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Ask A Librarian Surprise Bundle Requests We now have a special form for surprise bundle requests! Give it a try . Obituary Requests We receive an overwhelming number of requests to scan and email obituaries. In order to make sure everyone's needs are served, we will only fill 4 obituary requests per person per week. Thanks for understanding! Purchase Requests If you've tried to follow the ILL/Purchase Request steps and still need help, let us know. Be sure to include as much information as possible, like the title, author, and ISBN number if you have it. Quick Links Request for Resolution (PDF) Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials (PDF) Purchase Request FAQ Call Your Branch Please note that we will not respond to surveys submitted via this form. We can answer anything from "How do I find a book?" to "How many protons does molybdenum have?" (42, by the way. You're welcome.) We attempt to reply to all questions within 48 hours, so just sit back, relax, and wait for a well-sourced, reputable answer to land in your inbox.

Hobbies Find databases relating to a wide range of hobbies and interests, including history, genealogy, cars, and arts and crafts. Recommended Resources Get Started AtoZ World Food Traditional recipes for 174 countries of the world in all course categories, plus cultural information regarding dining etiquette, daily meals, and more. Tutorial Get Started Biography in Context Comprehensive information on just about any famous person, including inventors, politicians, celebrities, and many others. Get Started Chilton Library Find information on vehicle repair, including recalls and maintenance for specific models and types.ﾠ Tutorial Get Started Consumer Reports Formed in 1936, ConsumerReports is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering you to make informed choices about the products you buy. Read articles on product safety, unbiased reviews of popular products from kitchen appliances to baby clothes, get shopping tips, and more. Tutorial Get Started Creativebug Over a thousand classes for makers, crafters, learners, and hobbysits! Learn to knit a new stitch, make a holiday wreath, sew a pie carrier, paint with acrylics, and much, much more.ﾠ Get Started Freegal Love music? Download free music, from old favorites to current hits, with your library card and PIN. Once you download a song, it's yours to keep! Tutorial Get Started Hoopla Check out ebooks, digital comics, audiobooks, and more! Tutorial Get Started Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning A library of video courses taught by industry experts. Learn business, software, technology, and creative skills! Take courses in 3D animation, music production, marketing, programming languages, and more. Tutorial Get Started Mango Languages Learn a new language! Mango uses interactive lessons to teach practical conversation.ﾠ Tutorial Get Started National Geographic Virtual Library A complete archive of National Geographic magazine - every page of every issue. Get Started Ompractice Access to over 100 live camera-on fitness and mindfulness classes a week to help reduce stress, improve flexibility, get strong, and age well. Tutorial Get Started Overdrive/Libby Use your library card and PIN to check out ebooks, magazines and audiobooks and read on your tablet, computer, phone, or ereader! Tutorial Get Started WorldCat A combined catalog for libraries across the United States

General Research If you do have a more specific topic in mind, but aren't sure what database to use to get more relevant information, call your local library or Ask a Librarian ! We can recommend a database. Recommended Resources Get Started Consumer Reports Formed in 1936, ConsumerReports is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering you to make informed choices about the products you buy. Read articles on product safety, unbiased reviews of popular products from kitchen appliances to baby clothes, get shopping tips, and more. Tutorial Get Started Driving-Tests.org Everything you need to prepare to take your Indiana driving test! Contains FAQs and practice tests for cars, motorcycles, and CDL. Resources also available in Spanish! Get Started General OneFile Contains articles from newspapers and magazines from around the world. Searchable by audience, keyword, or publication title. Get Started INSPIRE Free to Indiana residents: a searchable database of databases. Find hundreds of further resources for your research! Get Started MasterFILE Elite Full text for nearly 2,300 periodicals covering general reference, business, health, education, general science, multicultural issues and much more. Also contains full text for more than 350 reference books, over 55,000 primary source documents, an image collection of nearly 1.9 million photos, maps and flags and more than 75,000 videos from the Associated Press. (viaﾠINSPIRE) Get Started WorldCat A combined catalog for libraries across the United States

