Services

Library Card
- Checkout and Fines - Community Room Use - Study Room Use - In-Library Use -
Inter-Library Loans/Open AccessPublic Computer AccessComputer Classes - Information Services - Basic Services
Library Card:
To use the services of the Independence Public Library, you must have a library card.  Anyone who lives in Buchanan County who is five years old or older may fill out an application at the library to get their own card.  Those five years-old and may use the library with a parent or guardian.

Checkout and Fines:          
We have materials in the following formats:  Books, Magazines, Audiobooks, DVDs, Videos, ABC Kits, Children's Software.  Our checkout period for everything except DVDs and videos is three weeks.  The checkout period for DVDs and Videos is one week.  Fines for DVDs and videos are $1.00 per day.  Fines for other materials are $.10 per day. 

Community Room Use:
The library now has a meeting room which seats 85 comfortably in chairs and 35 comfortably with tables and chairs.  There is a small kitchenette with a sink, microwave, refrigerator, and small serving counter.  This room can be used by organizations if they fit the criteria set out by our policy.  Click here to get a pdf form of our policy and application form.  The application is required to be faxed or submitted in person with a signature.  The contact person will be contacted within two business days to let him or her know if the application has been approved.  No meetings will be approved more than two months prior to the date of the meeting.  This allows the library to schedule library programs more readily.  All set up, tear down, and clean up are the responsibility of the party using the room.  Because parking is at a premium, we ask meeting attendees to use the parking area east of the library (between Lee Mansion and accounting firm).

Study Room Use:
The library has four study rooms which can be checked out and used by small groups.  You may reserve a study room by calling 334-2470 or talking with library staff while at the library.  They can be reserved up to two months in advance.  There are two study rooms which accomodate 1-2 people.  They are the Independence Room and the Buchanan Room.  There is one medium-sized room, the Iowa Room, which will hold 3-4 people.  The largest room, the Freedom Room, will accommodate up to 10 people. 

In-Library Use:                   
Use our newspapers and reference books in the library.  We carry The Independence Bulletin-Journal, The Shopper's Reminder, The Waterloo Courier, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, The Winthrop News,  The Wall Street Journal, Cappers, The Iowa Sierran, and The Farm Bureau Spokesman.  We have over 70  magazine subscriptions.  Browse the current issues at the library and check out earlier issues.

Inter-Library Loans/Open Access:                                         
Access materials from other Iowa libraries through the Independence Public Library.  Typically, it takes a week to ten days to acquire an item.  There is a $1.00 charge per item when we inter-library loan materials, unless they come on "van mail."  If they are delivered via van mail through the local AEAs, then there is no charge.  Otherwise, the $1 helps to cover the cost of processing.  Open Access means that you can borrow materials from another Iowa public library and return them to the Independence Library.  Or, somebody outside of our area could check out materials from the Independence Library and return them to another Iowa library.

Public Computer Access:
The programs that we have available on our computers are:  Internet, Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and FrontPage.  Our computers are available to anybody who has a library card with us and who has signed an Internet Permission Form.  If under 18, a child's parents also need to sign the permission form.  Visitors from out of town are also welcome to use our computers. 
Computers can be reserved from the library's home page if you have an Independence Public Library card.  Click on Reserve a Library Computer in the upper right portion of the page.
Patrons may check out a computer for one hour.  The library has 20 public access computers, five of which are laptops available for use at the library.
The cost of printing a grayscale copy from a library computer is $.10.  Printing a color copy costs $1.00. 

Computer Classes:
Beginning computer classes and sessions highlighting specific software will be offered as needed.  Please inquire if there is a computer class that you would like to see offered at the library.   When classes are scheduled they will be posted on the library door and in the Independence Bulletin-Journal.

Information Services:            
We will be happy to help you with your reference questions.  You may come to the library or call us.  We have a collection of reference books and can also assist you in doing research on the computer.   We have several  programs which can help to find the needed information...EBSCOhost which includes full-text magazines, journals, encyclopedias, and newspapers; MapPoint which will assist with maps and directions; and the Encarta Reference Library which includes an encyclopedia, literature guides, homework center, dictionary, atlas, and other resources.  Internet access is also available.

Basic Services:                        
Request materials for purchase
Reserve materials and we will call you when the item is in and you are next on the list.
Renew items in person or over phone
Photocopy library materials at $.10 a page and other materials at $.25 a page
Fax pages at a cost of $1.00 for each page
Income tax forms available during tax season

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