some libraries (such as Huntington) will charge you a fine if you risk damage to their item by placing it in the book return slot.  Again, ask about the town’s policy to be sure.

 

Here is how overdue fines and returning non-local print media to another library works:

The library receiving your books will put a form on the books noting the day they received it.  Periodically a car/van visits the libraries, picks up (and delivers) print media, and takes them to a clearing house for sorting. The items are placed in a van/car that will visit the library from whence they came.  When the books are received by the owning library, the staff will use the date on the form to know when books entered the library system and remove the appropriate amount of overdue fines, if any, from your account. This whole process can actually take up to 4 weeks (my experience), though the librarians swear it's never more than 3 weeks.

During this time, the book may show up as overdue with fines accumulating, if so, you may be asked to pay. Just ask to see the list of the books in question, verify they are the books that are "in transit" (vs. some other book you forgot about), and tell the librarian the situation. If you don't know this you might pay by mistake--while you might consider it a donation to the public library system, many towns have fine money going to the general fund rather than the library.  Don’t be surprised if library X tells is asking you about library Y’s overdue items, even though you returned them to library Z—many, but not all, libraries share data.

 

Interlibrary Loans: Having your local library borrow from another library

Instead of visiting a non local library to get a book, you can have your local library request the book and bring it to your library. You then checkout and return it locally. This is an Interlibrary Loan (ILL). You normally have to fill in a form, (some allow this to be done on-line or on paper), wait for the library to find it, receive it and then call you. Your library may restrict you to, say 2 ILL's per week. Sometimes a library does not do ILL's often, so the person you speak to may be rusty on the procedure. Politely follow up a few times, and generally they will get the kinks of their own internal organization worked out and things run a little more smoothly.

One difficulty with ILL is that you have no idea when the book will arrive. Could be a few days (2-3), 10 days or 3 weeks.  I have noticed that my library is very concerned that the item be returned on time--renewing an ILL item must be a problem for them (my guess).

I have never inquired about making an ILL with non-print media.

 

 

Locating items in Connecticut libraries via CT ReQuest:

 

Check with you local library or possibly your local library's web-site. You are looking for access to CT ReQuest. This is the Connecticut wide library catalog. This is not the same as the Bibliomation system--some rather large libraries in Connecticut do not participate in Bibliomation.  Your local library holds the keys to your access--you need a link, an id (often your library card number) and a password to get in. Once in, you can search all media in any number of ways.  

 

A Note about Versions of items in CT ReQuest:

If a library did not record the item in exactly the same way as other libraries, you may see what appears to be different versions of the item listed. You may need to look at what appears to be different versions to see all the libraries that have the item. For example on searching for the title 'Stuart Little', you could see a video version (maybe 22 locations), a book version (55 locations) a book version (2 locations) and another video (8 locations), and a cassette version (8 locations) and another book version (7 locations). The extra versions might be due to hardback vs. softcover, or a slight variance in some small detail of the information (i.e. a miss keying the video distributor in place of the video manufacturer).

 

Once you find your item:

Once I ‘found’ an item in CT ReQuest that was neither in the library, nor checked out.   Why? One unfortunate possibility is theft, or it could be 'lost' sitting in the wrong place in the library waiting for someone to realize it belongs elsewhere.  This possibility is reason enough to call ahead to have the item(s) you want pulled so you don't make a trip for nothing.  Librarians are very grateful (but saddened) to make such a discovery & update their records (both locally and in CT ReQuest--a separate update).

 

Be aware that many libraries offer a way to reserve a book on their web-site, though it is not until the book is pulled from the shelf that you know it is truly waiting for you.

 

On-line Offerings

For on-line access to publications, etcetera, visit WWW.IConn.org--this is Connecticut’s digital library.  See article below for how to use IConn.

 

Closing

We truly are fortunate to have access to such a tremendous resource as the Connecticut Library System.  Kudos to the folks who created it and those who keep it running!

 

 

 

Using the Iconn Digital Library from home via the Internet

By Christine McNeil Montano

 

Searching for a book at a local library can be done right from the comfort of your home via the Internet. The site http://www.iconn.org/ is your gateway to information about public libraries within the state of Connecticut.

 

I use this site rather than using the computer card catalog at my local library. I do my searching from home when it is convenient for me. I search for books by topic and other times search specific titles I am interested in. When I find titles I want to borrow from my local library I make a list and take it with me to the library. This is convenient for me as I usually go to the library with my two young sons in tow and am usually unable to keep an eye on them and do lengthy searches at the same time. When I realize that my local library doesn’t have a certain title I request it via interlibrary loan (ILL) right from the comfort of my home!

 

To find a book you want to borrow:

  1. Go to: http://www.iconn.org/
  2. Click on “find a book”
  3. Click on “request state library catalog”
  4. Click on the category for the first letter of the town you live in
  5. Scroll down and find your town, click on the library in your town that you want to search within
  6. Click on the green “begin” button
  7. Enter your data in the “for” window. This could be author name, title, subject or any other keyword you choose
  8. Click on the “search by” button and select from the drop down menu from the following options “title, author, subject, or notes”.
  9. Click on the green “start search: button.
  10. The selections will display. Note that some titles are listed as books, audio books, or videos. Choose the title that you want to view by clicking on the title, which has the blue highlighted color. Sometimes there is more than one listing for the same item. Note the quantity of libraries that hold that item is seen in parenthesis after the title.
  11. Information about that item will display such as a summary of the book, author name, ISBN, etc. Look this over to see if the item is correct and/or if you are interested in it
  12. Scroll down to view if it is in your own library.
  13. Libraries noted with “ILL” hold that item and are connected with your library for interlibrary loan. You may place an order for this book for ILL online if you want.
  14. If you want to drive to a local library to get the book, you may do so. They don’t have to be affiliated with your library as marked by the “ILL” notation.
  15. If the item had multiple listings, hit the “back” button and view the full listing again. Select the other listing to see same data as described in steps 11-14.

 

How to place an online ILL order

  1. From the above screen noted in step 14, click on the green button at the top right hand corner that states “request this item”.
  2. A pop-up window appears. The required data fields are in red font.
  3. Fill out the required fields (your name, phone number, and a password).
  4. Click on the “select” button labeled “submit” at the bottom of the page.
  5. Momentarily a confirmation window will appear that states your order was complete.
  6. Your local library will call you on the phone to notify you when the item is ready to be picked up or if the lender refused to honor your request.
  7. Pick up the book from your local library. Due dates are set by the lending library not your own local library. Sometimes you may renew the book, inquire with your librarian. Sometimes the due date is short (under one week) and sometimes a renewal request is denied. I have waited up to 6 weeks to receive an item and have been refused some new books, some rare books, audio books and videos.
  8. Return the book to your local library (not to the lending library).

 

Using interlibrary loan is one way to review a book that you were considering buying. I have begun doing these pre-screens and have found some books that I would then not want to buy (saving me money) and other times have found books that are a “must own”.

 

The “Find a Library” function will display a list of libraries within the state. When you click on the link you will be directed toward the library’s home page. Many of the libraries list hours of operation and driving directions.

 

More information about iCONN can be viewed at this page

http://www.iconn.org/staff/support.html

It includes PDF files for brochures about how to use the site as well as past newsletters from iCONN. One example of an article available is titled “Connecticut’s Digital Library: what’s it good for, is it here to stay” is listed at URL http://www.iconn.org/documents/ctdiglib.html

 

 

 

 
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