Genealogy & Local History Quick Links Looking into your family history? The library is the perfect place to start. We have several online tools you can use immediately anywhere with an internet connection; they're free with your library card. We also have many in-house, hard copy materials as well as an extensive microfilm collection. See the list of tools below for some good starting points. If you need a little more guidance, check out one of our classes. Every month we explore different topics that will help you with your research! Featured Resource Indiana Room Online Now you can browse through our collection of historic books, pamphlets, reports, newsletters and other materials from Lake County's past without coming in to the Merrillville Branch! We've digitized some of our most asked-for resources for the public to view on-demand. Take a look ! Special Collections Located at Merrillville Branch's Genealogy Room (G), Indiana Room (I), or in Restricted Reference (RR). Crown Point (Indiana) Courts Naturalizations Petitions 1854-1929 (RR) Pamphlet File (newspaper clippings, old photographs, booklets, pamphlets, and brochures focusing on local history) (I) Local City Directories and Histories: Books and Microfilm (G;I) School Enumeration Indexes (I) Indiana Room Online Now you can browse through our collection of historic books, pamphlets, reports, newsletters and other materials from Lake County's past without coming in to the Merrillville Branch! We've digitized some of our most asked-for resources for the public to view on-demand. Take a look ! More info Birth Certificates - Obtain a birth certificate from Lake County, Indiana More info Census, Microfilm, Newspapers - Resources for finding indexes and microfilm in the library and online More info Genealogy Classes - Research tips, tools, and techniques. Taught by experts at LCPL More info Genealogy Databases - Online research tools free to LCPL full-access cardholders More info Historic Yearbooks - Yearbooks from local highschools dating back to the early 1900s More info Indiana Room Online - Historic books, pamphlets, reports, newsletters, and other materials from Lake County, Indiana More info Obituaries - LCPL's guide to finding obituaries in print, microfilm, and online More info Vital Records - Information on obtaining vital records in Indiana Genealogy Tools & Resources Genealogy at the Library The Lake County Public Library Indiana Room and Genealogy Room (located at the Merrillville branch ) include both local history and genealogy resources. The emphasis of the collection is on Lake County, but also includes nearby counties such as Porter and LaPorte. Reference materials for states from which settlers migrated to Indiana and many general genealogy reference resources are also available. Online Obituary Index Post Tribune/Gary Post Tribune Obituary Index (1921-current); Lake County Register and Star (1857 - 1938) Quickly and easily search local obituaries when tracing your family history! Our obituary search engine lets you search by name, partial name, maiden name, date, city, and age. Once you've found the obituary, we'll be happy to pull a copy for your records! (Note: If you need an obituary that is missing, please use our Ask a Librarian form and we will look it up for you! ) Give it a try FamilySearch Digital Records Access FamilySearch is the world's largest repository of free genealogical records and manages the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Their digitzed microfilm records can be viewed instantly, without any special equipment beyond your web browser. Browse their catalog to see if the film you need has been digitized (or see other ways to access it). LCPL is a FamilySearch affiliate library; searching FamilySearch from any LCPL location will give you access to 25% more records than searching from home on a basic account! For more information on finding and reading microfilm online, see FamilySearch's digital access FAQ or try our handy FamilySearch tips . If you have any questions, just give us a call or use our Ask a Librarian form. Quick Links Birth Certificates Obtain a birth certificate from Lake County, Indiana Census, Microfilm, Newspapers Resources for finding indexes and microfilm in the library and online Genealogy Classes Research tips, tools, and techniques. Taught by experts at LCPL Genealogy Databases Online research tools free to LCPL full-access cardholders Historic Yearbooks Yearbooks from local highschools dating back to the early 1900s Indiana Room Online Historic books, pamphlets, reports, newsletters, and other materials from Lake County, Indiana Obituaries LCPL's guide to finding obituaries in print, microfilm, and online Vital Records Information on obtaining vital records in Indiana

Griffith-Calumet Township 219-838-2825 1215 E. 45th Ave. Griffith, IN 46319 Map Mon, Wed: 12:30 PM–8:30 PM Tues, Thurs: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM Fri, Sat: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Sunday: CLOSED The Griffith-Calumet Township Branch is a warm, beautiful and spacious library that welcomes everyone. Our staff offers assistance and resources that will enable you to reach your goals—large or small. Streaming, electronic and print materials, instruction, classes and events are available for your enjoyment, education and information. Our public computers offer everything including the internet, major databases, job & career resources, and much more. Use our quiet small group room for extra solitude or settle into a window seat for some cozy reading. WiFi is available. We're happy to help and welcome your visit!

