Privileges and Responsibilities
Preschool and day care centers that are non-home based and are within the city limits of Elmhurst are entitled to an Elmhurst Public Library Preschool Card. This card entitles you to:

• place requests over the phone for classroom collections gathered by library staff. Please give one week's notice. Call 630-279-8696
• select materials yourself for classroom use.
  The following loan periods apply:
  • Videos--one week
  • Books--four weeks
  • Cassettes, Music CDs--four weeks
  • Magazines--three weeks
  • CD-ROMs--three week
  • Toys--four weeks
• check out materials without worrying about fines.

How to Apply The director of your preschool will need to send a letter to the library on the school's letterhead stating that the preschool will be responsible for materials checked out by their preschool teachers and listing the names of the teachers who are authorized to take out materials on the preschool's card. The individual preschool accepts full responsibility for loans for preschool teachers' use.

• The Parent/Teacher Collection has materials that may assist you in curriculum planning.

• Videocassettes may be checked out at no charge for classroom use.

• Big Picture Books - Large-size children's books for reading aloud to groups of children.

• Educational toys and games for children in preschool through eighth grade.

• Cassettes and CDs make up our music collection.

• Magazines may be checked out from the Kids' Library and from the Periodicals Department in Adult Services.

• Braille, Signed English and Large-Type books also are available in the Kids' Library.

• Microcomputers are available for use in the Kids' Library. Some features include:
  • more than 25 software and CD-ROM programs.
  • reservations taken up to one week in advance for Elmhurst cardholders.

• CD-ROMS to check out

Storytelling kits are new items that are available for checkout at EPL. These kits include books and other materials that make up everything you need to present a half hour preschool storytime. Each kit includes some but not all of the following: big books, puppets, cassettes, flannelboard pieces, and fingerplays.
Available topics are:

• Bears
• Pigs
• Farms
• Families
• Food
• Slightly Scary Stories
• Mice
• Zoo Animals

Preschool classes are invited to the Elmhurst Public Library every April for a 30-minute program that includes stories, songs, and a puppet show.

You may arrange two additional storyhours to be held in the library or in your classroom. To enable the preschool coordinator to plan a program that meets your student's needs, it is important to call 630-279-8696 to arrange the visit at least three weeks in advance.

One of the Library's roles is to serve as a Preschooler's Door to Learning. As the preschool coordinator, it is my responsibility to assist preschool teachers in finding appropriate library materials and to present storytime programs to preschool classes.

I have enjoyed working with all of you and I look forward to seeing you again this year. To request that a collection of books be pulled or to schedule a classroom visit, please call me at 630-279-8696.

Karen Pepple
Preschool Services Librarian