Crystal Lake Public Library now offers access cards to all District 47 students

The Crystal Lake Public Library and Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 have partnered to provide student access to the library regardless of address.

The agreement allows District 47 students that live outside of the library’s boundaries to have “limited access” to materials, programs and resources. The library’s boundaries are the same as Crystal Lake. Many students live in unincorporated areas that don’t provide any library services.

Student Access Cards will be available starting Aug. 1.

Nonresident students will be able to check out up to three books or audiobooks at a time with the access card. They also will be able to register for library programs and use databases at the library. Regular cardholders can check out up to 100 books at a time and up to 50 audiobooks at one time.

“We realized when we were going out to promote services like our databases or summer reading programs, we would be presenting to a group of kids that not everyone had the same access to things that we were trying to get them excited about,” Crystal Lake Public Library Executive Director Becky Fyolek said in a phone interview.

The library provides electronic resources including Brainfuse HelpNow, ScholasticGo and PebbleGo. Library staff will be able to help students with homework and research, Fyolek said.

The card does not allow students to check out movies, music, video games and hotspots. It only can be used by the registered student and only at Crystal Lake Public Library.

“Our hope is this partnership will allow the library to better support our students, teachers and schools in a path to lifelong learning,” Fyolek said in a news release.

There are over 700 nonresident District 47 students that are eligible for the new access cards, according to the release. Most of the students eligible for the cards are from North and West Elementary Schools, Fyolek said.

Students that are eligible for free or reduced lunch programs can get a full access library card for free under the Illinois Cards for Kids Act.

The District 47 Board and the Library Board of Trustees approved the intergovernmental agreement last fall. District 47 will cover the costs of printing the cards and student reading logs.

The library now will be able to use District 47 auditoriums and gymnasium spaces for indoor programs.

The schools under District 47 eligible for the Student Access Cards are Canterbury, Coventry, Glacier Ridge, Husmann, Indian Prairie, North, South, West, Woods Creek, Hannah Beardsley, Lundahl and Richard Bernotas.

“We’re really excited to welcome everyone to the library,” Fyolek said. “We want to be that place for people to go when they have a need, whatever need that may be.”