SERVICES

Welcome to a World that is as thrilling as this week’s best seller, as informative as today’s front page, as exciting as our past... and our future. This world is waiting for you at the Wissahickon Valley Public Library where you can discover ways to decorate your home, spend your vacation, or invest your money. You can lose yourself in a novel or find yourself with the philosophers.  

The library has information on thousands of subjects.  Here are just a few that may be of interest:

· Automobiles... trade-in values and current prices could help you negotiate.

· Finances... current information may guide you on using your money wisely.  

· Business Addresses... Delaware Valley businesses and corporate America.

·  Career Planning... your first job, a career change, starting your own business.

·  Resume Writing... latest guides and books show you how to create a resume that works.

·  Parenting... neonatal care, toddlers, preschoolers, adolescents.

·  Travel... before you call your travel agent, find the destination of your dreams.

·  Home Repair... next time you are ready to tackle a job around the house, make the library your first stop; you could save money or learn how to choose the right contractor for the job.

· Home Decorating... Interior design, gardening, crafts, cook­books

· Public Documents... review the latest local public information documents on government projects, redevelopment agencies  and many other projects of importance to our community.

· Mysteries, Current Fiction, Best Sellers, Reference ... and much, much more.  

A Multimedia Treasure

The Library is your lifelong learning center offering information, education, and recreation in a variety of formats!

·  Almanacs

·  Atlases

·  Books on cassettes and compact disc

·  Compact Discs

·  Computerized magazine index

·  Easy readers for preschoolers

·  Internet (Public Workstations)

·  Large print books

·  Magazines

 

 

·  Newspapers

·  Pamphlets

·  Paperbacks

·  Picture books for toddlers

·  Public documents

·  Telephone directories

·  Video cassettes & DVD's

·  Word processing (Computers)

·   ...and much  more

   

Best Seller Book Rentals

Whether preparing to  head to the beach, settle down in front of the fireplace, get ready for bed or just cozy up with a good book, we have available numerous copies of the best sellers which can be taken out on a rental basis for a small fee.  This saves you the price of the new book, the convenience of having to run to a book store, and allows you to save space on your bookshelf by recycling the book for others to read.  Thanks in part to funding from the Friends of the Blue Bell Library, the collection is continually being updated and always offers you a current selection!   

Public Internet Work Stations

Internet access is provided as a free service to Wissahickon Valley Public Library (WVPL)  library card holders through numerous public internet workstations in each library. Our connection is a high-speed, broad band connection and may be filtered for content.  In fairness to all, we have set limits on the length of time individuals may use this service. Workstations are available, under the terms of the WVPL Internet Guidelines,  for children (with parental assistance), adolescents, and adults. The WVPL staff will generally be available to answer questions and assist with logging on to the Internet.  

Access PA Power Library

Through an initiative of the Office of Commonwealth Libraries we are able to offer, on our public Internet work stations, a huge array of resources not previously available.  

One of the most comprehensive is Ebsco Host  which contains Indexes, abstracts, and full text for many thousands of magazine articles plus consumer health information, business information, full text newspapers, and much more.  

The Associated Press Photo Archive is a remarkable resource featuring 500,000 current and historical photographs that can be searched by name, date, place and subject. The full-color images can be displayed on the screen and printed. Other data bases include Encyclopedia Americana Online; Sirs Discoverer, a reference tool for young readers with full text and graphics; the World Almanac; Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia: and the Access PA Database containing the catalogs of 1,500 school, public, academic, and special libraries in Pennsylvania.    

The Philadelphia Inquirer is available via the library's web site courtesy of the Montgomery County Library District.  Patrons may search the files for articles dating back to 1981.

Books on Tape and Compact Disc

In this fast moving age the section of the library collection that is seeing the greatest increase in popularity is our audio-book section. Recorded books are a great way to take advantage of the morning commute or the hours until “we’re there yet.” Library staff  have been ordering more titles to add to this collection. A grant from the Friends of the Library added many titles to bolster our holdings.  

The titles available on tape and CD cover a broad spectrum of subjects and genres from classics such as The Scarlet Letter to modem standards like The Great Gatsby to recent best sellers like David McCullough’s John Adams. The collection consists of a section of unabridged editions and a section of abridged versions for readers who are really in a hurry. If you haven’t tried reading “by ear”, stop in and try a sample.    

Special Services

·  Children’s Programs: Story Hours for pre­schoolers year-round; Summer Reading Club and Science In The Summer programs for elementary school age children.

·  Gateway to Information Resources: Reference facilities for both children and adults provide you with access to local library systems throughout Montgomery County and Pennsylvania as well as referrals to the Library for the Blind, community services, and numerous other information resources.

·  Great Books: discussion groups for adults year-round and Junior Great Books during the summer.  

·  Phone Service: just a call away...  you can reserve, renew, and generally inquire into any of your account information.

·  Photocopying: self-service machine.  

·  ...and much more. 

Loan Periods and Overdue Fines

· Videos & DVD's: Loan Period: Three Days    Overdue fines: $1.00 per day

· New Books and back issues of magazines:   Loan Period: One Week    Overdue fines: 20 cents per day for adults; 15 cents per day for children

·  Compact Discs,  books on cassette or CD:   Loan Period: Two Weeks    Overdue fines: 20 cents per day for adults; 15 cents per day for children

· Older Books: Loan Period:  Four Weeks    Overdue fines: 20 cents per day for adults; 15 cents per day for children

Overdue fines are calculated daily on items not returned on due dates; items not returned after final notice will be subject to replacement and processing costs plus fines and fees; items lost or damaged are charged the replacement value of the item plus a processing fee.

Most items may be renewed for one additional loan period either in person or by telephone when the library is open.  Items may not be renewed by telephone when the library is closed.  Items may be renewed using the Library website, www.wvpl.org, by clicking on Catalog and entering "My Account."