The St. Catharines Public Library would welcome the opportunity to visit your community group, meeting or event to promote reading, literacy and of course the Library!
We would love to work with you to customize a presentation/program that will best suit the needs of your audience.
Outreach visits could include:
To arrange for a visit please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 905-688-6103.
We would love to welcome you and your class to the Library. All our Class Visit options are free of charge and designed to help support your students’ learning. Everyone one who lives, works, or studies in St. Catharines can get a SCPL card, and we will provide cards to every student. All Class Visits can be modified to be:
Virtual: via Teams or Zoom
In our library: you bring your class on a field trip to any of our 4 branches
At your school: a Librarian will come to you and present in your classroom or at an assembly
In Library visits can include a tour of the location and browsing/borrowing time.
Students will learn the basics of using a public library with fun activities and a behind the scenes look at how the Library works.
Preschool, K-1, topics include:
Grades 2-8, topics include:
Overall goal: Students feel comfortable and excited about using their library
Here at the Library, we are on a mission to help everyone develop a lifelong love of reading!
Grades 1-3, topics include:
Grades 4-8, topics include:
Overall goal: Students are knowledgeable about new books, and motivated to read more books.
The Library is the perfect place to go when you have questions that need answering or research to complete. In this workshop, students will learn what resources the Library offers, and how to use them. Optional: Teachers can request a focus on a topic that reflects what you are learning about in class.
Grades 3-4, topics include:
Grades 5-8, topics include:
Overall goal: Students understand what resources to use in different circumstances, and they have the basic skills to access information using Library resources.
Every year the Library offers an exciting Summer Reading Club program designed to get kids excited about reading over the summer break.
This visit includes:
Overall goal: Students know how to participate in Summer Reading Club, and have an increased reading rate over the summer break
Make the Library a regular fixture in the lives of your students. We can work with you to design a customized monthly class visit experience which can include a new activity each visit and browsing/borrowing time for the students. This is a popular option for schools that are located within walking distance of a SCPL location.
This visit is highly customizable, and can include:
Overall goal: Students are reading more, and are completely comfortable using their library.
Learn the basics of what SCPL has to offer the community, including an overview of popular items and a tour.
Topics include:
Overall goal: Students feel comfortable and excited about using their library.
The Library purchases hundreds of new items every week. In this dynamic presentation we will tell your students about new and popular books to appeal to different reading interests.
Topics include:
Overall goal: Students are excited to read the new books that they've selected.
The Library offers several tools to help students with their research needs. In this workshop, students will learn what resources the Library offers, and how to use them. Optional: Teachers can request a focus on a topic that reflects what you are learning about in class.
Topics include:
Overall goal: Students understand what resources to use in different circumstances, and they have the basic skills to access information using Library resources.
We live in the Information Age, and it can be difficult to decipher what is true and what is fake. This workshop challenges students to think critically about the information they consume, and teaches techniques for assessing news sources.
This visit includes:
Overall goal: Students understand that we live in a complex information driven world, and can apply information literacy skills to identify credible new sources.
The Library offers many different Online Resources, besides traditional research databases. This workshop will showcase which online resources we offer, and how they can be used to improve student’s lives.
This visit includes:
Overall goal: Students have a comprehensive knowledge of the Library’s digital resources, and are excited to use them.
Make the Library a regular fixture in the lives of your students. We can work with you to design a customized monthly class visit experience which can include a new activity each visit and browsing/borrowing time for the students. This is a popular option for schools that are located within walking distance of a SCPL location.
This visit is highly customizable, and can include:
Overall goal: Students are reading more, and are completely comfortable using their library.
Book your class visit now:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 905-688-6103
Educator memberships are available to educators currently working or living in St. Catharines. This includes Kindergarten to Grade 12 classroom teachers in public and private schools and licenced daycare employees. The membership allows educators to borrow library items for an extended period. Name identification and address verification as per Adult Card Registration and proof of educator status is required. Please call 905-688-6103 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Groups wishing to visit the Library are encouraged to arrange a session with a Librarian. Your visit can be customized to meet the unique needs of your group or organization. Visits may include a guided tour of the facility, catalogue/database training, research assistance and much more. Please call 905-688-6103 for more information or to book a visit.
Want to design your own jewelery or make a case for your smartphone? 3D printing is open to the public at the Central Library. Our Dremel Digilab 3D printer is available for printing your small-scale 3D printing projects. Design your own 3D model at home or find a ready-made design (.stl or .obj file) and bring it in on a USB stick and staff will print it for you.
For more information, call us at 905-688-6103, Ext. 211
The St. Catharines Public Library is committed to providing accessible on-line services to our customers. We review our website content regularly and ensure that our standards comply with the standards set-out in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 as per the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox Google Chrome
The St. Catharines Public Library offers a wide range of materials in alternate formats for customers with visual impairments, physical disabilities, and learning disabilities. You can find specific materials by searching the catalogue for the format needed. Items available for circulation can be put on hold and delivered to your local branch for pick-up.
Large print books are available in all our branches. Titles include a wide choice of best-sellers, fiction and non-fiction.
Audiobooks are full length recordings of popular fiction and non-fiction books on CD that you can listen to on your computer or portable device.
Ebooks, Audiobooks, Music and Magazines are available for adults and children. They can be downloaded to a computer or portable device with a valid library card and PIN number.
DVDs are available for adults and children. You can find the DVDs in our catalogue. At the prompt choose “Subject Browse” and then enter the term “Films for people with visual disabilities.” You can also simply search for the title of the DVD. When the record appears there will be a notation in the Notes Field stating Closed Caption or Described video.
Descriptive DVDs are films with special narration which describes the action, characters, costumes, locations and sets to a viewer with visual disabilities without interfering with the movie's dialogue or sound effects.
Closed captioned DVDs have subtitles that can be seen with a closed captioned decoder or with a built-in decoder on newer televisions. Most feature DVDs come with optional subtitles as well.
We are in the process of making improvements to Descriptive and Closed Caption searching and will keep you posted.
For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 905-688-6103 ext 226.
Hold Me Category