West Duluth Branch Library
I can visit the West Duluth Branch Library.
If I come by car, I can get out of my car and walk safely in. The fire station is next door.
Sometimes, the library is closed. I can drop off my books and library items to return in the Book Drop.
If I walk or ride the bus, I may go inside from the street side instead of the parking lot.
The West Duluth Branch shares the building with Evergreen Senior Center, but they are not part of the library. Sometimes, when I go to the library, I can smell what the senior center is cooking for lunch. The smells will be different each day. On Thursday afternoons, the senior center can be full as people play bingo. You can sometimes hear a person using a microphone while in the hallway or even in the library.
There is a lobby outside of the library. It is not part of the library. It is a community space meaning that people may come and sit here for a while. People can read fliers and announcements about things happening in the library and other places.
There is a dollhouse to look at outside the library. Volunteers change what is going on in the display depending on the season.
I can walk through the doors and into the library. The library has fluorescent lights. Some people can hear the slight hum they make and see the lights flicker.
There are baskets or carts available to help you hold the library materials you pick out as you walk around the library. The baskets and carts stay in the library.
A hand sanitizing station is beside the carts. The hand sanitizer pump makes a sound when the foam comes out. I can put my hands under it, catch the foam that comes out, and rub my hands together until the foam dries. I should try to only do it once. That way there will be enough for everyone.
Sometimes, I request a book or movie on the computer while I’m at home. The library lets me know when it is ready. I can pick up books from the Holds shelf. There is a piece of paper sticking out with my last name on it. I may have to pick up some items from the front desk.
When I walk into the library there are many things to do. I can go to the right into the children’s section. There are lots of things to do in the children’s section of the library.
I will try to remember to use my walking feet in the library. I will try to remember to use my inside voice.
I can pick books off from these shelves in the children’s section. I can even ask for help to get a book off the display wall.
There is a section of VOX books. They talk when you push a button on the book.
I can choose children’s books from these shelves.
I can look at these STEM learning kits that have things I can touch and learn about. This one is about the human body. There are a few more.
I can pick out DVD movies in the children’s section.
I can pick out picture books from these bins.
I can pick out a book from the shelves of chapter books or juvenile fiction.
I can pick out books with CDs so that I can listen to the book while I read.
If I do not want to take a book home or my parent says to put it back, I can put it on this cart so the librarian can put it back where it belongs. I can leave them at the front desk too.
I can put books that I do not want to check out in the slot. This is also where I put library books that I’m returning after I’ve had them at home for awhile.
Often there are pictures to find posted around the library. The list of pictures to find is on the library information table. There are different pictures or objects to find every month.
I can get a prize from the librarian if I mark down that I found all on the list.
I will try to remember to:
1. Be gentle with toys.
2. Toys, puzzles, and games need to stay at the library.
3. Use inside voice.
4. Use walking feet.
5. Clean up toys when I am done.
If I clean up the toys and put them back in their place, I can ask for a sticker from a librarian.
I can play with the pretend telephone.
I can play with the magnet boards.
I can play with the pretend store.
I can play with the toy kitchen.
I can play with the toy trucks or sit on this bench by the window.
The window is open sometimes and I may see and hear cars driving by. I may even hear police car or fire truck sirens since those are right next door to the library.
Sometimes, the library has a different smell when the heat blows through the building in the winter. Some people describe it as musty.
I can play with the trains.
Sometimes, there are toys set up on stools or on top of a book shelf.
I can play with the blocks.
I can play with the puzzles.
I may hear the radiators blowing air and a clicking or whooshing sound as the heat goes through the pipes.
I can play with stuffed animals or dolls. There are coloring books that I can take to the table.
I can choose a board game to play while I am at the library. There are more board games at the front desk to choose if I ask the librarian.
I can sit at the table and color, work on a puzzle, or play a game. I can do an art project for the bulletin board. If I brought a snack, I can eat it if I sit at the table.
