New to Town | WL Public Library

New to our library? Or new to libraries in general? Start here!

LIBRARY CARDS

Library cards are free to all residents of Windsor Locks. With one you can borrow books, DVDs and more, and use our online services. You can use your library card at any library in the state.

To get one, bring photo ID with your current Windsor Locks address. If your ID has your old address, also bring proof of residence (e.g. a utility bill to your current address). If you're under 16, bring a guardian to sign for your card.

DURING COVID CLOSINGS: Sign up online for a temporary card you can use to access our electronic resources. Come to the library when you can to get your physical card.

CATALOG

Use our catalog to search for items. When you find an item you can see if it's on the shelf or currently checked out.

CALL NUMBERS

When you search for an item in the catalog, you'll use its call number to find it on the shelf. Some examples are: M DOYLE, HILDERBRAND, E BLUE CUYLER, J GRAPHIC AVATAR, 398.2 ANN.

The first part tells you what section the item is in. M means it's in the mystery section, E means it's a picture book, etc. Sometimes there are subsections: J GRAPHIC AVATAR is in the graphic novel area of the children's collection. If there's no first part at all (like HILDERBRAND) it's in the main adult section. Our staff can tell you where a section is located in the library.

Fiction materials are shelved alphabetically by the author's last name. Non-fiction materials are shelved by their number, from 000 to 999. (These numbers are called Dewey Decimal numbers and are used to group books by subject.)

BORROWING

Books, audiobooks, and CDs: 3 week loan, $0.10/day late fee

DVDs and magazines: 1 week loan, $1.00/day late fee

Renew items via the catalog or call us. We can't renew an item if someone else has requested it.

Return items to our bookdrop. It's set into the wall to the left of our front doors. (Any Connecticut library will accept returns, but we ask that you try to return them here so we can get them back on the shelf quicker.)

If you get a fine, don't panic! It happens all the time. You can still check out books as normal if your fines are under $10.00. You can pay your fine in cash at the library or via credit card online through your catalog account.

HOLDS

To place a hold on a book means to reserve it for yourself. Why would you place a hold? Maybe the catalog shows a book is on the shelf and you want to make sure it's there for you when you come in to the library tomorrow. Or if someone else has a book checked out that you want, you can place a hold so you'll get the book once they've returned it. (If a lot of people place holds on that book, you'll be put on a list to get it.) Plus you can use holds to request books from other libraries (see Inter-Library Loans below).

Holds can be placed through our catalog or by phone. Once we get your book, you'll get an email notice to come pick it up. (You can also change your catalog account settings to get hold notices by text.)

INTER-LIBRARY LOANS

Is there an item you want but it's not at our library?

If it's at another library in our consortium, you can find it and request it through the catalog. Every week we get regular deliveries of books that our patrons have requested from other libraries. You'll get a notice when your book arrives, same as if you placed a hold on one of our books.

If you want a book from a Connecticut library that's not in our consortium, we can request it for you - it may just take a few days longer to get here.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Looking to borrow digital materials? We have ebooks, audiobooks, newspapers/magazines, and streaming. For most of these services you'll need your library card barcode number.

We've also collected public internet resources on our Digital Reference Shelf.

COMPUTERS

Our computer policies change frequently during the COVID pandemic. Call for the latest updates.

We have 8 computers available for patron use as well as a printer/copier. You need to bring your library card to use the computers and there is a time limit. The printer/copier machine accepts coins to pay the fee of $0.25/page B&W, $0.50/page color. We can't do things for you on the computer, but we can help out if you run into problems.

CURRENT EVENTS

You can check out our program calendar at any time. The library sends out a weekly newsletter to all cardholders.

REFERENCE QUESTIONS

Looking for a bit of information that's tricky to find? Ask us - it's our job! Reference questions can be short and factual (Who are my state legislators?). They can also be about help finding research resources (I need information about manatees).

Note: We can help you find resources, but we can't do schoolwork for you or offer advice (legal or medical).

Library Map