Teachers and adults who work with kids and teens can take advantage of BCL’s wide variety of time-saving and enriching services, programs and special collections.
Educator Library Card
You are eligible to apply for a free Educator Card if you are a Wisconsin resident who works for a licensed early childhood/childcare center, K-12 public or private school or similar organization. Your Educator Card will allow you to track your borrowing of books and items for classroom use separate from your personal library borrowing. Plus, the higher maximum holds and checkouts are helpful for working with large numbers of students. For details, read Things to Know about Educator Library Cards. To apply, print and complete the application form or ask for one at any BCL location. Bring the form to the checkout desk along with the required identification listed on the back of the application.
Early Literacy Resources (ages 0-6)
BCL programs, services and resources targeting pre-reading skills, kindergarden readiness and child development.
Teacher & Author Kits (grades preK-5)
Tubs of books and related educational toys and resources on select topics for educators, including home-schooling parents. For a list of contents, click on the kit title in the BCL catalog. Available at Central Library only. To reserve a kit for a two-week period, email or call the Youth Services Department at 920.448.5846.
P.A.K.s (ages 4-5) and Booster Packs (ages 0-3)
Each ready-to-borrow backpack or tote bag features carefully selected books, a toy/puppet, a DVD (P.A.K.s only), and an activity sheet, all on a popular topic. These can’t be reserved for particular time periods, but you can place holds for pickup at any BCL location and check them out for three weeks.
Multiple Copy Collections for Classrooms/Groups (grades 3-12)
BCL offers more than 60 titles for group reading and discussion. See our Annotated List of Titles and our User Guidelines. Available at Central Library only. For details or to reserve a set for a particular month(s), email or call the Youth Services Department at 920.448.5846.
Summer Reading Programs (babies – grade 12)
Ask your librarian each spring/summer about how to sign up your class/group to earn prizes by reading. We have reading programs for children, teens and adults.
BCL Booklists for Kids & Teens (babies – grade 12)
Booklists prepared by BCL staff for various interests and reading levels, including some for adults who work with children. Each list is a printable PDF. Click the titles within each list to connect to the BCL catalog to see the book’s details and availability and to place holds.
Group Library Card Sign-ups (grades preK-12)
Ask how you can make it easier for your students/group members to get library cards, including free replacements. Please email or call the Youth Services Department at 920.448.5846 or ask at your branch library.
Library Field Trip Programs & Tours (grades preK-12)
For current offerings, email or call the Youth Services Department at 920.448.5846, or ask at your branch library.
Teacher/Custom Collections (grades preK-12)
Library staff will use their expertise to pull together books and resources for quick pickup, based on your topic and requested reading/grade levels. More advance notice usually gets you a better selection. Check out the items on your library card. Email or call the Central Library Youth Services Department at 920.448.5846, or contact your branch library.
Arduino Resources (grades 5 and up)
Educators interested in coding will want to know what BCL offers for tweens and teens related to the credit-card-sized, programmable microcontrollers called Arduino.
Teen Volunteer Program (entering grade 6 and up)
BCL offers volunteer opportunities that can help your students gain experience and fulfill service learning requirements.
Parent/Teacher Center
This special collection located in the Children’s Department at the Central Library features books and information for parents, homeschoolers, teachers, and other adults who work with young children.
Explora for Elementary Schools
Search by keyword or click on photos to browse for trusted age-appropriate information related to animals, art, biographies, geography, language arts, math, science, and social studies. You can even search for children’s magazine articles by Lexile reading level and find lesson plans from popular educational magazines. Learn and teach about Explora through a scavenger hunt for primary students or secondary students. See Badgerlink for additional online resources.
LearningExpress Library Grades 4-8 Educator Resources
Library card number required. For elementary and middle school teachers to supplement classroom instruction with curriculum-aligned materials in math, reading, writing and social studies. Provided by BadgerLink.
PBS Wisconsin Education & At-home Learning (grades preK-12)
Free curriculum-aligned broadcast and online resources, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
TeachingBooks
More than 250,000 free resources about books for kids and teens, including videos of author interviews and book readings, read-along audiobook performances, author’s name pronunciations, book trailer videos, homework support, diverse book resources, and a readers advisory search page to help find the right book along with related teacher resources.
