School Services at the Hinsdale Public Library:
Help for teachers and their students in Hinsdale schools

The Youth Services Department
The Youth Services department provides services and materials for toddlers through eighth-graders, their parents, teachers and others who work with young people. A separate Young Adult section provides recreational materials for students in grades 6-10. School-Library cooperation is an important goal that can benefit all Hinsdale students. The services described here are offered to achieve our mutual goal: the education and enrichment of our youth.

After-school Advantage Homework Assistance
The Library's After-school Advantage program offers directed homework assistance to students in Hinsdale-area Elementary and Middle Schools. Working with Library staff and local schools, accredited teachers and paraprofessionals are available to assist students in the Library Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00-6:30 p.m. throughout the school year, with the exception of Thanksgiving week, Winter break and Spring break.

ASA teachers will not initiate instruction, but will be available to help students in specific learning areas, offer timely assistance with homework questions, and review skills and research strategies. Students may drop-in whenever they need assistance or may be referred by their teacher. Please call the Youth Services Department for more information.

Homework Reserve Shelf
When you notify us of an assignment, we will pull the pertinent materials and set up a reserve shelf for your students' use. Advance notice also enables us to consult with the Adult Reference Department or to obtain materials from other libraries, when appropriate. By restricting these materials to in-library use, they will be available for all students working on the assignment.

Assignment Alert Forms
When you assign work to your students that involves library research, we do our best to assist them in finding the information they need. By faxing us a copy of the Assignment Alert form (found on the teacher page in the Kids Connection section of our website) or making a simple phone call you will enable us to set aside the needed materials to guide your students through their research. You may also email us at youth@hinsdale.lib.il.us . We also welcome your suggestions for additional materials to enhance our collection, especially for those annual assignments.

Reference Services
The library staff can help you find answers to reference questions, as well as information about materials your students need for assignments. The answers may be found in a variety of resources: books, on-line databases, magazine articles, websites, CD-Rom products and videos. If you contact us before an assignment, we will be happy to find age-appropriate materials for your students' use. If the Library does not own the materials needed, we can borrow them from another library in the Metropolitan Library System. Both the Youth Services and Adult Services departments have reference assistance available all hours the library is open.

Classroom Loans - Two Options!
Library a la Carte. We will put together a large selection of books for your class to use for a day or two of intensive research. Just let us know the topic, the kinds of resources needed and your proposed research dates. Then, we'll deliver the books to your school in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day (two day maximum).

Classroom Loan. If you need a smaller selection of books (approximately 10-20, depending on the subject) that you can keep for long term projects, you may arrange for a regular classroom loan of three or six weeks, using any Illinois library card. We will pull together a selection of appropriate books and have them ready for pick-up at the Library.

The Classroom/Library a la Carte loan form can be found on teacher page in the Kids Connection section of our website. You may fax us the form, send us an email at Youth@hinsdale.lib.il.us or phone us at 986-1976. Please allow two weeks in advance to arrange for a Classroom or Library a la Carte loan.

Check Out Our Website.
for up-to-date information about happenings at the Library. Kids Connection and The Lounge for Teens contain practical links for teachers and students, book recommendations and other useful resources. You may also access the on-line catalog through our website to check on the availability of materials before coming to the Library.

Class Library Visits
Bring your class to the Library for a tour, instruction in public library use or to work on special projects. When your class visits to work on a project, we will provide a place to work, collect pertinent materials and help answer questions. This is a great opportunity to use our resources and walk your students through the research process (please allow a two-week notice when arranging a class visit to the Library).

Displays & Art Work
We encourage Hinsdale schools to display artwork and other special projects in the Library. Our Revolving Art Display features artwork by local students throughout the year. We also are happy to display your class projects; anything from dioramas to molecules. It's a great way to show off your students' work to parents and the community as a whole. Please contact us at 986-1976 if you wish to exhibit a special class project in the Library.

Book Lists and Professional Tools
The Youth Services staff can provide a variety of book lists for different interests and genres, including fantasy, historical fiction, mysteries, sports fiction and much, much more. We also have recommended reading lists by grade level, from preschool through middle school. In addition, we will be glad to create customized lists on the topic of your choice for your classroom needs (please allow two weeks).

We can provide access to resource materials, book selection tools and professional journals. If you would like to know more about the library's resources, we would be glad to arrange a personal or group tour. We also have supplemental curriculum materials for math and language arts, including many of the manipulatives used in the Everyday Mathematics program. These, and other resource materials, are available for use in the Library.

School Visits
The Youth Services staff will be happy to visit your classroom for book talks and special programs. Please allow a two-week notice when calling to arrange a school visit.

The Youth & Young Adult Services Department

Tiffany Auxier, Head of Youth& Young Adult Services
Becca Boland , Young Adult Librarian
Alice Kuhn, Assistant Department Head
Anne Grisenthwaite
Susan Hatch
Sarah Ehlers, School Services Liaison
Martha Weiss
 

Updated 12/05