Library Services
Circulation Services
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Library Card:
All residents of Polk County are
eligible to receive a free card at the Winter Haven
Public Library. Residents must have a valid form of
identification with current street address to receive a
card. Cards can be used at any public library in Polk
County. Residents who reside outside of Polk County must
pay $35 per year, per household.
Reciprocal Borrowing privileges are available in the
following county library systems: Lake County Library
System, Orange County Library System, Osceola County
Library System and the Tampa Bay Library Cooperative.
|
Item Type |
Check-out/Renewal Info |
Books
Audio-books
Music CDs
Periodicals |
14
days
May renew 2 times unless the item is "on hold"
for someone else. |
Videos
DVDs |
7
days; limit 3 items per person
May renew 2 times unless the item is "on hold"
for someone else. |
Renewals
may be made as follows:
-
In
person at any library in Polk County
-
Via
telephone at 863-291-5880
-
Online
at
http://catalog.mypclc.org
and selecting the "Your Account" tab.
Fine
Policies:
Library materials are due on the date
printed on your circulation receipt. If you cannot
return them on time, you can renew materials online from
the library catalog, follow the links or call the library at
291-5880 and renew them over the telephone. Overdue
items are $.10 per day, per item.
 Fines and fees may be paid by:
-
cash
-
check
-
debit
card
-
credit card.
New $5 Fine Threshold -
Effective April 6, 2009
In an
effort to provide and maintain a rich variety of
materials for our community to access and enjoy, the
Winter Haven Public Library has reduced the fine
threshold to $5 per card holder. This means
that Library card holders must keep fines under $5
to utilize checkout and computer privileges. Once
the $5 limit has been
reached, it must be paid in full. If
you have any questions, please see Library staff or call
863-291-5880.
Interlibrary Loan:
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) offers Library patrons the
opportunity to request and receive books that are not
owned by the Winter Haven Public Library. Through ILL,
you have access to the circulating book collections of
all the library systems in Florida, as well as
universities and public library systems throughout the
United States.
Click here for policies.
Collection
Development
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Library Collection Development is defined as the process
of planning and acquiring a balanced collection of
library materials of many formats, including books,
periodicals, online resources and audiovisual materials.
Click here for more information on:
Computers for Public Use
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The Library
has a total of 41 computers for public use. All
have access to the Internet and Microsoft Office 2007 as
well as a variety of other programs that are specific to
the department in which they are housed. Computer
usage is governed by
Internet and
Computer Use
policies.
-
Reference Department:
-
Circulation Department
-
Young
Adult Room
-
Children's Department
All
computers are equipped with
- a
read-only CD-ROM drive (cannot copy to CD)
- two
USB ports (for flash drives, etc.)
Note: some USB devices are not compatible.
-
access to a printer
-
Black/White - .15 per page
-
Color - .25 per page
-
print jobs are deleted from the
print queue after 2 hours.
- NO floppy disk drive
-
NO read/write CD-ROM drive.
-
NO DVD drive
Click here to find out more about
our
Wireless Internet access which
is available throughout the entire building.
Copy Machine
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A copy
machine is available for public use.
Location:
Upon walking into the library, it is along the left wall
toward the middle of the library.
Fax Machine
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The Library
offers a self-service fax  machine
for sending faxes (cannot receive faxes).
Only Debit/Credit cards are accepted.
Location:
Upon walking into the library, it
is along the left wall toward the middle of the library.
Click here for more details.
Email Notification
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Winter
Haven Public Library can email you when:
-
Your
items are overdue (Overdue notice)
-
You owe
$5.00 or more in fines and fees (Billing notice)
-
Your
checked out materials are about to reach their due
date (Courtesy notice)
-
Your
requested items are ready for pickup (Hold notice)
NOTE: When
fees accumulate $5.00 or more, they must be paid in full
before material can be checked out.
Click here for instructions on how
to enable this feature.
Laminating
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The Library
offers Laminating Services to the public. Lamination is
a great way to protect your important and/or personal
documents, covering them in a thin layer of plastic.
Items for laminating may be dropped off at the main
circulation desk with your name and phone number
attached. You will be contacted when your order is
ready for pickup – typically 1-3 business days. For
details or questions regarding this service, contact the
Library at 863 291-5880 Ext. 222.
-
Soft
Lamination is available for any size document,
not wider than 24 inches. This type of laminate is
produced in one large sheet.
Cost: .75 per FOOT, plus tax
-
Hard
Lamination provides sturdier protection and is
available for items no larger than standard-sized
documents (8 ˝ X 11) or legal sized documents (8 ˝ X
14).
Cost: .75 per PAGE, plus tax
Library Policies
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Magnifier for the
Visually Impaired
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 The
Eclipse viewer enlarges the pages of books, magazines,
newspapers and other reading material for those who are
visually impaired. It is located midway along the
left wall as you enter the library.
Meeting & Study Rooms
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The Library offers Meeting and Study Rooms for public
use. Click below for details:
Meeting Room
Study Rooms
Polk County
Libraries -
Services Offered Chart
Click
here for a chart of
libraries in Polk County and the services provided by
each.
Reference Services
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Study Rooms
The Reference Staff monitors the 3 study rooms at the
library. If you would like to reserve a study room
contact the library at 291-5880.
Click here for details.
Exam
Proctoring
The Winter
Haven Library offers an exam proctoring service.
There is a charge for proctoring as you must schedule a
time with the librarian.
Click here for details.
Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi)
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The
Library offers free wireless Internet access throughout
the building and parking lot, 24 hours per day, 7 days
per week, 365 days per year. No login required.
However, upon first opening the web browser (i.e.
Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.), one must agree to the
City's Internet Usage Agreement.
Click here to view our Wi-Fi setup
instructions.
Youth Services
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The
Children’s Department is pleased to offer many services
to our youngest patrons. We have a section for
pre-school children, school aged children, and a young
adult department. We also have 8 computers with
educational software games.
Class Visits - Contact the Children's Librarian
to schedule class visits. See below for contact
information.
Computers for Children
- There are 8 computers for use by children 11 and
under.
Click here for details.
Computers for Young Adults
- There are 8 computers for use by young adults ages
12-17. Click
here for details.
Excellence in Reading is a very successful program at
the library. Children read specific books and are tested
on a computer. There are a set number of books to read
and incentives awarded along the way. EIR Reading lists are available here:
Florida Library Youth Program
is a State Library of
Florida sponsored program. This program is conducted
throughout the summer for children of all ages.
Activities include: puppet shows, performers,
storytellers, reading logs and arts and crafts.
Outreach—The local elementary schools, grades 3-4, are
invited to the library in the spring each year to bring
their students and introduce them to what their public
library has to offer.
Pre-school story hour
is held on Tuesday & Wednesday
mornings at 10 am from September through April. Story
hour consists of reading stories, puppet shows, and
sing-a-longs.
For more information about youth services, contact the
Library at 291-5880 Option 3 or email the Children’s Librarian at
E-mail:
areiter@mywinterhaven.com.
Did you
know you can renew your books using the online
catalog? Just click the Catalog link below.
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