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Let Baltimore County Public Library help you meet the educational needs of your students!
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Ask A Question
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Maryland AskUsNow!, our 24/7 live chat service, provides assistance with conducting research and finding resources for homework. You will not necessarily be chatting with a librarian from Baltimore County Public Library or even from Maryland. This is a global, cooperative service staffed by reference librarians from Maryland, as well as other states and countries. Tips for Students Using Maryland AskUsNow! [PDF]
NOTE: Simultaneous Use of AskUsNow! Service by A Class
To make this a satisfying experience for your students, contact infoserv@bcpl.net at least one week in advance to let us know that multiple students from the same class will be using the service during a class period or to schedule an online demo. Please provide the following information:
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teacher / group leader name and contact information
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organization / school they're with
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is there a specific assignment / topic?
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any resources you'd like us to focus on?
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what grade level / age group?
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how many students?
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what date / time? for how long?
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do your students have BCPL library cards? are they local library users?
Ask A Question - enter a question or comment in the search box. The software scans that text for terms that appear in questions we answered previously. The software gives you an option to view our reply to one of previously answered questions immediately or to submit a new question. Replies to submitted questions are sent Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Brainfuse, a free online tutoring service that provides students grades K through college with help in completing homework assignments or building skills. Tutoring is available for many subjects including math, language arts, science, and social studies. It is available from home, work or school. During the hours that tutors are not available, students can submit questions through the 24/7 Center. Check out the Writing Lab for online writing assistance and the Adult Learner Center, which has tutors and resources for GED test preparation, U.S. Citizenship Test preparation and more. A library card registered with Baltimore County Public Library is needed to use this online tutoring resource.
Our branch librarians are ready to help your students with their research. Visit or phone (press 4 for the Information Desk) your local Baltimore County Public Library branch and the librarians will help them find print and online information.
Map of Branch Locations
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Click below to Ask A Question ...
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Click the button below
To chat live with a tutor from 2 p.m. - 11:55 p.m., 7 days a week. Spanish-speaking tutors are available. During the hours that tutors are not available, students can submit questions through the 24/7 Center.
A library card registered with Baltimore County Public Library is needed to use this online tutoring resource.
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Assignment Alert
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With advance notice from teachers, we will attempt to gather age-appropriate resources from our collection for students to use in the library and when possible at home. By submitting this Assignment Alert form, you can notify the Baltimore County Public Library branches nearest your students about an upcoming school assignment.
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Booklists
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BCPL offers a variety of book lists. The lists are available online by visiting our Books and Book Lists for Young Children (ages birth to 5), Kids' Page – Stories and Reading Lists area, our Teen Booklists area as well as Book Lists under Find Materials.
Our librarians want you to know what the Hot Titles in children's books, teen fiction and teen graphic novels are that Baltimore County Public Library recently ordered or received.
Do you know about Unique Critiques? It includes reviews by the staff of the Baltimore County Public Library of books, movies, music, and items in our collection.
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Branch Programs
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dateLines, our quarterly Calendar of Events lists all branch programs. For some programs where a small group is desirable, such as “Baby Boosters”, registration is necessary. These programs are noted in the dateLines listing as “registration required.” To register, simply call or visit the branch during the week preceding the program. Email registration is not available.
If you want to bring a group of children, please visit or phone the branch first and speak to the branch's school liaison.
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Class Visits
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To schedule a visit
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to a branch near your school, please visit or phone (press 4 for the Information Desk) that branch directly. Request that the branch’s school liaison contact you.
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from a librarian to your school, please visit or phone (press 4 for the Information Desk) the branch nearest your school directly and request that the branch’s school liaison contact you.
Branch locations, hours, phone numbers, etc. Map of Branch Locations
Library Cards for School and Group Visits
We strongly support teachers in their efforts to get cards for students who don’t already have one. There's no better way to familiarize your students with what the public library has to offer! We look forward to meeting you and your students.
