How Do I…?
Reserve the latest best seller?
To ensure that you get a copy of the book you want to read, you can place a hold online, by phone or in person. When the book is available, you will be contacted. Holds for digital books are placed online.
Find an item that the Library doesn’t own?
Perhaps you want to read an older book from a favorite author or watch a film that we don’t own; all you have to do is ask one of our staff members for help. If the item is available from any of the 24 libraries in our consortium, you can reserve it online and it will be sent here for you to pick up. Or staff can obtain the item through our interlibrary loan service, just ask us! You can also use your library card to check out materials from literally any library anywhere. Through the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service, patrons have access to collections across the state, country and world. Contact a staff member for help.
Download an eBook (or any digital item)?
So many choices! Park Ridge Public Library has more than 200,000 choices available for you to download on your device in either eBooks or audio format. And that’s not counting the more than 12,000 movies, 15,000 TV shows, 275,000 music titles and hundreds of magazines. Digital items are available from several different sources and each works differently so it can be a challenge to get started. If you are a DIY person we have instructions for you, but remember, we are here to help. You can call us or come into the Library and we’ll help you get started. The eBooks and Downloadables page on our website provides links with detailed instructions. The directions that came with your device will tell you the format you need to download.
Get help with homework?
Tutor.com provides you with online access to more than 3000 tutors who are experts in more than 25 academic subjects including math, science, writing and social studies. Every Tutor.com session is one-to-one between tutor and student. Live one-to-one homework help from tutors is available 3 – 10:00 p.m. or you can use the Skills Center 24/7. To help you get started with Tutor.com, you can access their tutorial from www.parkridgelibrary.org/homework-help/
Use the online databases to conduct research?
If you have never checked out the Databases page (www.parkridgelibrary.org/databases/ you might be surprised at the breadth and depth of information you can access. The 60 databases cover a wide range of information that is not easily found on the Internet. You will need your Library card to use them from home. Some of our databases even have mobile apps! If you need help, ask a staff member.
Get the most out of my Library card?
Check out the Park Ridge Library Academy for video tutorials on subjects ranging from A to Z, including databases, book recommendations, downloading instructions as well as using popular apps like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
The easiest way to get the most out of your Library card is to USE IT!