Every month the library has a different themed bulletin board.
I can add to the themed bulletin board by decorating a paper from the orange bin with markers or crayons from the other bins. Then I can put it up on the bulletin board!
I can play games on a computer in the children’s section. I may have to wait for my turn if someone else is using it.
Sometimes, I need to use the bathroom while I am at the library. I need to go out of the library and head to the left. I need to leave any library materials in the library if I haven’t checked them out yet. The librarian can watch them for me.
The toilets flush automatically. The flushing sound echoes in the bathroom.
There are automatic sensors for the sink. This means that they will turn on when you wave your hand underneath the faucets. You have to push a button to get soap from the soap dispenser.
The automatic hand dryer is very loud. You may hear other people using them when you are in the bathroom.
The automatic hand dryer starts when you put your hand under it. There is also a paper towel dispenser that you can use to dry your hands by pulling the paper towel down with both hands.
There are also drinking fountains in the hallway outside the library. I can go outside and get a drink. I need to leave library materials that are not checked out yet in the library when I go get a drink. Sometimes, there is a stool I can stand on if I need it to get a drink.
There are other places in the library to use and explore. I can pick out books on CD or sound media player to listen to when I get home.
In the young adult section, I can pick out books, then sit at this table to do activities, look at books, listen to music with my headphones, or eat a snack.
I can find the Creativity Box and use the art supplies to make something. The Creativity Box gets moved around sometimes, so I may need to look for it or ask a librarian. I will try to remember to put the art supplies back in the box when I’m done. I can keep what I made, though.
I can sit on this furniture in the young adult section.
These are the teen computers. They are connected to the internet. I need to sign up at the front desk to get 30 minutes of time. I don’t need a library card to sign up for these computers.
On the opposite side of the library from the children’s section, the library has a large collection of fiction and nonfiction books.
In the back of the library, there are more tables and chairs where I can read or study.
There are two emergency doors in the back of the fiction and nonfiction books. One door at the end of the sitting area and the other is on the other side by the Library catalog computers. They are only for emergencies. It’s expected to leave these doors alone unless there is a fire alarm or an adult tells me to go through one during an emergency.
There are computers along the side of the library.
There are general internet computers. You need to use a library card or get a guest pass from the front desk to use these computers and print from them.
The printer is off to the side of the front desk.
There’s another door beside the front desk that is only for librarians.
If I want to take materials like books, movies, or CDs home, I need to check them out. I can check out items using the selfcheckout computer.
I can also bring my materials to the front desk and a librarian can help me check them out.
I will need to use my own library card or have my parent use theirs to check out materials.
Sometimes, there are fun things to do like story time, crafternoons, movies, Lego building, and reading to a dog.
Story Time starts with music led by a librarian. I will get a chance to move and sing.
Then all the kids sit down on the rug to listen to stories read by the librarian. Sometimes the librarian asks questions and the kids can answer. When the librarian is reading the book, it’s expected that I listen. If I want to share something when the librarian doesn’t ask a question, I can raise my hand.
Sometimes the library has Crafternoons. This is a special time when the library provides the supplies to make an art project. The project will be different every time. More details about the project are available in the Library Event Guide and on the website.
The West Duluth branch hosts Legos at the Library one afternoon per month. I can build with Lego blocks along with other kids in a special room the library gets to use.
The West Duluth branch hosts Read to a Dog one afternoon per month. I can pick out a book and read to a nice dog. I may have to wait my turn.
There are music CDs that can be checked out.
There are six computers that can be used to get on the internet. I need to use my library card and pin number to log in. I can also get a guest pass. The rule is people can use the internet computers for 60 minutes before they need to give someone else a turn.
There are many fun things to do at the library. I can ask a librarian for help in finding something that I like.
I can go to the library to check out books, movies, and music. I can also come to the library for fun things like story time, crafternoons, watching a movie, or other activities.
The library can be a fun place!