To ensure that library cards are ready on the day of a visit, please follow these easy steps:
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Visit or phone (press 4 for the Information Desk) the branch that you are visiting. Tell the branch the number of Student Library Card Registration forms (grades 1 to 12) or My First Library Card forms (for children birth to kindergarten) needed for your class. Allow three business days, excluding weekends and holidays, to process your request for application forms.
The My First Library Card program provides library cards for children ages birth through kindergarten and is directed to various pre-school programs and Baltimore County Public Schools.
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Give a blank application form to each student to take home for completion. NOTE: Each student’s full name, address and parent or legal guardian's information must be included on the application. A parent or legal guardian’s signature is required on the application form for students 17 years of age and under.
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At least two weeks before the visit, please return the completed application forms to the branch you are visiting.
Each child is allowed to borrow two print items only
The library cards are given to the teacher who is responsible for giving the cards to the parent or legal guardian. The teacher must inform the parent/guardian that a signature is required and that the parent or guardian must present valid ID at any of our branches before the card may be used again.
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Community Services to Assist Your Students and Their Families
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Connections: Children, Youth and Family Resources
An online directory of local community organizations and agencies that can help provide necessary information and assistance to meet many human issues, such as child abuse, finding food, clothing or shelter, etc., of your students and their families. This is a project by the Baltimore County Public Library and the Baltimore County Local Management Board.
These organizations focus on students with special needs, alternative education, family literacy instruction, acquiring GED, and more.
Maryland Department of Disabilities - Educational Support Resources
This website covers special education from early childhood to grade 12 and the transitioning of youth to work and postsecondary education.
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Click image below to search Connections: Children, Youth and Family Resources for local community services...
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Computer Access at BCPL
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It doesn't matter if you or your students don't have access at home or if you're on the road and just need a place to link up.
Check us out!
All our branches provide free computer and wifi access to the Internet. Our branch public computers have Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint software loaded on them.
Black and white and color printers are available for printing from the public computers or the wireless network. There is a charge for printing.
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Databases through BCPL
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Our free online databases are very useful for research and school assignments. Many contain full-text articles from magazines, journals, current and historic newspapers, encyclopedias, and more. There are databases on automotive repair, with biographies, on literature, for test and exam practice tests, on health, business, and more.
Note to teachers: These online databases are not the same as the Internet, databases are electronic versions of magazines or journals, encyclopedias and other formerly print research tools.
Most of these free online electronic resources can be used in our branches or 24/7 from home, school, or work. All you need is a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
How to Find and Access Our Online Database
Click on Databases By Subject or Databases A to Z (alphabetical list) in the Find Information area at the top of our home page. A drop down menu will appear.
For access outside of a BCPL branch, enter when prompted your library card number without spaces and your password (the password, unless you changed it, is the last four digits of the phone number we have on file).
If you have Trouble Accessing Our Databases from home, school, or work.
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Early Literacy Resources and Family Literacy
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BCPL nurtures a love of reading beginning in early childhood. In addition to children's materials and branch programs, BCPL offers many early literacy services for children birth to 5.
Baby Boosters Kits
These collections of books and resources on several themes are for use by parents and child care providers. They are housed in easy-to-carry backpacks. Each kit contains 10 children's books on a particular theme, plus a parent resource book and a compact disc or DVD.
Branch Programs and Story Times
All branch programs are listed in dateLines, our quarterly Calendar of Events. If you want to bring a group of children, please visit or phone the branch first and speak to the branch's school liaison. For some programs where a small group is desirable, such as “Baby Boosters”, registration is necessary. These programs are noted in the dateLines listing as “registration required.” To register, simply call or visit the branch during the week preceding the program. Email registration is not available.
Early Literacy Activity Centers with interactive activities that will lead to school readiness and success are found in each of our libraries.
Storyville @ Rosedale and Storyville @ Woodlawn
Located in the Rosedale and Woodlawn Branches of the Baltimore County Public Library, these child-sized villages include developmentally appropriate books and activities for children ages birth to five.
Early Literacy Resources
Book lists, developmental tips, guidelines for reading aloud to children, as well as print and online resources for parents and caregivers of young children.
Family Literacy Support from Connections, Children, Youth and Family Resources
Local community organizations and agencies that can help provide literacy instruction and GED instruction for family members.
