• History
  

• The Collection
  
  
• Services
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions
  
  

THE COLLECTION

As of the end of 1998, the Katonah Village Library owned:

• 63,521 books
• 196 magazine and newspaper subscriptions
• 1910 audio recordings
• 811 video tapes

The total Adult and Childrens circulation for 1998 was 110,086.
The Reference staff addressed approximately 37,100 questions.
Between the Adult and Children's Departments, the Library sponsored 232 programs.

Children's Room

The Children's Room in the Katonah Village Library provides a wide variety of programs for children from infants to upper elementary school age. Story hours are regularly scheduled for lap-sitting babies, Toddler, and for Threes, Fours & Fives. Older children may participate in craft programs and reading programs.

Not to be forgotten is the huge Summer Reading Game for readers and pre-readers which has a different theme every year.

Special events such as live animal programs, author visits, storytellers and puppet shows are scheduled throughout the year.

The Children's Room is home to an astounding collection of dolls in native costumes from all over the world, which were collected by Katonah women in their travels in decades past. Three lighted display cases show off these lovely dolls.

While you're in the Children's Room, please say hello to Tina the Turtle. Tina, a Florida River Cooter, was abandoned on the Library's doorstep in the fall of 1991. Following a "Name the Turtle" contest, Tina took up residence on the Children's Room windowsill. Tina has grown to several times her original size, and has outgrown more than one tank! All of Tina's expenses are covered by contributions from her friends.

Call the Children's Room at 232-1233 for more information on programs and services.

Young Adult

The Young Adult department of the Katonah Village Library, known as Teen Time, features an excellent collection of books and audio books aimed to interest the middle school and high school students

The Teen Time fiction collection is designed to bridge the gap between children's books and adult books. Teen books are long on exciting plot elements and short on boring descriptive writing. (Psst, adults: sometimes a a teen book will perfectly fill your need for an overview of your subject or simply for fun reading.)

The Teen Time area has two computers - a regular PC and a MAC. Adults may use the Teen Time area and computers before 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Call the Library at 232-3508 and ask for the Teen Librarian for information on upcoming programs.

Reference

The Katonah Village Library's Reference collection is a treasure house of facts and figures. There are lots of scientific handbooks, political and governmental resources, Federal Census materials, historical, geographical, and critical materials; literary, financial, and multicultural information sources. Service to the public is the mission of the Library, and the Reference staff is eager to help you find the facts you need.

The library offers access to online databases that provide access to general information, business, magazine/newspaper, learning languages, testing (SAT, civil, etc.), job searching, storytelling, and downloadable audiobook & e-book databases for adults, students and pre-K.

Call the Reference Librarian at 914-232-3508 or email katref@wlsmail.org for more information on reference materials, online databases, searching the Internet, genealogy searching, and that one question that does not seem to have an answer. We will try to answer it for you..

Special Collections

The Katonah Village Library has several subject specialties. Partly due to the long association between the Katonah Museum of Art and the Library, there is a fine collection of books of the visual arts. Special fund monies are grown and nurtured so the Library can purchase art books which might otherwise be unaffordable.

The Library also has a good collection of plays. Even if a play is not listed in the online catalog by author or title, it can frequently be found through a search of Play Index. The Library also houses a growing collection of titles on play production, donated by the Katonah Community Theater members.

If you are interested in fishing, you will want to see the Library's assortment of books and videos on freshwater fishing and fly-tying. TheLibrary is known for having a fine collection of current travel books covering the entire world. An endowed fund in memory of former Reference Librarian Helen Olson, who died in February 1998, will provide for the ongoing purchase of large pictorial works on both domestic and international destinations.

SERVICES

The Katonah Village Library has computers available to the public for Internet access, online databases, job searching, downloadable report writing, follow-up letters after the interview, friendly correspondence, and the writing of the Great American Novel. The computer capabilities are always changing, so call 232-3508 to find out what is available today!

A small conference is also available for free, but you have to sign-up to use it. Please click here for more information.

Internet Access and Training

The Katonah Village Library, like all of the public libraries in the Westchester Library System, provides free access to the Internet. Currently the Library has four adult terminals that may be used for "surfing", job searches, for serious fact-checking, and everything in between.

The library also has Wireless Internet Access. In order to connect, your computer must have a WiFi-compatible network card installed (802.11b or 802.11g).

Anyone may sign up for a half hour session on any of the Internet-connected terminals in the adult computer center. The Library's policies concerning Internet use are posted near the terminals.

Patrons with Mouse Fear or who need a helping hand to learn basic Internet skills are invited to participate in the "Internet for the Absolute Beginner" sessions scheduled every Tuesday morning at 11 am and every Thursday afternoon at 3 pm. If these times are not good for you, call the Library and you will be accommodated.

We also have teen volunteers who help library patrons get comfortable with the computers (PC or MAC), establish e-mail accounts and provide introductions to the Internet, Microsoft Word or Excel. Please call 914-232-3508 to make an appointment.

A laundry list of Library services

For your use and enjoyment:

books, magazines, movie, audiobooks, compact discs, maps, atlases, microfilm and microfiche readers and printers.

For community needs:

the Children's Room, new books on display, mysteries, science fiction, large print books, business reference, local history information, consumer information, telephone books and online database access.

For the needs of the many:

information by telephone (232-3508), an online catalog showing location and status of books in all of the Westchester public libraries, programs for people of all ages, Internet & WiFi connections, and access to the holdings of college libraries in Westchester and environs.

