Library Cards   |   Material Loan Services   |   Assistive Services
Library Equipment   |   Meeting and Study Rooms

For further information about the Library's policies, please consult the Library's Policy Manual.

Library Cards

Homewood Public Library Cards are available free to residents of incorporated Homewood and East Hazel Crest. The card can be used at most Illinois public libraries. Homewood Public Library also honors cards from most public libraries located in Illinois.

Residents may apply for a card in-person at the Circulation Desk. To obtain a card, proof of residency is required. The replacement fee for a lost card is $3.00.

Children, under age 14, need their parent's or guardian's signature on the form before a card can be issued. Youth 14-18 years of age may use their school ID to obtain a library card.

For those who live in unincorporated Homewood, we offer Fee Cards. Click here for fee card options. If you are unsure about whether you live in an incorporated section of Homewood, please call the Circulation Department at (708) 798-0121 ext. 236 for verification.

Material Loan Services

Book Drops
You can return library materials 24 hours a day at the bookdrop located to the left of the main entrance doors and the convenient drive-thru window on the south side of the building. Inside book drops are located at the Circulation Desk. Book drops are also available in East Hazel Crest at Village Hall and the Fire Station.

Loan Periods and Fines

Vacation Loans
A four week Vacation Loan can be issued upon request, for items which normally circulate for three weeks (primarily books and CDs). High demand items are not included.

Renewal
Most items may be renewed for the original loan period, if no holds are outstanding. Items can be renewed online on or before the items due date. Log in to the Check Your Record section of the SWAN catalog and click on items Currently Checked Out to renew your items. Note: Some items cannot be renewed online and will prompt you with additional information if a restriction applies. Please call our Circulation Department at (708) 798-0121 ext. 236 if you are unable to renew your items. Please have your library card ready when you call.

Reserves
You may reserve items from throughout the Metropolitan Library System for pickup at Homewood Library within a matter of days (pending availability). To reserve items online using the SWAN catalog, simply use the search page to locate the item you wish to request. Click on the title of the item you wish to request, click the red request button, and enter the requested information. You may need to create a PIN number, if you have not already done so. You will be notified when the item arrives at the library. Note: Some items cannot be reserved online and will prompt you with additional information if a restriction applies. You may also request items from outside the library system through the OCLC World Cat site. For more information our Interlibrary Loan Services, contact the Circulation Department at (708) 798-0121 ext. 236. Please have your library card ready when you call.

Creating a PIN
When accessing your account or requesting materials, you will be prompted to enter your name, your library card barcode number, and a PIN (personal identification number). If you do not have a PIN number, simply enter the number you wish to use and click "Submit." You will be taken to a second screen where you will be prompted to type your PIN number twice more. This will establish your PIN for future access of your acount. If you forget your PIN, or should you need to change your PIN number, please call the Circulation Department at (708) 798-0121 ext. 236.

E-Mail Notification
Providing your e-mail address and keeping it up to date with the library, is a great benefit. Courtesy reminder notices inform you that items will be due soon. Hold notices inform you that items you've requested have arrived at the library. You would also be notified via e-mail of overdue items. E-mail listings with the library are never sold or given to any other organization, or for any other purpose. Providing your e-mail address to the library saves you time and money and can help you keep track of your library record. Call the Circulation Department at (708) 798-0121 ext. 236 to update your e-mail address today.

Zoo Passes
Brookfield Zoo has graciously provided our library with passes to the zoo for up to 4 persons. Patrons with a Homewood library card may check out a pass for 3 days with a $25 cash refundable deposit. The passes may not be reserved, are limited to one per family, and must be picked up/returned to the Circulation Desk during regular open library hours. There is no grace period for these passes and the overdue fine is $2 per day. A lost zoo pass would require forfiture of deposit and an additional $10.

Assistive Services

Audio Books
The library has a large collection of books recorded on audiocassette, compact disc and MP3 (both on CDs and available for download). These include fiction, mystery, nonfiction, self-help, instructional, business, and radio programs.

Closed-Captioned Videos
Closed-captioned videos are located in our nonfiction, fiction and children’s video collections.

Homebound Service
If you’re homebound, you can still enjoy all the library has to offer, because we’ll bring it to you! The service fills either a permanent or short-term need by delivering and picking up all kinds of library materials at a prearranged time. To be eligible, you must be a Homewood / East Hazel Crest resident and be either: physically handicapped; recovering from surgery; a senior who can’t get to the library; or unable to maintain normal activity due to a chronic illness. If you are homebound but have someone who can pick up your library materials, we can still provide personalized service for you. Let us know what type of materials you’d like to have. We’ll collect them and have them waiting when your delivery person stops in. If you are interested in Homebound Service, please contact the Reader's Services Desk at (708) 798-0121 ext. 232.

Instructional Sign Language Books and Videos
These materials are located in the non-fiction collections of both the Reference and the Children’s Services Departments.

