Check out limits, effective November 1, 2011:
Most items may be checked out for 21 days. Videos and DVDs may be kept for 7 days. Feature or popular DVDs cost $1.00 to check out.
On the top banner of this website, just below "The Kansas City Public Library", is a dropdown menu that says "Find books and more in the catalog." Next to the dropdown menu is a search box. Type your search term in that box and select the Search button.
For instance, if you want to see books about butterflies, enter the word "butterflies" into the search box. You could also enter an author's name or book title. Use the same approach to find movies, CDs, audiobooks--anything that you would like to check out of the Library.
The page will refresh with the catalog results.
Library computers
On the Catalog-Only computers in the Central Library, click the Catalog icon. On all other library computers, click either the Catalog icon or the Kansas City Public Library icon.
Search
Enter your search term in the search box in the top banner of this website, then select the Search button.
Broaden
After you enter a search term, the catalog will display a list of results. If you don't see what you want, use the word "constellation" at the left to explore other possibilities.
Refine
"Refine" shows you what your search results contain. Click on any term to focus and narrow your results.
Find the book, movie, or other item in our Library Catalog that you want, and then click Place Hold and fill out the form.
You'll probably need to enter your library card number and PIN. Choose your pickup location. Select the Place Hold button.
You'll be notified by email or telephone when the item is ready for you to pick up.
When you first got your library card, you filled out a form that asked how you wanted to be notified (this information was also for overdue notices). You have three choices - email, phone (get an automated message), or by mail.
You have seven days to pick up the item. If you need to change the pickup location, just give us a call at 816-701-3400 and ask us to change the location for you.
Our library is part of a group of 25 other cooperating libraries in the metro area. We can usually get materials from these libraries, too. What that means to you is that if you select ALL when searching the catalog, you'll be searching a lot more books than if you select just All Kansas City MO Public Libraries. These materials can be delivered to your local branch.
KCLC is a regional library consortium created in 1991 to provide easy access to information, share resources and improve customer service in an economical fashion. Starting with the Kansas City Public Library and seven local college and university libraries, KCLC secured grant funding to help with start-up costs and keep “entrance fees” low.
Members include seven schools along with public, academic and special libraries. Their current combined bibliographic database contains over 2.5 million items, plus online access to indices, journals and a wide variety of other resources via the Internet.
Most materials in this collection are for reference only, and may not be checked out. These collections, however, a rich resource of local and regional history: including photographs, maps, postcards, books, articles, and records.
See kchistory.org [1] for more information.
The Missouri Valley Room on the 5th floor of the Central Library is your center for research in local history and genealogy. Whether it’s a street car line or a Civil War battle, we can help. Photographs, postcards, maps, city directories and an unequalled collection of books dating back to the founding of “The Town of Kansas” are available. Librarians are available to help you with your research. Telephone reference is available at 816.701.3427 and email at lhistory@kclibrary.org. [2]
Although we cannot do extensive research, we do offer research assistance and answers to questions that require short, factual responses.
Some of the resources of Missouri Valley Special Collections are available online. We also offer print and digital reproductions from our large photograph collection.
Links:
[1] http://www.kclibrary.org/kchistory.org
[2] mailto:lhistory@kclibrary.org