Circulation Services

The Circulation Department is your first point of contact when entering the library.  Here you may check out materials; review or request items; pay fines; process or renew library cards; schedule use of the meeting room; and ask questions about your account or the library in general.  The circulation department houses all adult and teen fiction.  Large Print Books - fiction and non-fiction - are also available as well as fiction audio books on cassette, CD, and Playways (pre-loaded self-playing difital audio books); Videos, DVDs, Music CDs, and some MP3s.

Click here to get information about your library card, the library's borrowing policy, loan periods, renewals, and fines.

Youth Services
The Youth Services Department is located on the first floor of the main library.  Here you will find books in all formats (print, audio, and read along) along with magazines, DVDs, Videos, Music CDs, CD-ROMs, Puppets, Discovery Packs, and the Parent Teacher Collection (PAT). 

The Youth Services Department holds a five week Preschool Storytime in both the spring and the fall.  Every summer, the department hosts a reading program.  Children from toddlers through 8th grade read books to earn small prizes.

For more information about the Youth Services Department, check out the "Kids and Teens" section of our website.

Teen Services
Young Adult books can be found on the first floor near the circulation desk.  This collection includes fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels geared towards teenagers. 

For more information about the happenings and events of the Teen Services Department, click here.

Reference Services
The Reference Department is located on the 2nd floor of the main library.  Here you will find all of our non-fiction books, audio books, video cassettes, and DVDs.  Current newspapers and magazines are also housed in this department. 

Ten public access internet computers are available in this department.  Here you can surf the web and prepare research papers and resumes.  For our computer use policy, click here.

The Interlibrary Loan department is also located here.  Here you'll be able to order books and other materials not available through the Lewis and Clark Library System. 

Thanks to a generous donation from the Belleville-News Democrat, the Belleville Public Library houses a Satellite Resource Center of the Saint Louis Art Museum.  It provides free services to anyone who has a Lewis and Clark Library System card.  Instructional materials including slide kits, Art Access kits, videotapes, lesson plans, curriculum kits, and gallery guides may be borrowed from the library.  For more information on the SLAM collection and a complete listing of the library's holdings, click here to download an informational brochure.

The Archives and Genealogy Department is also located on the 2nd floor of the main library.  Here you will find resources for you to search for your family history.  This section also houses materials relating to the history of Belleville and St. Clair County as well as resources on Illinois History.

Please click here to go to the Archives and Genealogy section of our website.

West Branch Location
Belleville West Branch Library is a convenient option for patrons living in West Belleville and has a wide selection of materials for your enjoyment.  We are especiall proud of our DVD, large print, cookbook, and holiday collections.

Younger patrons enjoy our large children's area with tables and chairs.  Programs for children include story times in the fall and spring as well as a summer reading program.

Several computers and a meeting room are available for patron use.  Ample free parking is conveniently located directly behind the library.

Senior Services
We have a number of resources available to older adults.  The library is handicapped accessible with outside ramps and automatic doors.  We also have an elevator for public use.

New titles are constantly being added to our large print and audio book collections so check our catalog often! 

In addition, we will be more than happy to assist you in signing up for the Illinois Talking Books Program.  Members receive special cassette tape players and can order audio books through the mail to be delivered to your home.  For more information about the Talking Book Programs, click here.

In addition to large print books, we also have a full-color screen magnifier available for patron use.  It is located on the second floor of the Main Library.  The magnifier can be used to read newspapers, magazines, and books or to sign documents.  Easy to use control buttons allow the user to locate page position, adjust the magnification, focus, and increase or decrease the contrast and brightness.