Large Print
A collection of large print books is located near the elevator. The collection includes fiction, mysteries, non-fiction, biographies and Reader’s Digest.

Magnifiers
Table-top magnifiers are available in the Reference Department. Small, hand-held magnifiers are located at the Reference Desk, Reader's Advisory Desk, and Children’s Services Desk.

Talking Books Service
The Voices of Vision Talking Book Service provides recorded books, materials in Braille format and descriptive videos for use by those with visual, physical or reading disabilities which prevent them from reading conventional print. For more information contact Voices of Vision at 1-800-227-0625.

Library Equipment

Computers
For our Internet policy, please consult the Library's Policy Manual.

The Computer Lab offers 18 public computers, upstairs in the west corner, with access to the Internet, the library’s catalog and subscription databases, and Microsoft Office products.

Effective September 10, 2007, all computers will be checked out on an hourly basis.

Homewood Library cardholders will be entitled to 1 hour of free computer time (renewable if there is no waiting list).

Homewood / East Hazel Crest residents without a Homewood Library Card will be directed to the Circulation Desk to either a) apply for a card, b) purchase a replacement card for $3, or c) purchase 1 hour of computer time for $2.

Non-Homewood / East Hazel Crest residents will be charged $1 an hour for computer use with a library card, or $2 an hour without a card.

All students are eligible for a student discount of $1 per hour. Students ages 14 and up must present a student ID to receive the student discount.
Seniors 55 or better are also entitled to a discount of $1 per hour.

The service fees will be collected at the Circulation Desk where a computer receipt / pass will be presented to the user upon payment.

Printing from the Computer Lab, Express and Catalog (OPAC) computers requires a print card. The print card dispenser is available in the Computer Lab. The initial cost of the debit card is 50 cents. As the machine only accepts dollar bills, your first dollar will purchase the debit card and pay for 5 pages of printing. Once the initial value of the card is spent, you may add value to the card. Printing is currently only available in black and white, at 10 cents per page.


Copiers
Copy machines are available on the first floor near the main entrance, in the Reference and Youth Service Departments, and on the second floor in the Reader's Services Department. Copies are 10 cents per page. In addition, there is a color copier in the Reference Department. Color copies are $1.00 per page.

Fax Machine
The library currently does not provide public fax service. We hope to offer this service in the future.

Microform Reader/Printer
The Microform reader/printer is located near the Reference Department. No appointment is needed to use the reader, and copies are 10 cents a page. The library has the following newspapers on microfilm: the Homewood-Flossmoor Star (from 1985) and the Chicago Tribune (from 1985). There are also older issues of magazines on microfiche, including Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, and Rolling Stone.

Typewriters
The library has two electric typewriters, useful for filling out forms or addressing envelopes, available in the second floor study rooms. No appointment is needed, however you must check in at the Reader's Services Desk before using the study rooms. Instructions are posted on the wall near the typewriter.

Wireless Network
Any laptop equipped with an 802.11b or 802.11g compatible wireless network card should be able to access the Homewood Public Library wireless network. Most network cards will automatically search for and find the strongest wireless access point and connect you to it as long as your card is set to obtain the IP address automatically and to obtain the DNS server address automatically. For more information, you may speak with the Computer Attendant at (708) 798-0121 ext. 279.

Meeting and Study Rooms

The library offers a variety of meeting and study spaces.

The following list describes each of the rooms. Meeting rooms may be reserved by a Homewood Public Library cardholder 18 years of age and older, as long as the meeting is for non-profit purposes and the majority of the attendees are residents of Homewood and/or East Hazel Crest. The rooms can be booked for up to a four-hour time period. Any given group can reserve the rooms just 4 times each calendar year. Meetings in any room must be completed by the times the library closes. Click here for library hours. For more information about our policy, click here.

To book a room, a Meeting Room Application must be completed and submitted to the library. Applications are accepted via fax at (708) 798-0662. Reservations will be confirmed by phone or mail depending on how close the application is processed to meeting date. For more information, please contact Diane at (708) 798-0121 ext. 226.

Mable Murphy Meeting Room (capacity 120)
The Mable Murphy Meeting Room is located on the first floor near the main entrance in the lobby's northern corner. This room has a small kitchen and projection equipment for video and DVD. There are tables and chairs which can be set up to your specifications for a fee.

Conference Room (capacity 12)
The Conference Room is located on the first floor near the main entrance in the lobby's southern corner. This windowed room has a large meeting table and soft chairs. There is a mini-bar like kitchen and a dry erase board/projection screen to help facilitate meetings. Projectors and video equipment are not available in this room.

Study Rooms (capacity 1)
Study Rooms are located in the Reader's Services Department on the second floor, and may be used by individuals only. A library card is required in order to use these rooms and must be presented when registering with the Reader's Services staff.