Schools

Teacher Library Cards Debut in Brooklyn

New library cards gives elementary school teachers greater access to books (with no late fees!)

Elementary school teachers in Brooklyn now can supplement their classroom reading materials with the new Teacher Library Card offered through The Brooklyn Public Library.

The announcement comes at a time when massive budget cuts at the Department of Education have left New York City public schools challenged with diminished educational resources, including scarce and/or dated reading materials.

With the Teacher Library Card, teachers can borrow materials for their students, making it easier to access children's books and audio resources from their local library collection. Brooklyn Public Library has over four million items in over 20 languages.

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Launched in November 2010, but rolling out this week, this new initiative not only hopes to expand the reading collection for educators and enrich the classroom experience, but also spark greater interest and participation from young readers in their local library.

"Educating our children is a community effort --it takes parents, teachers and library staff together to offer them the most enriching experience," said Malika Granville, publicist for the Brooklyn Public Library. "There are a lot of schools that don't even have libraries and rely on their library for resource materials, so this opportunity makes their jobs easier."

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The new card allows teachers to borrow up to 99 items. Teachers can place up to 50 items on hold for a 21-day period. But there are no late fees for overdue returns. The new borrowing rules should help teachers make the most of the card and the resources available at the Library.

"This is a really exciting for the library," said Granville. "I just hope that teachers take advantage of this opportunity."

To receive a card, teachers need to complete a teacher library card application which they can download on-line. Teachers should bring the application, along with a school-issued photo ID, a New York State ID and a confirmation of employment on school letterhead to their neighborhood Brooklyn Public Library.


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