Special Services
Book-A-Trip Travel Kits
Going away on vacation? The Youth Services Department will put together a travel packet for your child containing activity sheets and reading materials based on your child’s reading interests and vacation location. This service is for Itasca card holders only and requires at least two weeks notice. For more information or to fill out a “Book-A-Trip” travel kit form, stop by the Youth Services Desk.
Hug a Baby, Hug a Book
Do you have a new baby at home? If so, then you may pick up one of our “Hug a Baby, Hug a Book” bags at the Circulation Desk. Each bag contains a board book, a plastic key ring toy, and information about the services we provide for infants and toddlers at the library. Remember, it’s never too early to start reading to your child or bringing them to the library! “Hug a Baby, Hug a Book” gifts are available to all Itasca residents and a library card is not required to receive one.
Tutor Board
Did you know that the Youth Department has a Tutor Board to help students connect with tutors? If you are looking for a tutor for your child, check out the tutors that have posted information on our board. If you are a tutor and want to add a flyer to the board, please give it to someone in the Youth Department. (*The Itasca Community Library does not endorse any particular tutors.)
Special Collections
Battle of Books Collection
The Battle of Books Collection is a collection of award winning and notable children’s literature. This collection is for the Battle of Books program that is available to all Itasca Schools. This collection is available for check out by anyone with a valid library card.
Beginning Tape Readers
The Beginning Tape Readers is a great starting place for children beginning to read on their own. The collection is divided into three reading levels: Blue Tape, Red Tape and Yellow Tape. Blue Tape Readers are the first level with simple stories, large text, and few words per page. Red Tape Readers are the second level with more involved stories, smaller text and small paragraphs per page. The Yellow Tape Readers are the third level with more complex stories and beginning chapter books. All three levels contain both fiction and non-fiction titles.
Circulating CD Roms
The Youth Department has around 200 fun and educational computer CD-Roms available for check out. These may be checked out for a three week loan period.
Homework Shelf
Textbooks from Benson, Franzen, Peacock, Medinah, and St. Luke’s are available for in-house use at all times that the Library is open. These textbooks are the property of the schools, and the Library is simply housing them for the convenience of the students. Click here to see if the textbook you need is on the shelf.
New Books
The New Books collection contains books that have been in the youth collection for 4 months or less. The shelves house both fiction and non-fiction at a variety of reading levels.
LeapPad Machines and Books
Thanks to a donation from the Itasca Junior Woman’s Club and a matching grant from LeapFrog SchoolHouse, the library circulates 57 LeapFrog books and 2 LeapFrog machines. Each machine comes with headphones and an adaptor.
Learning Games Collection
The Youth Department has a collection of over 400 games with an educational slant. There are games to promote skills and knowledge in the areas of reading, spelling, math, and geography. In addition, there are puzzles and other toys that promote tactile awareness. The games are available to anyone with a valid library card.
Parent/Teacher Shelf
The Parent/Teacher Shelf is a collection of materials which are of interest to parents, teachers and other adults living and working with children. The collection is located in the Youth Section of the Library.
Playaways
A Playaway is a self-playing digital audio book that comes pre-loaded on a small storage device. All you need is a set of headphones – nothing else – and you have everything you need to listen to a great book. The youth department currently has 25 new Playaway titles, including The Wizard of Oz, Inkheart, Number the Stars, and Charlotte’s Web.
Preschool Discovery Back Packs
The library circulates 13 themed back packs geared at preschool age children. Each back pack contains books, videos, toys, and/or games all related to the same topic. Topics include New Siblings, the Five Senses, Careers, Counting, Telling Time, Getting Ready to Read, and Dinosaurs.
Youth Spanish Collection
The Youth Spanish Collection includes mainly picture books, but there are some chapter books and non-fiction titles too. Some titles are in Spanish only, while many others are bilingual. This collection is available to all individuals who read or are learning to read Spanish.