Health & Medicine Look up information on symptoms, find a doctor, or just research a particular condition. These databases will help you find answers to your concerns about health! Recommended Resources Get Started Coronavirus Research Database Trusted content from journals, pre-prints, conference proceedings, dissertations and more related to COVID-19 and other coronaviruses. Get Started Health Source - Consumer Edition Nearly 300 full-text consumer health periodicals, including American Fitness, Better Nutrition, Fit Pregnancy, Harvard Health Letter, HealthFacts, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, Prevention, Vegetarian Times, and many others. (Via ﾠINSPIRE) Get Started INSPIRE Free to Indiana residents: a searchable database of databases. Find hundreds of further resources for your research! Get Started NWI 211 Support for residents of Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper, Starke, and Pulaski Counties. Find info on emergency food, health care, shelter, foreclosure assistance, and more. Or, dial 2-1-1 to speak with a trained specialist. Get Started Ompractice Access to over 100 live camera-on fitness and mindfulness classes a week to help reduce stress, improve flexibility, get strong, and age well. Tutorial

Public Meeting Room Policy Main Policy Reviewed - 4/24/25 Small Group Room Guidelines Revised: 1/26/24 Back to List Purpose The library encourages public use of meeting rooms as gathering places to exchange ideas; access and share information and participate in programs created for public enjoyment, public education and civic engagement. The meeting rooms will be available on an equitable basis regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. Permission to meet at the Library does not in any way constitute or imply endorsement of the users’ policies, beliefs or programs by the Library staff or Board of Trustees. Apply to use a public meeting room ! (Small group rooms do not require an application.) Room Use Priority Priority will be given to: Library sponsored and co-sponsored activities and events. All other groups will be given consideration on a first-come/first-served basis. The Library reserves the right to reschedule confirmed meeting room reservations to accommodate library meetings or events. In such rare instances, the Library will make every reasonable effort to give ample notice and to assist the group in reserving another date or library meeting room. Eligibility Meeting rooms are available for non-commercial use by local not-for-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and educational entities. Local refers to non-profit organizations based in or serving residents of the Lake County Public Library district. Groups are considered not-for-profit when their mission serves an educational, cultural, charitable, political or civic purpose. Not-for-profits include 501(c)3, 501(c)4, 501(c)5, 501(c)6, 501(c)7, 501(c)8 corporations. Meeting room reservations requests by not-for-profit organizations must include a copy of the 501(c) certificate. This requirement may be waived by the Director in the case of local, organized, small not-for-profit unincorporated associations that provide other supporting documentation. The person filling out a meeting room reservation request on behalf of the group must have a Full Access library card in good standing from Lake County Public Library and be at least 18 years old. Exceptions to this requirement may be made for representatives of federal, Indiana, or local agencies or political subdivisions. First time users must submit an application for use. The Library reserves the right to review each prospective meeting room request and determine whether the group qualifies and the planned use fits within the guidelines and terms of Library policies and this Meeting Room Agreement . Meeting Room Fees Eligible groups may reserve and use library meeting rooms for non-commercial activities without charge under the following conditions: The group is a local not-for-profit organization, governmental agency, or educational entity The meeting is open to all people who wish to attend. No fees or donations are collected or solicited for admission or participation in the meeting or event. No fundraising takes place during the meeting. A local not-for-profit organization, governmental agency, or educational entity using the room for non-commercial activities will be charged the rental fees* listed under the following conditions: Meetings are not open to and advertised to the general public, e.g., board meetings, committee meetings, training sessions, and the like. A group has restricted attendance to a limited or designated audience. The group requires an exchange of money, goods, or services for attendance (regardless of the exchange being on or off our premises). This includes meetings held by federal tax exempt organizations as well as governmental agencies. Meeting Room Capacity Fee Merrillville - Meeting Rm A 150 $150 Cedar Lake 50 $50 Griffith-Calumet 50 $50 Hobart 30 $50 Lake Station-New Chicago 50 $50 St. John 50 $50 Dyer-Schererville - Whole 50 $50 Munster 50 $50 Highland 50 $50 Merrillville - Meeting Rm B 25 $50 Dyer-Schererville - Half 35 $25 Merrillville - Meeting Rm C 15 $25 Merrillville - Meeting Rm D 15 $25 Cleaning Fees: Hourly Rate Reservations To insure and promote the accessibility of library meeting rooms to a wide variety of community groups eligible groups may: book three consecutive meetings system-wide at a time on a rolling basis. reserve meeting rooms up to 6 months in advance, as available, up to 20 times a year. only use rooms during normal library operational hours, Monday – Saturday. Acceptable Use Guidelines No sale of goods or services, fundraising, or solicitation for future sales or services will be permitted without prior Library Administration approval. “Solicitation” is any act or attempt to advertise, market, or sell any product or service; to seek membership in any organization; or to obtain a donation/contribution. This includes the collection of “free-will” offerings. Public property, such as Library buildings, facilities, parking lots, grounds and other real property, is held in trust for the public. It is to be