WELCOME TO THE
HE LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER

Mission Statement

The mission of the Ankeny Library Media Program is to enable all students to be independent learners who are skilled users of information, and who appreciate literature and other creative expressions.

Checkout Information

Access to Books

All students and staff are welcome! Our libraries strive to inspire and support the reading lives of our patrons by providing ACCESS and CHOICE of a variety of materials both digitally and in print. Our staff works hard to guide students toward materials meeting the needs and interests of our patrons.  Please reach out to your library staff, if you would like support finding a “just right” book.

Each classroom visits the library once a week during the A-E rotation, but students are always welcome to the library any school day, even if it is not the designated classroom time. Our small staff is available for book returns, renewals, checkouts, and assistance with projects/research. Personal account information may be accessed by logging into the Destiny Online Library Catalog. Patrons can visit the library to renew or put holds on books. Books may be renewed multiple times, if the book is not on hold by another patron.  The amount of books a patron may check out at a time depends on their age and academic needs. However, this is a general rule of thumb: Kindergarten = 1 (Max 3) / First = 1-2 (Max 3) / 2nd-5th = 2 (max 4-5)

Access to Online Library Catalog Information

The school library online catalog has been accessible on each school’s library webpage for well over a decade. Students learn each year how to access the library in-house and online materials through both direct and indirect instruction from the teacher librarians and staff. Students and parents are able to access the school library catalog on each school’s website by selecting the student’s school, hovering over the Library Media Center located on the top menu bar, and selecting the library catalog. Specific individual account information may be accessed by selecting LOGIN and then the blue SIGN IN WITH GOOGLE option. Students and staff will need to provide their Ankeny Google credentials. If a patron (staff or student) is already signed into Google Chrome, selecting this option will automatically sign the user into the personal online catalog account.

Overdue, Lost, or Damaged Books

Elementary Overdue Book Procedures:

We do not charge for overdue books. If a patron forgets a book on their “checkout day,” please just return the materials the following school day.  Students may or may not be allowed to check out another book depending on what their current max limits are. The month of May is an exception to this rule.  Any patron who has not returned books by the last day of school will be charged for a lost book. Final due dates are typically 1 -2 weeks before the end of the year.

Elementary Lost Book Procedures:

If you are sure the book is lost, please notify your library staff. However, payment is not due until the last day of school. If you find the book before then and it is in normal condition, the fine will come off of your account. However, if you choose to pay the fine early, we do not issue refunds. It’s best to wait to pay until the last day! If a book was paid for, and you later find the book, you may choose to keep the book or return it/donate it to the library. Refunds will not be issued.

Elementary Damaged Book Procedures:

Please do not return damaged books to the drop box. Spills can leak onto other books and some books could possibly be repaired before damage worsens. For these reasons, please hand damaged books to the library staff and report the damage. Please do not try to repair the damage yourself. Libraries all have special cleaners and tapes meant specifically for our library books. If a book is able to be saved and repaired, you may not have to pay a replacement fee. If the book poses a health hazard such as mold from water damage or cannot be saved, you will most likely need to pay replacement costs. Your library staff will decide this.

Elementary Replacement Fines:

Replacement fines can be paid with the District’s “Online Payments.” Can I donate a different copy of the lost book to the library? No. Lost book fines are actually the cost of exact replacement to our library. This includes the library quality binding, barcodes, spine labels, tape, and protectors our libraries use so that books may be shared out many times to many users. For this reason, our replacement costs may be more than a book at a local store or online.

Other Questions & Answers

What if I am sure we returned the book? Mistakes happen. Sometimes our scanner glitches on scan. Sometimes books comes to school, but they do not make it all the way to the library.  If guardians feel the book has indeed been returned and there has been an error, they should communicate this to the library so that staff can start investigating the possible locations. We do not search for every overdue book until guardians communicate they believe the book has been returned.

My child said he/she turned it into the classroom bucket. Why am I getting an overdue notice? We have no way of knowing what books are in the classroom. A book is not considered returned until it is placed in the library drop box and scanned in by our system. If you believe a book is in your child’s classroom, please notify the classroom teacher that your child needs to return a book.

How will I know if my child did not turn in his/her book? Personal account information may be accessed by logging into the Destiny Online Library Catalog. Specific individual account information may be accessed by selecting LOGIN and then the blue SIGN IN WITH GOOGLE option. Students and staff will need to provide their Ankeny Google credentials. In addition, all libraries send home notices. Some libraries issue paper notices. In most cases, overdue notices are sent out in an automated email notice. Due to the young age of our students, emails are sent to the primary guardian email listed in Infinite Campus. If your email address is not up to date, you may miss out on important notices. If you need these notices to be sent to a different email address, then you need to update your primary email with the secretary of the school or on Infinite Campus. Please do not respond to these emails unless you have a specific question or want to know a price for book replacement. Notices are simply a reminder. If you know the location of your child’s books and plan on returning them in good condition, please do not respond to the automated email to state this.

My child was gone at the time of checkout. Now I am getting an overdue notice and my child needs a new book. What do we do? If a child misses checkout for any reason, they should bring their book back as soon as they can. Please notify your classroom teacher that your child needs a time to return, renew, or get a new book. If your child goes any length of time without a book, please ask your classroom teacher. Our library is always open to students, even when it is not their specific day.

For additional questions or concerns, please reach out to your building’s library team or the  Elementary District-Level Digital Teacher Librarian, Corissa Thompson