Using Your Public Library with Kids: Cards, Holds, Story Times and More

The public library is the single best resource most families have for raising readers, and many families use only a fraction of it. Beyond the shelves, a library typically offers story times, help choosing books, digital books and audiobooks, summer programs and a calm place to spend an afternoon — usually at no cost.

Services vary from library to library, so treat this guide as a map of what to look for and ask about, then check your own library’s website or front desk for specifics.

Getting a library card for your child

The American Library Association and libraries across the country use September as Library Card Sign-up Month, but you can get a card any time. According to ALA, library cards are generally free to people in a library’s service area, and in most cases borrowing can start on the spot. Some libraries may ask for identification, proof of residency or a parent or guardian’s signature.

Things worth asking when you sign up:

• Is there a minimum age for a child’s own card? Policies differ. Some libraries issue cards to very young children; others ask that children borrow on a parent’s card until a certain age.
• What are the borrowing limits and loan periods? Knowing how many books you can take and for how long helps you plan.
• Are there fines for late children’s materials? Policies vary widely, so ask rather than assume.
• What happens if a book is damaged? With toddlers, it’s a reasonable question. Most libraries understand that board books get chewed.

Giving a child their own card can be a meaningful moment. Let them sign it if they can write their name, and let them hand it to the librarian at checkout.

Holds: getting the books you actually want

A hold (sometimes called a reservation or request) lets you ask for a specific book. If it’s checked out, you join a waiting list; if it’s at another branch, it can often be sent to yours. You’re notified when it’s ready to pick up.

How families use holds well:

• Place holds for series in order. If your child is racing through a series, request the next two or three books at once.
• Use holds for read-aloud planning. Request a few longer books for family reading so they arrive together.
• Let children browse the catalog with you. Searching for a favorite author or topic on the library website is a good small research skill.
• Mind the pickup window. Holds usually wait for a limited number of days. Check your library’s policy.

Story times

ALA notes that libraries offer reading programs for young children, including preschool story hours. Many also run sessions for babies and toddlers, often with songs, rhymes and movement mixed in with books. Patterned, interactive books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Dear Zoo and Moo, Baa, La La La! are the kind of books that work well in a group, because children can join in.

Story time is valuable for parents, too. You’ll pick up new songs, rhymes and books, and see how an experienced reader handles a wriggly group. Our guide to story time for toddlers covers what to expect and how to make story time work at home.

Library etiquette with toddlers and young children

Children’s areas are generally built for children, and most librarians expect some noise. A few habits make visits easier for everyone:

• Go at a good time of day. A rested, fed toddler is a better library visitor.
• Set a simple expectation. “Inside voices in the library. We can choose five books.”
• Use the children’s area for play and the quiet areas for quiet. If your child is having a hard moment, a short walk outside is fine.
• Help with the re-shelving question. Many libraries prefer that you leave books on a cart or table rather than re-shelving them, so they go back in the right place. Ask.
• Keep the visit short at first. Twenty pleasant minutes builds a better association than an hour that ends in tears.

Ask a librarian for book recommendations

Children’s and teen librarians help readers find books — often called “reader’s advisory.” It’s one of the most underused services in the building. A librarian can’t know your child, but with a little information they can suggest books you’d never find on your own.

What to tell them:

• the child’s age and roughly how they read (“reads early chapter books on his own, but loves longer read-alouds”)
• what they’ve loved recently, and what they’ve disliked
• interests outside books (trains, horses, jokes, space)
• what you’re looking for (“something funny,” “a book about moving,” “a graphic novel that isn’t too scary”)

Older children can talk to the librarian themselves, which builds independence. A good opening line: “I liked this book. Do you know anything else like it?”

Digital lending: e-books and audiobooks

According to ALA, most libraries offer e-books, and some offer e-readers or other devices to borrow. Many libraries also offer digital audiobooks and sometimes digital magazines or comics, usually through an app or website that you log into with your library card number.

What to know:

• Ask your library which services it uses. Different libraries subscribe to different platforms, and the selection varies.
• Digital copies are often limited. Popular titles may have waiting lists just like print books.
• Audiobooks are great for car trips and for listening along with print. See our guide to family reading routines for how audiobooks can fit into family reading.
• Check for children’s settings. Some apps let you filter to children’s materials.

Summer reading programs

Many libraries run summer reading clubs for children and teens. These usually involve tracking books or reading time, sometimes with small prizes, events or performances. For families, they offer a structure that can keep reading going when school is out.

Tips:

• Sign up early. Some programs have kickoff events or limited spaces for activities.
• Ask what counts. Many programs welcome read-alouds, audiobooks and graphic novels, but rules differ, so check.
• Make it about enjoyment, not totals. Our reading challenge tool can help you set goals that suit your child.

Other things your library may offer

ALA’s fact sheet also lists after-school homework centers, computers and internet access, and materials beyond books, such as DVDs, games and magazines. Many libraries offer programs for older children and teens, from book clubs to maker spaces. Read your library’s events calendar every few months; offerings change often.

Books about libraries to share with children

A few books in our catalog celebrate libraries and the people who make them:

• Dreamers by Yuyi Morales shows a library through the eyes of a newcomer: the author, arriving in the United States with her baby, finds in the public library a place to belong and a way into a new language.
• Planting Stories is about a librarian rather than a library: Pura Belpré, the New York Public Library’s first Puerto Rican librarian, who shared stories with children in both Spanish and English. A good one to read before your first story time.
• Waiting for the Biblioburro shows what a library means where there is no building at all: in rural Colombia, books arrive by burro, and a girl who waits for them ends up writing her own.
• For older readers, Okay for Now follows an eighth-grader in 1968 who, new to a small town, finds a reason to keep going in the Audubon bird paintings at the local library. Content note: an abusive father and a brother returning wounded from the Vietnam War.

Reading one of these before a first library visit can give a child something to look forward to. For more, browse the picture books topic page or start a reading list for your next trip.