For your convenience:

a photocopier, microfilm and microfiche printers, an outside book/audio-visual materials return box, meeting rooms for groups from two to two hundred, extended vacation loans, restrooms, and full access for the physically handicapped.

Exhibits of Local Artists' Works

When Katonah Gallery became the Katonah Museum of Art and moved out of the Katonah Library building in 1991, a capital improvement program paid for the renovation of the space they had used on the Library's lower level.

Since the space was already associated with the exhibition of art, the Library opened up two community rooms for the display of works by local artists. Local artists are invited to apply to the Library's Board of Trustees for a four week exhibit time. A sampling of the artists' work will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees. The rooms are reserved many months in advance of the exhibit, so don't delay in making your move. A modest charge for the cleaning and maintenance of the room(s) is paid by the artist.

Room Rental

The two community rooms created by a capital improvement program in 1991 are available for rental to individuals or groups during evening and weekend hours. Please consult with the Library to learn about the sizes, prices, and regulations governing the rental of the rooms.

Non-profit organizations may use the rooms during Library hours with the proviso that patrons who want to see the current art exhibit will have the right to enter the rooms.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How do I get a Library card?

A: If you live in the Town of Bedford and have a Katonah mailing address, just bring a piece of mail or a utility bill, or something official that shows your name and address, and we'll issue you a card on the spot. Children under 16 must bring a parent or legal guardian (there is no minimum age for application.) If you live elsewhere in Westchester, we can direct you to your home library in the town where you pay your residential taxes. If you live outside of Westchester, but work, own land, attend school, or pay taxes in Westchester, you can go to the library supported by your (or your employer's) tax dollars. If all else fails, the Westchester Library System will provide you with full library service for $75 per year.

Q: How long can I keep this (book, cassette, video, magazine, pamphlet, CD, etc.)?

A: The Katonah Library circulates most hardcover books, paperbacks, audiobooks,and CD's for three weeks. New fiction, and travel books, go out for two weeks. Express books (7-day new books), magazines and DVD's circulate for a week.

Q: Can I return this (library item) when the library is closed?

A: The Katonah Library has a book drop at the corner of Bedford Road and Parkway in front of the Library. The book drop is always open, and you may return any library materials there, including DVDs. The drop is emptied frequently - your library item will be taken off the record immediately.

Q: Can I return this (library item) to another Library?

A: All types of library media may be returned to other libraries in Westchester County. Other libraries can accept payment of overdue fines on an item.

Q: My book's overdue: should I put it in the book drop or wait until I can go in to return it in person?

A: Returning a book in the drop stops the fine. Don't worry, the computer circulation system will remind you about the fine the next time you check something out.

Q: May I renew this?

A: Books, magazines, pamphlets, DVDs, music CDs and audiobooks may be renewed one time either by telephone (232-3508) or in person. Renewals are not available for items on hold for someone else.

Q: What school districts are in the Katonah area?

A: Most Katonah residents with school-aged children are served by the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, which is comprised of four elementary schools, John Jay Middle School and John Jay High School. For those of you filling out college applications, financial aid forms, or income tax forms, Katonah-Lewisboro is School District 316. A small part of Katonah's kid population attends the Bedford Free School District schools.

Q: How do I get more information on your programs?

A: Sign-up for our e-newsletter sent out once or twice a month by e-mail (sign-up at the circulaton desks or send an email to katref@wlsmail.org with your name & telephone number), click on Newsletter or Events Calendar links on the website's Main Page. Local newspapers will also list the Library's programs.

Q: Does the Library have a book sale?

A: Yes, there's a big sale around the third week in October, which is an important factor in the Library's annual budget (30% or more of the budget comes from donations and fund-raising events like the book sale.) Books, DVDs, games, etc. donated by the public are available for sale at tag sale prices. Sometimes there is a Mini Book Sale in late spring. There are two year 'round Book Sale tables set up on the main floor of the Library - one for adult and one for teenagers. For more information about the book sale click here.

Q: Can I donate books to the book sale?

A: The Library welcomes donations large and small. The Library starts accepting donations in February and stops by the end of August. Call if you wish to bring donations after that time. Books may be brought to the Library any time it is open. We welcome hardcover and paperback books in good condition; and are sorry to say we cannot handle magazines, textbooks, encyclopedias, or out of date travel and financial books. Please give books the "sniff test" before you bring them in -- if they've been stored in a basement or garage, they may be unusable. It's hard to throw away a book, but you can do it as well as we can. For more information about the book sale click here.

Q: What can I do to help?

A: The Katonah Village Library has a Friends of the Library group that supplies the library with help in the form of volunteer shelf readers. Volunteers are also needed for the Book Sale. The staff is very appreciative of the community members who give a modicum of time every month to help keep the books in order on the shelves. For information about signing up, call 232-3508. There are other volunteer jobs that will add to the Library's services, some one-time efforts, some ongoing projects. Teens who wish to volunter, please contact the Teen Librarian to learn about doing community service at the library.

Q: Where did you get that clock?

A: The Library's Grandfather clock is over 8 feet tall. It was probably built before 1895, and must have been an expensive item: the clockworks are intricate, and the cabinet work equally so.

The clock was donated to the Library by a townsperson in the 1920's, and has guarded the readers' time continually since then. The clock is wound with a key once a week. The "planter's clock" shows the phases of the moon, the Westminster chimes play on the quarter hours, and a solemn bong marks the hours. Generations of children have stood in awe of both the sound and the stern gentleman's face carved above the lintel.