Article by 
Duane Herendeen,
WCPL Children’s Services Supervisor

The months of April and May are busy for us here in the children’s department at the Warsaw Community Public Library. We can always expect to hear from teachers, troop leaders and parents about getting a private tour of the library and the behind the scenes areas that are usually off limits. We love sharing with children of all ages the resources the library offers for them and it’s a great way to get to make “library friendships”.

When you’re planning on giving a tour to 80 first grader students, your first task is to figure out how everyone can see everything in the time allotted to us, so we’ve gotten resourceful with splitting groups up and rotating areas so everyone gets a chance to see everything. This means that children can see areas that can include the cataloging department which is one of my favorite areas of the library. This room is where all the new materials the library is receiving first arrives. Here the children get to meet the ladies who unpack, catalog and prepare the items for general circulation. Children get to see how books are reinforced and how we “hide” the security tags in each one.

Another area that children can see on a tour is the circulation area. Here smaller groups can even see a demonstration of the “book elevator”. It always brings smiles when children get to see an elevator that is just their size. Not many people know that the library actually has three elevators and we’ve had children return to the library after a tour asking if they can show their parents the “special elevator”.

After showing children the behind the scenes areas of the library, it is always fun to take them upstairs and let them discover all the things the library offers that most people aren’t aware of. From showing them the early education computers to letting them know that we can help them find the book that they might be interested in, it’s a joy to see the look of wonder on their faces as they realize that the library is a part of their community that they can utilize.

We encourage parents, teachers, troop leaders and youth leaders to call the children’s department at 574-267-6011 ext 331 so a private tour can be scheduled. No group is too small or large!