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Click on image to find more information on Baby Booster kits and Storyville...
Storyville @ Rosedale and Storyville @ Woodlawn
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EBooks and Audiobooks
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In addition to print materials the branch offers audiobooks for listening to a book being read and eBooks for reading on a computer or portable device.
Books on CD
Both fiction and non-fiction titles are available for you or a student to listen to on a computer, in the car, during a morning walk, or while exercising. These books on CD are available at all BCPL branches and are either abridged (an author-approved shortened version) or unabridged (the complete work as written).
Titles can be located and requested if not immediately available through our catalog. On the left, you can narrow your search to specific target audiences, such as juvenile, adolescents, and more.
Downloadable eBooks and Audiobooks
Children’s and young adult titles are available. The Overdrive (through Maryland Digital eLibrary Consortium) catalog of titles under the Find Materials area at the top of our home page (click on eBooks and Audiobooks on the drop down menu) or click on the Download now! eBooks audiobooks image at the center of our page.
Login to your Overdrive account by choosing Baltimore County Public Library as your library system and enter your Baltimore County Public Library card number without spaces. After making a title selection, you will be able to either checkout or place a request on a title. When a requested title becomes available, email notification is sent to the card owner.
Free separate software for Overdrive titles is needed to download and transfer both audiobooks and eBooks to a computer or portable device. The software you need depends on the format of the title you want to download.
Each service has its own HELP pages for answering the most frequently asked questions about installation of software, troubleshooting, and compatibility of specific devices.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
These authoritative electronic reference books are similar to databases in that the content can be searched online, download (in some cases to an mp3 device), emailed or printed and printed. and printed. These books do not have to be checked out or downloaded, and are always available for use either in the branch or 24/7 from home. Topics covered in these electronic books include biographies, environment, history, world religion, law, nations, multicultural America, literature, social sciences, and more. You can access Virtual Reference eBooks online at any branch or from home with a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
Playaways
Playaways are self-contained portable players that come pre-loaded with one book and are available at any branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. Books available in the Playaway format include older as well new titles; they come in abridged and unabridged versions. Please note: battery and earphones are not provided.
Read-Along Kits
Link above searches our catalog for these kits containing both the print book and a CD are for the beginning reader.
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Click image below to download books to your computer or portable device.
Downloadable books are available 24/7 from home with a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
The Reference Library is available online at any branch or 24/7 from home with a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
Playaways and read-along kits can be checked out at any Baltimore County Public Library branch. Click image below to see what Playaways we own.
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Group Study Rooms at Several Branches
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Group study rooms are available at several branches on a “first come first served” basis. No advance reservations are accepted. Ask at the Information Desk about the sign-in process.
Group study rooms are for 2 or more people who are being tutored or who need to work on a project or have a meeting. Individuals who would like a quiet place to study should be directed to other quiet study areas in the branch. The room capacity for each room should be posted.
Use of the groups study room is limited to 2 hours unless no one else is waiting.
Most branches without group study rooms have designated quiet study areas. The Information Desk can point them out.
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Homework Help 24/7 for Students
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BCPL offers print and online resources for use at a Baltimore County Public Library branch and for use 24/7 at home or school.
Maryland AskUsNow!
24/7 live chat with a librarian who can help a student find that answer or guide them in doing your research.
Brainfuse, an online tutoring service
Chat Live with a Tutor! (Spanish-speaking tutors available) from 2 p.m. – 11:55 p.m., 7 days a week. Kindergarten to Adult Learners welcome! During the hours that tutors are not available, students can submit questions through the 24/7 Center.
The Skills Building area can help students learning a specific skill or subject, such as mastering long division or improving reading comprehension, help beginning or organizing an essay or research paper. It also includes a Test Center with practice tests for preparing for state tests and the SAT or ACT.
The Writing Lab allows you to submit a file with your paragraph, essay, paper or resume/cover letter for review by a writing instructor. The paper is returned with comments on structure, grammar, style and content. The purpose of this service is not for the writing instructor to write or edit essays or resumes but to help your student to better organize and present their thoughts.
