How Do I ... ?

If you don't find the answer you need here, contact us or search our website.

Place a Hold

Click on "Catalog" in the black banner at the top of the page.
Search for the item by typing a word(s) in the white box and click "Search".
You will see a Results list. If you do not get the results you want, choose "Select Location" on the right side of the screen and pull down the list to see items belonging to other libraries.
The Results list will display the most relevant items on the top of the list.
Click on the title (blue and underlined) for more information about a specific item that interests you.
This screen gives more information about the selected item, such as author, title, subject, details, type of material (book, audio, DVD, etc.), and current location.
Click on "Place Hold".
Type in your library barcode number (no spaces) and your PIN.
Click "Place Hold".
You will be contacted when the hold is available.

Return an Item

A 24-hour convenient return drop box is located west of the main library entrance.

An item can be returned at any area library and a interlibrary delivery service will insure the arrival of the item to the home library.

Get a Library Card

The Robert W. Rowe Public Library District includes Mission Township and the part of Miller Township that is included in Community Unit #2 School District. If you live in our service area you may get a library card , renewable every three years, free of charge as part of your tax-supported library service.

Your library card allows you to:

Borrow items from our library and from most other public libraries in Illinois.
Renew books from the website.
Use special online collections to find magazine articles and information you can't get just by searching the web.
Use the public computers.

To get a library card, simply bring in proof of your physical address and a photo ID, such as a Driver's License. You will be asked to fill out an application form to receive your card.

Families living outside of the library's service area but are included in Community Unit #2 School District are considered non-residents of the library district and are able to purchase a library card. Non-resident family cards will be calculated using the tax bill method and be valid for one year.

· Non-Resident Taxpayer – The library tax rate or equivalent, including all special levies, is applied to the non-resident property owner’s principal residence assessed valuation on an individual, case by case basis. The most recent property tax bill will be used. The property owner will pay the same amount as would be paid if the property were in the library service area.

· Non-Resident Renter – The library rate will be 15% of the monthly rent as an annual non-resident fee. The renter shall provide the library a current rent receipt or a cancelled rent check for verification purposes.

· Minimum fee – A minimum fee of $50.00 will be charged.

These cards are for families not residing in any library district. Upon proper application and payment of the fee the patron may be issued a library card that enables members of the family to use the facilities of the library and to withdraw materials. Any rules cited above shall likewise apply to non-residents.

Renew Books

To renew books and other items, click on "Catalog" at the top of the screen located on the black banner. You will be linked to the electronic catalog. Click on the "My Account" tab. Enter your library card number and PIN. Click "Log In". Click on "Renew My Materials". Select items that you wish to renew and click "Renew Selected Items". To renew all of your items, select "Renew All".

Another option to renew books is the automated toll free call-in system, 888-542-7259. When you call this number you may renew items, get a list of items currently checked out and the due dates, and a list of overdue items.

Get a Newsfeed of Library Headlines

This website has several "feeds", which allow you to automatically receive links to news and events as they're posted on the site. Using feeds is a convenient way to keep up with as many blogs, news sites, and other websites as you like. For a quick tutorial about feeds and how they work, see Common Craft's RSS in Plain English video.

Feeds are marked with a special icon , which you click to "subscribe" to the feed by adding it to whichever program you use as a feed reader (see below).

Feeds on this site include:

Library news
Items featured on the Home page
Events

There are a number of tools available for subscribing to and reading feeds. Here are a few examples:

Online feed readers, such as Google Reader or Bloglines.
Software, such as NewsGator, that you download and install on your computer.
Widgets for your own web space or portal, such as on MySpace, Google, or My Yahoo.
The toolbars on some web browsers, like Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox.
RSS feed support in some email programs, like Outlook 2007.

Each tool has its own specific instructions for adding feeds, but the process is usually as simple as pasting in the feed's address or selecting from a menu.