used for governmental and public purposes and governmental property is not to be used for private gain. Library meeting rooms are designed to meet general, non-commercial, informational, educational, cultural and civic needs. Excluded are purely social events which include but are not limited to parties or entertainment and meetings for the benefit of private individuals. The meeting room kitchens are not intended for cooking, but to provide a convenient space for the preparation of light refreshments. No meals may be served unless prior approval is given in writing by Library Administration. All activities and programs conducted in library buildings must comply with federal, state, and local laws and are subject to the rules, regulations, and policies of the Library. Meeting rooms are not available if the Library is closed due to an emergency or inclement weather. Library personnel have free access to enter any meeting room at any time. The Library Board has vested in Library personnel the authority to supervise meeting room use and to interpret policy; however, final authority rests with the Library Director. Responsibility of User The group must have a signed application on file agreeing to our policies, to be signed on an annual basis by an authorized representative of the group. The individual agrees to be the responsible party. If unavoidable circumstances prevent attendance by the applicant, he/she is still personally responsible for the proper use of the facility and payment for any damage. Minimum attendance may be required. Groups must stay within the designated maximum seating capacities of assigned rooms. Cancellations by groups must be received by the Library at least 48 hours in advance. A penalty in room use privileges may be imposed on groups who do not cancel their meetings by the designated deadlines. Any publicity materials must clearly indicate that the program is under the sponsorship of the group and not the Lake County Public Library. The Library will provide basic housekeeping service such as regular cleaning as part of meeting room maintenance. Any additional cleaning or repair required beyond normal library maintenance will be billed at an hourly rate. The cost of any materials required for any repair will be billed to the responsible party. Excessive amounts of garbage (beyond the capacity of trash receptacles provided in the meeting room) must be removed by the room user to outside trash receptacles. The Library is unable to provide storage space for materials or equipment between meetings. Children and youth groups are required to use the meeting rooms under adult supervision. All meetings must be over and the rooms vacated 30 minutes before the library closes. Meeting Room Amenities Kitchen Screen Podium Wifi Each meeting room is equipped with a standard number of tables and chairs. A group may change this arrangement for their specific use. Furniture should be left in a clean, neat, and orderly arrangement at the close of the meeting. Revocation and Refusal of Authorization for Use Authorization to use library facilities may be revoked. Persons or organizations refused the use of the meeting rooms or persons or organizations whose privileges to use the meeting rooms have been revoked shall have the right to appeal in writing to the Library Director. Such appeals must be submitted in writing within 10 days after notice of the refusal to use the meeting rooms or the revocation of use of the meeting rooms. The privilege of using Library meeting rooms will not be granted or will be revoked if the activities or intended activities of the meeting room users negatively impact normal operations in any of the following ways: The meeting is conducted in a noisy, disorderly or inflammatory manner. The size of the meeting presents personal safety or building security issues, or creates an undue parking demand on library lots or the surrounding neighborhood. The activities of meeting room users disrupt or will be disruptive to other library patrons’ use of library facilities or distract library staff from the performance of their duties. The meeting room users neglect to pay all required fees, or neglect to pay for damages to the meeting room. Misrepresentation of information supplied on Meeting Room Agreement form Repeated failure to show up for scheduled reservations or frequent cancellations Physical abuse of facilities and/or equipment Failure to adequately supervise participants of meeting Failure to vacate the room by the scheduled reservation time Violation of Library Policies Small Group Room Guidelines Lake County Public Library provides small group rooms for the use of eligible cardholders. The rooms may be used in accordance with the following guidelines: Eligible Users must be at least 18 years old and and present their own LCPL card for small group room use. (In House Use cards are acceptable for small group room bookings). The library cardholder who booked the small group room is responsible for other users and must remain in the small group room. Users are limited to one 2-hour reservation per day. After two hours of use, users may continue until the room is reserved for a new user. Please be respectful to staff and other users by leaving the room quickly (within 5 minutes) when notified that time has ended. Reservations accepted up to 2 months in advance. Users may have up to 2 reservations at a time – limited to one reservation per day. Room users may not exceed a room’s capacity. Capacity ranges from 1 to 10 people depending on branch; call or email the library to see if your group can be accommodated. Library staff are not responsible for personal belongings left unattended. Small group rooms unoccupied for more than 15 minutes may be reserved by another user. Small group rooms close 15-minutes before the branch closing time. Violation of these guidelines or the Library’s Rules of Conduct could result in loss of Small Group Room Privileges. Back to List Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Lake County Public Library - 10/26/95 Revised - 3/25/04 Revised - 5/26/16 Revised - 3/23/17 Revised - 8/29/19 Reviewed - 4/24/25 Small Group Room Guidelines Issued: Administration, 3/8/18 Revised: 1/26/24