Check out the Adult Learning Center for help and tutoring to prepare for the GED or U.S. Citizenship Tests.
Databases through BCPL
Our free online databases are very useful for research and school assignments. Many contain full-text articles from magazines, journals, current and historic newspapers, encyclopedias, and more. There are databases on automotive repair, with biographies, on literature, for test and exam practice tests, on health, business, and more.
Most of these electronic resources can be used in our branches or 24/7 from home, school, or work. All you need is a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
If You Have Trouble Accessing Our Databases from home, school, or work.
Electronic Reference Books through Gale Virtual Reference Library
These authoritative reference books are similar to databases in that the content can be searched online, download (in some cases to an mp3 device), emailed or printed and printed. These books do not have to be checked out or downloaded, and are always available for use either in the branch or 24/7 from home. Topics covered include biographies, environment, history, world religion, law, nations, multicultural America, literature, social sciences, and more. You can access Virtual Reference eBooks online at any branch or from home with a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
Astound Your Teachers...Homework Help for Teens
This web page has many useful information links for middle school to high school students.
Kids' Page – Got Homework?
Our Kids' Page has websites to help elementary school students complete their homework as well.
Legacy Web: BCPL's Historic Photograph Collection
Browse our digital collection of local historic photographs. The collection contains almost 19,000 images covering all aspects of life, including photographs of people, buildings, sites, and events in the Baltimore County area, for the last 130 years. The images can be found and searched for through our catalog.
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Click below to Ask A Question 24/7 ...
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Chat live with a tutor from 2 p.m. - 11:55 p.m., 7 days a week. Spanish-speaking tutors are available. During the hours that tutors are not available, students can submit questions through the 24/7 Center.
A library card registered with Baltimore County Public Library is needed to use this online tutoring resource
Access online reference books in Gale Virtual Reference Library at any branch or 24/7 from home with a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
The Legacy Web collection contains images covering all aspects of life, including photographs of people, buildings, sites, and events in the Baltimore County area, for the last 130 years. The images can be found and searched for through our catalog.
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Library Cards
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Baltimore County Public Library cards for personal use by you or your students.
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To use a library card from another Maryland public library system at Baltimore County Public Library, it must be registered at any Baltimore County Public Library branch. Once your card is registered you may borrow our materials or use our research databases and downloadable audiobooks and eBooks.
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Card and Catalog Help
Answers to frequently asked questions about your Baltimore County Public Library card and your library account are found on this web page.
Library Cards in Preparation for Class or School Visits
My First Library Card
This project in cooperation with various pre-school programs and Baltimore County Public Schools provides library cards for children age birth through kindergarten to use all our library branches.
Teacher Loan Library Card
A special Baltimore County Public Library card designed to help teachers and educators bring the resources of the branch to their students!
These special cards are available to
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media specialists and teachers at Baltimore County public and private schools and colleges.
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day care centers and child care providers located in Baltimore County.
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home school teachers working with Baltimore County schools. The home school must be a Baltimore County residence.
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employees and volunteers of Baltimore County agencies or non-profit groups that organize book discussion groups or share library materials in groups for educational purposes. Non-profit organizations must be based in or have a facility in Baltimore County.
Registration is annual; teacher loan library cards expire August 31 of each year. Any problems or delinquencies on previous school or on personal cards must be resolved before a Teacher Loan card can be renewed or issued for the new school year.
For more information on the benefits of a Teacher Loan Card, for the application form [PDF], and application process, see our Teacher Loan Library Card page.
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Online Book Clubs
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BCPL’s e-Newsletters
Sign up for our e-newsletters and get news and great book suggestions by email.
BCPL and Local Book Clubs listed in our Book Lovers' Corner under Find Materials at the top of our home page.
While not necessarily online, book discusssion groups are meeting regularly in some of our branches and in the nearby area.
Read Street
A blog for a community or readers, in Baltimore and beyond.
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Storyville
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Storyville @ Rosedale and Storyville @ Woodlawn
Recognizing that parents are a child's first teachers, the guiding mission of Storyville is to help preschool children gain the skills they need to enter school ready to learn through active interaction with their caregiver and the activities provided.
