Services for Educators

Educator Cards
The Plain City Public Library is pleased to offer expanded access to library resources and services through our Educator Cards. Educator Cards are available to educators employed at Pre-K-12 schools as well as staff employed in state licensed preschools and day care facilities, and homeschooling parents. Educator Cards are intended for classroom and professional use only. For the complete policy and to apply for your own Educator Card, please contact the Library by calling 614-873-4912, ext. 131 or emailing awarner@plaincitylib.org.

Educator cardholders receive the following privileges:

1. Increased item checkout limit
2. No late fees
3. Extended loan periods
4. Access to our electronic resources databases, downloadable books, audio books, music, movies

Student Access Cards and School Delivery
The Plain City Public Library is currently in partnership with Jonathan Alder Local School District to provide Student Access Cards and weekly book delivery to students at Canaan Middle School, Jonathan Alder Junior High School, and Jonathan Alder High School. The library’s goals are to give students access to material for school and pleasure reading with no financial responsibility assigned to them and no parent/guardian required signature, as well as saving them time by offering weekly book delivery and pickup directly to these schools. Our student access library cards allow students to check out two books at a time.

In addition to Student Access Cards and school delivery, PCPL also supports students and teachers by offering support in the form of training and access to our digital resources, help locating extra copies of novels used in the classroom, weekly book deliveries to educators at all Jonathan Alder schools, and regular visits to local elementary school classrooms. For more information contact your school’s Library Media Specialist or PCPL Assistant Director Amanda Warner at awarner@plaincitylib.org.

Teacher Collections
PCPL staff will prepare collections of material relevant to your curriculum with at least 3 business days’ notice. These collections can include materials of any format to support a specific topic or area of study and may include up to 50 books. All you need to take advantage of this service is an Educator Card. Collection requests can be submitted below.

Please review the Library’s Teacher Collection Policy before submitting a collection request.

Genealogy

Explore Plain City’s rich local history through our digital local history and genealogy resources.

Plain City Public Library Digital History Collection
Compiled and digitized by Plain City Public Library, the Digital History Collection is comprised of Jonathan Alder High School Yearbooks dating 1958-2000, excluding 1993; Plain City High School Yearbooks dating 1924, 1925, 1928-1931, 1947-1956; and the Pictorial History of Plain City. Physical copies of these materials can be viewed in the reference collection of the library.

Pictorial History of Plain City
The Pictorial History of Plain City Collection, housed at the Plain City Public Library, is a 28-volume set of historical pictures and data exploring the family and town history of Plain City. We would like to thank Joe Hofbauer, who provided the photographic reproductions, and Donna Dunmire, who wrote the historical narrative that accompanies the photographs. We also extend our appreciation to the countless area residents who graciously loaned their personal photos to be used in this project. For more information on this unique collection please contact the library at 614-873-4912, ext. 130 or view the collection online using the link above.

Local Burial Records
Search a number of local burial records. Contact the library to obtain a scan of any burial record listed.

Digital Resources
Available for free with your library card

Plain City Historical Society

The Plain City Historical Society is an invaluable resource for local genealogical information. Visit their website, send an email, or give them a call at 614-570-2962.

Equipment

The Plain City Public Library is excited to offer a variety of creative equipment for patron use. To use the equipment, please make an appointment with our Adult Services Assistant, Alicia Harvey. Please see the list of equipment and scroll down for details about each. For use of all equipment except the MakerBot 3D Printer, the user should expect to be present during the time of use.

1. MakerBot Replicator+ 3D Printer & MakerBot Mini 3D Printer
2. Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 3D Printer
3. Cradle-Form Book Scanner
4. Epson V850 Slide/Photo Scanner
5. Elmo 8 mm/Super8 Film Converter
6. Funai VHS Film Converter
7. Wolverine 8mm & Super8 Reels to Digital Movie Maker
8. Ion Tape Express Plus (Cassette Player and Digital Converter)
9. Sony DCR-HC36 MiniDV Converter
10. F2D Mighty Photo Slide Converter
11. Kodak Picture Saver PS50 Photo Scanner
    * The reproduction of copyrighted materials outside of what is permitted as ‘fair use’ within U.S. Code, Title 17 is strictly prohibited.