Merrillville 219-769-3541 1919 W. 81st Ave. Merrillville, IN 46410 Map Mon–Thurs: 10:00 AM–8:30 PM Fri–Sat: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Sunday: 12:00 PM–4:00 PM The Merrillville branch library encompasses over 114,000 sq ft of electronic and print resources, and visual and musical collections. The library offers free WIFI, public internet computers, rooms for quiet study or small groups, and public meeting rooms. Our vast collections of Lake County history and genealogy sources make the Merrillville branch a popular destination for research by visitors from all around the country. Merrillville branch has three fantastic floors of informational and recreational materials. The main floor contains our popular collection of new books, large-print material, magazines and newspapers, teen, anime, and an enormous selection of music and DVDs. Our Genealogy Room has numerous resources including microfilm of local newspapers, obituary indexes, and many other historical resources. Our Book Sale room, open during select hours Monday-Saturday, is full of unique finds. The Upper Level includes tables for quiet study, a tremendous reference collection, our “Indiana Room” for specialized Hoosier historical research, and our locally known statue “The Reader” by artist Hermann Gurfinkel. The entire lower level houses our bright and airy Children's Department where children will find fun games, books, music and magazines to fulfill their reading pleasure as well as attend engaging kids’ programs. This is also where our public meeting rooms are located, where our library events and programs are held.

