Tomorrow, February 1, 2023, the Winfield Branch will close for approximately six-seven weeks while renovations to update the space are being done.
The outside book drop will remain open for returns. We encourage our visitors to visit the Crown Point location to pick up holds and check-out materials during this time.
Due to the temporary closure a special storytime, designed for our Winfield Branch Book Babies and Little Listeners, will be held in the program room at the Crown Point location on Monday, February 6 at 10 a.m. Register here.
The February Book Discussion and the adult Paper Crafting program will take place, on their designated day and time, at the Holy Spirit Church Parish Life Center, located at 7667 E. 109th Ave, Crown Point, IN 46307.
Please continue to check our website and Facebook page for additional Winfield Branch programming updates during the renovation period.
Thank you for your patience while we update this space to better serve our visitors!
The improvements include:
Expanded interactive children’s play area
Remodeled public bathrooms
Addition of a private study room for public use
Removal of a wall to create a more open use of the current space
Increased shelving for library materials
Flooring replacement and upgrades
Door relocation to provide a more welcoming entry to the library
If you have additional questions, please contact Library Director, Julie Wendorf, at 219-306-8071.
Attention, OverDrive app users! The OverDrive app has been discontinued. Libby is OverDrive’s newer app for browsing and enjoying digital content from our library. All your loans, holds, and wish list items will be waiting for you in Libby when you add your library card. It’s time to give Libby a try! Learn more here
Libby also comes with new features we know you’ll love, like:
Tags to categorize books however you’d like
A central bookshelf for all loans and holds
Compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sonos speakers
Our new permanent Storywalk® signs are installed with The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Special thanks to the Friends of the Crown Point Library for purchasing our new signs, The City of Crown Point for partnering with the placement of some of the signs in the City’s green space, and Dimension Fence for doing a great job on the installation of all twenty signs.
On Monday, January 30 the Winfield Branch will close, for approximately six weeks, to begin the additional renovations to further improve the usability of the space for our visitors.
Some of the exciting parts of the project include the addition of a study room, an expanded children’s interactive play area, additional shelving to expand the selection of the materials, and a repurposing of the lobby space.
Visit our Facebook page for construction updates. Thank you for your patience during this project!
We are excited to announce, as of January 1, 2023, CPCL will no longer charge fines on overdue materials. In celebration of this historic change in policy, the Library will remove any pre-existing overdue fines for all library patron accounts – so that everyone gets a fresh start! Cardholders will continue to be responsible for returning items and paying for lost or damaged materials. Any cardholder with overdue library materials, whether days or years overdue, may return items without penalty and restore their borrowing privileges going forward.
The CPCL’s Board of Trustees approved the elimination of fines on November 28, 2022, during their regularly scheduled Board of Trustee meeting, on the recommendation from the library’s director, Julie Wendorf. Wendorf shared that the revenue attributed to fines has steadily declined in recent years due to the auto-renewal of materials and the revenue generated by the payment from fines accounted for less than 1% of the library’s operating budget. Going fine free will reduce barriers and increase equity for all library users, which aligns with the library’s guiding principle of ACCESS and also aligns with the 2019 American Library Association resolution encouraging libraries to eliminate overdue fines. CPCL joins a trend of other Indiana libraries going fine free; as of June 2022, 100 out of 236 public libraries in Indiana were fine free.
What does it mean to be fine-free?
Beginning January 1, 2023, all overdue fines will be removed from patron accounts and overdue fines will no longer accrue. Historic fees for lost or damaged items will still remain. Patrons are still responsible for returning library items and accounts will be blocked at $25.00 from the accumulation of lost/damaged fees.
CPCL will continue to send notifications when items are due and again if materials are not returned. After 14 days, unreturned items will be considered lost and the cardholder must either return the item without penalty or pay the replacement cost.
Daniel R. and Carol M. Root donated this painting, Untitled (Woodland Scene) by John Elwood Bundy, to the Indiana Room at the Crown Point Community Library in June 2021.John Elwood Bundy (1853-1933) was quintessential in forming the Richmond Art Group, made famous for their portrayal of Indiana picturesque scenes.Bundy was nationally known for his nature paintings, featuring his favorite woodlands near Richmond, Indiana, although he did paint portraits by the commission as well.He shared his knowledge with the group artists as well as with his students at Earlham College and within his studio.Bundy painted for both pleasure and commission, rarely titling his works.This painting was acquired by the donor’s great-grandmother, Carrie Dyer Root, at the same time she commissioned a portrait of her mother in the mid-1890s.There is no known title for this painting.More information can be found on both the Richmond Art Group and John Elwood Bundy in Shaun Thomas Dingwerth’s The Richmond Group Artists (IC 759.1726 DIN).