MakerBot 3D Printer
The MakerBot 3D printer can be used to print 3D objects like trinkets, board game pieces, and much, much more! We offer two types of filaments in several different colors: one heavy-duty filament and one regular weight. The cost for printing is $.06/gram of regular PLA filament and $.10/gram of tough PLA filament.

How to Create and Edit 3D Objects

• Any 3D drafting software may be used to create a design if the file can be saved in .stl or .obj file format. We recommend Tinkercad, a free, web-based program which can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
• Digital designs are also available from various file-sharing databases such as Thingiverse, MyMiniFactory, and Pinshape.
• Check out Tinkercad for Dummies by Shaun C. Bryant for basic instruction on how to use Tinkercad to create and edit your own 3D designs.

How to Submit your Project to Print

• To submit your project for printing, complete the 3D Print Submission Form and attach your .print .stl or .obj file to the submission form. If you have any questions please email aharvey@plaincitylib.org.
• Our Adult Services Assistant will follow up with you in the next few days to provide you with a cost estimate and to schedule a printing and pick-up time for your project.

Library Scanners

• Cradle-Form Book Scanner:  The cradle-form book scanner is used to scan books without damaging the spines. Use for yearbooks, scrapbooks, and photo albums. This scanner creates .jpg images.
• Epson V850 Slide/Photo Scanner:  This scanner is used to digitize 35mm slides, 35mm negatives, and photo prints up to 8x10in.
• Kodak Picture Saver PS50 Photo Scanner:  Digitize your printed snapshots quickly and easily. This scanner can scan up to 8.5x34in.

Guidelines for using Library Scanners

• Users can make an appointment to use library scanners.
• Users should expect to bring their own flash drive and scannable materials (i.e. scrapbooks) at the time of their appointment. Images will be loaded to the user’s flash drive at the time of the appointment.
• Flash drives can be purchased at the library from the Friends of the Library for $5.
• The reproduction of copyrighted materials outside of what is permitted as ‘fair use’ within U.S. Code, Title 17 is strictly prohibited.

Library Film Converters

• Elmo 8 mm/Super8 Film Converter:  This converter can be used to digitize 8mm or Super8 film for 3”, 5”, or 7” reels.
• Samsung VHS Film Converter: Use this converter to digitize VHS films to DVD.

Guidelines for using Library Film Converters

• Users can make an appointment to use library film converters.
• All film converters work in real time, so the user should expect to stay with the equipment throughout the entire film as it converts.
• For digital conversions, users should expect to bring their own flash drive and conversion materials (i.e. Super8 film) at the time of their appointment. Digital files will be loaded to the user’s flash drive at the time of the appointment.
• Flash drives can be purchased at the library from the Friends of the Library for $5.
• The reproduction of copyrighted materials outside of what is permitted as ‘fair use’ within U.S. Code, Title 17 is strictly prohibited.

Personalized Services

Favorite Authors
Automatically be placed on hold when your favorite authors publish a new book. To sign up for this program, visit the link below, log in with your library card number and PIN, and choose the authors for whom you would like to be placed on hold. If you don’t see your favorite author, contact us, and we will add your favorite author to the list.

Your Personal Librarian
Looking for your next great read? Need recommendations? Just need 10 Guided Reading Level H books? We are happy to select books and other materials for our patrons! We ask for 24 hours notice and a limit of 10 items per patron per pickup. Patrons can request collections for pickup as often as they like. Follow the link below to get started.

Your Personal Librarian Request

Homebound Delivery
This service is intended to serve homebound seniors, high-risk individuals, and self-quarantining patrons. If you are approved for the program, the library will deliver up to 10 items to your household once per month. Please complete the form below, and our staff will be in contact with you in 1-3 days.