Parents Information for parents, plus great tools for reading with your kids. Also check out our events calendar for fun activities we have for your kids at the library! Recommended Resources Filter by Topic Get Started ABCmouse.com With 3,500+ interactive books, educational games, puzzles, and other learning activities, ABCmouse.com’s award-winning online curriculum is an invaluable resource for young learners (ages 2-6+). From Age of Learning, Inc. *Accessible only from Lake County Public Library's public computers, located at each of our branches. Tutorial Get Started Consumer Reports Formed in 1936, ConsumerReports is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering you to make informed choices about the products you buy. Read articles on product safety, unbiased reviews of popular products from kitchen appliances to baby clothes, get shopping tips, and more. Get Started Creativebug Over a thousand classes for makers, crafters, learners, and hobbysits! Learn to knit a new stitch, make a holiday wreath, sew a pie carrier, paint with acrylics, and much, much more.ﾠ Get Started EBSCO eBooks Find several databases dedicated to literature and reading, including some with recommended reading by grade level and reading lists for all ages. Get Started General OneFile Contains articles from newspapers and magazines from around the world. Searchable by audience, keyword, or publication title. Tutorial Get Started Hoopla Check out ebooks, digital comics, audiobooks, and more! Get Started INSPIRE Free to Indiana residents: a searchable database of databases. Find hundreds of further resources for your research! Tutorial Get Started Kanopy Stream over 30,000 films, documentaries, and television shows on your desktop, TV, or mobile device.ﾠ Get Started Legal Forms Library (Gale) Find sample forms and actual forms available for use. Examples include adoption forms, parental consent forms, and general applications. Tutorial Get Started Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning A library of video courses taught by industry experts. Learn business, software, technology, and creative skills! Take courses in 3D animation, music production, marketing, programming languages, and more. Get Started NWI 211 Support for residents of Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper, Starke, and Pulaski Counties. Find info on emergency food, health care, shelter, foreclosure assistance, and more. Or, dial 2-1-1 to speak with a trained specialist. Get Started NoveList Plus A powerful tool to help you find both fiction and nonfiction books and audiobooks based on what you enjoy. This database for all ages is searchable by keyword, author, genre, and even story elements like writing style and mood. Also offers author readalikes! Get Started Opposing Viewpoints inContext Presents the different sides of current events from several magazines and newspapers. Tutorial Get Started Overdrive/Libby Use your library card and PIN to check out ebooks, magazines and audiobooks and read on your tablet, computer, phone, or ereader! Get Started WorldCat A combined catalog for libraries across the United States

Reader's Advisory Recommended Resources Get Started NoveList Plus A powerful tool to help you find both fiction and nonfiction books and audiobooks based on what you enjoy. This database for all ages is searchable by keyword, author, genre, and even story elements like writing style and mood. Also offers author readalikes!

Sign Up for LCPL Newsletters! Get emails about events at your favorite branch, staff recommendations, and other awesome library features and services! First enter your email address below, then click Select Email Preferences to choose which emails you'd like to receive. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click Save Preferences when you're done. These settings will not impact your holds notices, renewal notices, or overdue notices. Email newsletters will not be sent to addresses belonging to cardholders under the age of 13.

Ethics Policy Back to List Board of Trustees and Library Employee Ethics Policy The Lake County Public Library (LCPL) is dependent on the trust of its community to successfully achieve its mission. Therefore, it is crucial that all Board members and employees conduct business with the highest level of integrity avoiding any impropriety or the appearance of impropriety. Guiding Principles: Board members and employees will act according to the highest ethical and professional standards of conduct; ensure compliance with applicable laws, policies, procedures, and workplace rules of the Lake County Public Library; follow sound financial practices, including accurate financial reporting, processes to protect assets, and responsible fiscal management and internal controls; refrain from engaging in activities that conflict with their fiduciary, ethical, and legal obligations of LCPL; communicate ethical standards of conduct through instruction and example. Therefore: To preserve and uphold the Lake County Public Library’s reputation as an organization of unimpeachable integrity, each Board member and key employees will sign an Ethics and Conflict of Interest Statement. Compliance: If any Board member or the executive director appears to be in conflict of the "Guiding Principles" above, he or she will be asked to meet with the Board Executive Committee to discuss the issue. The Executive Committee will make a recommendation to the full Board based on their findings. Employees who are or appear to be in conflict with the "Guiding Principles" will be asked to meet with the director who will make a determination as to discipline or termination based on his or her findings. Back to List