Roll on down to the library and support early literacy!
Join the Friends of the Crown Point Library for a night of dice-rollin’ fun to raise money for early literacy! Proceeds from their Bunco Night at the Library fundraiser will support a variety of early literacy outreach efforts and programming at the library and in its community.
The Friends of the Crown Point Library is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds to benefit the library. They are dedicated to advocating for library services, promoting early literacy, and funding projects and programs to enhance and promote the use and enjoyment of the library. This year they have generously provided over $17,000 to support the following:
Over 250 Book Baby Bags for newborns and parents in partnership with St. Clare Health Clinic
Summer and Winter Reading Events
Books and materials to enhance baby and preschool-age Storytime programming
Books for Library Book Clubs
Historic Trolley Tours
Permanent Storywalk® at the Crown Point location (to be installed in 2023)
Madcap Puppets Show at Bulldog Park
Music Concerts at the Library
Staff Appreciation Luncheon and Apparel
The Charlie Cart Project for Culinary Literacy Programs
Licensing Fees for Movie Nights with the Library at Bulldog Park
The after-hours event will take place at the Crown Point Community Library on Friday, November 11 from 6 – 9 p.m.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and dinner at 6 p.m. with the first “roll” beginning promptly at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for members, and $30 for non-members and include three rounds of Bunco, dinner, dessert, coffee, tea, and pop.
There will be raffles, 50/50, door prizes, and more! Tickets can be purchased at the Crown Point Library, space is limited!
The Library is celebrating its 10th Anniversary since its new building, located in Crown Point 122 N. Main Street, officially opened on October 22, 2012. The expansion of the Crown Point location has increased the many services and resources the library offers, and provides a beautiful space for community residents to gather to read, discover and connect!
The public is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony, hosted by the City of Crown Point, on Thursday, October 20 at 10 a.m. in front of the Children’s Library located on the second floor. Refreshments will be served in the Internet Café and attendees will be able to take a tour highlighting the new renovations.
For ten days, beginning Thursday, October 13- Saturday, October 22, support your library by giving $10 for the 10th anniversary and help us reach our goal of $3,500 to purchase STEAM coding equipment for library programming, including Chromebooks and robotic coding devices to encourage children and teens to develop coding skills. Our celebratory fundraising efforts will help the library raise the funds needed to obtain a matching grant opportunity from the Crown Point Community Foundation.
National Friends of Libraries Week is a national week of celebration recognizing the advocacy and contribution efforts of Friends groups that are made up of volunteers.
The Crown Point Community Library’s Friends group supports the Library through advocacy, fundraising, and promotion of library programs and initiatives. For over 35 years, they have made it their mission to enhance and promote the use and enjoyment of the library.
The role of the Library in our community is evolving in exciting and necessary ways. Beyond, books, the library is now also a place to learn essential skills, connect with your community, and discover new opportunities. When you support the Friends by becoming a member, making a donation, or attending a fundraising event, you help make resources available to everyone. Thank you for supporting your library!
This year they have provided over $17,000 in financial support to enhance services and provide materials for programming and outreach efforts!! Have you thought about becoming a “Friend” but haven’t done it yet? Friends couldn’t do what they do without the help of people like you! Join today and get involved.
During this special week of recognition, the Friends will kick off their membership drive and invite you to join their organization, or renew your membership, download the membership form or pick one up at either library location.
Support your Friends and your Library at these upcoming events:
Banned Books Week (September 18 – 24, 2022) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. It spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.
Books unite us. Books encourage boundless exploration and allow readers to spread their wings.
Stories give flight to new ideas and perspectives.
Reading-especially books that set us free-expands our worldview.
Censorship, on the other hand, locks away our freedom and divides us from humanity in our own cages.
This designated week brings together the entire book community-librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types-in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The Crown Point Community Library celebrates Banned Books Week and its director, Julie Wendorf, is a strong advocate for the community and the freedom to read. Check out the top 10 banned books.
On Monday, January 30 the Winfield Branch will close, for approximately six weeks, to begin the additional renovations to further improve the usability of the space for our visitors.
We are excited to announce, a
Daniel R. and Carol M. Root donated this painting, Untitled (Woodland Scene) by John Elwood Bundy, to the Indiana Room at the Crown Point Community Library in June 2021.