Located in the Rosedale and Woodlawn Branches of the Baltimore County Public Library, these child-sized villages include developmentally appropriate books and activities for children ages birth to five. For groups, we would like at least 1 adult for every 3 children, so the adults may be actively engaged with the children in their care.
Please make other arrangements for older children.
Frequently Asked Questions about Storyville
In general, Storyville is busiest weekday mornings and weekends. Weekday afternoons and evenings are often less crowded.
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Click image below to find out about Storyville...
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Summer Reading Club
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Our 2012 Summer Reading Club officially begins on Monday, June 11, 2012 and will end Satuurday, August 11, 2012 (or Sunday, August 12 if the branch is open Sunday)
Pre-registration begins Monday, May 7, 2012
The Summer Reading Club encourages reading throughout the summer. The Club is geared to four age groups
Read-to-Me Club (birth - 5 years old) will use a Dream Big Read! gameboard and complete the activities in each row. When the row is completed a child can visit any branch for a sticker to be placed on their gameboard. After all four stickers are collected a child is eligible for a Preschool completion prize. Babies and young children can be registered and someone can read to them.
Elementary School (kindergarten – 5th grade) students will use a Dream Big Read! gameboard and complete the required reading listed in each block. When a block of activities is completed they can visit the library for a sticker to be placed on the gameboard. After all four stickers are collected they are eligible for a school age completion prize.
Middle School (6th - 8th grade) students will have an Own The Night flyer as a gameboard, with instructions on the top and one raffle entry form on the bottom. Each participant must read three books and fill out the entry form with the book titles, their contact information and the prize raffle being entered. The more books they read the more chances they have to win a prize. They can play as many times as they want during the summer. All entry forms must be turned in to a BCPL library branch by Friday, August 24, 2012.
High School (9th - 12th grade) students and adults will use the BCPL goodreads.com group to participate. On Goodreads there is a group set up for BCPL's Summer Reading participants called Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading. All participants will be entered in a drawing for a small prize. Participants must register and play online. The theme is Own The Night.
A report will be sent to Baltimore County Public Schools with the names of all students that participated.
Summer Reading Club Student Volunteers:
In March, our Youth Services Department will send volunteer recruitment flyers to Baltimore County Public Schools middle schools to promote student volunteering for the Summer Reading Club. BCPL branches will also distribute flyers to their local private and parochial schools.
Volunteering for Summer Reading is open to all students currently in the 6th-10th grades. Volunteers are expected to work a minimum of 10 hours during the 8-week Summer Reading Club period. Application forms and volunteer packets must be picked up and returned to the Information Desk at a BCPL branch between Monday, April 9th and Friday, April 20th only. Online application forms and packets are not available.
Earned Service Learning Hours will not be sent automatically to the schools. Volunteers must take the Service Learning Hour forms from their schools to the branch where they volunteered at the end of the Summer Reading Club to be authorized.
Kick-off Programs:
Plans for a visit to a school to explain the summer reading program, or for participation in a Summer Reading kick-off program or School Night at a branch or school begins with your school's librarian as early as March or April.
Events are usually held after pre-registration begins in early May. For information, visit or call the branch nearest your school and ask for the school liaison or programming coordinator to contact you.
What happens at a School Night? That’s up to you and the branch. You may want to:
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Register kids for Summer Reading Club earlier than the official start date
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Give out packets
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Have BCPL flyers including dateLines, our Calendar of Events available
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Encourage parents and children to sign up for library cards
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Summer Reading Lists from Your School
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Provide us with your list in electronic form, formatted for printing. Send to the Information Services Department of Baltimore County Public Library at infoserv@bcpl.net.
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If You Have Questions . . .
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Please call the Baltimore County Public Library's Youth Services Department, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. or your nearest Baltimore County Public Library.
Marisa Conner, Youth Services Coordinator
Baltimore County Public Library
Youth Services Department
Rosedale Branch
6105 Kenwood Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21237-2097
Phone: 410-887-0517
Fax: 410-866-7941
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itor: EB
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