History
The St. Louis County Library District was established as a political subdivision of the State of Missouri with taxing authority by an election held in April 1946. The first library building opened in 1947 and was quickly followed by two branch locations. The 1960s saw an additional four branches, including a new headquarters building and the first of many building expansions. This building boom resulted in the construction of branches throughout the 523 square miles of the county. A tax levy passed in 1973 allowed the library to add 12 branches to the system, bringing the total number of branch locations to 20. In 2020, St. Louis County Library announced that it will no longer charge fines on late materials. Patrons will still be required to pay for lost or damaged materials. In 2021, it was announced that St. Louis County Library and St. Louis City Library will begin sharing an Integrated Library System the following year. The integrated system will make it possible for patrons of both libraries to check out or view materials from either library. Patrons will not require a new library card.Collections & Services
Items available to borrow include books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, video games, binoculars, laptops (along with WiFi hotspots), fishing equipment, musical instruments, projectors, and telescopes. Patrons also have access to various online resources, downloadable eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and some web streaming content (movies and TV). The loan period for all materials is 14 days, except for Inter-Library Loans (21 days), MOBIUS Books (28 days), and MOBIUS Audiovisual (AV) equipment (10 days). In addition to books and other library materials, SLCL offers free programs and services including computer classes, small business assistance, job help, storytimes, STEM programming, summer and winter reading clubs, individualized help, and more. Individual branches offer a variety of programs as well as public computers, meeting spaces, free public WiFi, fax services, printing, document, and book scanning. St. Louis County Library is a part of MOBIUS—a partnership of libraries providing patrons with access to over 60 million items from academic, special, and public libraries. Patrons can request MOBIUS materials through the MOBIUS online catalog with delivery to their local branch in less than five days.Borrowing Limits
There a maximum number of each type of item a patron can have checked out at one time. The limits are: * 100 books * Combined total of 25 CDs (Music and Audiobooks) and Playaways * 25 DVDs * Combined total of 5 Fishing Kits, Musical Instruments, Telescopes, and Wi-Fi Hotspots * 1 pair of Binoculars * 2 video games * 1 portable Projector * 5 Inter-Library Loans (of any type) * 10 materials checked out from MOBIUS The total limit of materials (of any type) checked out at any one time is 100.History & Genealogy Department
Founded in 1998, History & Genealogy at St. Louis County library features a research collection of over 95,000 print volumes, 850 periodical titles, and over 40,000 microfilms. History & Genealogy's collection offers unique genealogical and historical sources emphasizing the St. Louis Metropolitan area, the state of Missouri, and states and foreign countries that fed migration into Missouri. History & Genealogy offers access to substantial holdings for Atlantic states, the Northwest Territory, the Louisiana Purchase, and sources for Canada, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the British Isles. At its core are the collections of thBranches
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