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Special Collections
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| Audio and eBooks |
Books come in some pretty non-traditional formats these days and these digital formats are particularly useful for people on the go. These formats include audiobooks (CD, downloadable, and "Playaways") and ebooks (downloadable and web-based virtual books) You must have a valid library card to enjoy any of these free services or materials. Visit our Audiobooks & eBooks page for more details.
| Braille Books for Children |
BCPL has a small collection of Braille board and picture books suitable for children from birth to five years and 6 to 8 years. Some titles may be found at any of our libraries. Designated collections are available at the Towson, Parkville, and Reisterstown branches. Text is in both Braille and English. These can be used by a sighted child learning to read assisted by a parent who is blind or a child who is blind learning Braille. To find Braille books in the BCPL catalog, type "Braille Books" in the catalog search box or click here.
| Databases and Reference eBooks |
BCPL provides you access at no charge to a variety of online databases, including magazines, journals, newspapers, automotive and engine repair, biographies, test and exam practice tests, health, business, encyclopedias and more. Databases are very useful for research and school assignments. Databases are available at Baltimore County Public Library branches and most are available from home, work or school through the Baltimore County Public Library home page. All you need is a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
Electronic reference books or Virtual Reference eBooks are similar to databases in that the content can be searched online and printed. These books do not have to be checked out or downloaded, and are always available for use either in the library or from home. Topics covered in these electronic books include world religions, law, nations, clothing and fashion, multicultural America, literature, and more. You can access Virtual Reference eBooks online at any branch or from home with a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
| DVDs |
Check out current releases of for both adults and children's titles available on DVD. Please see DVD policies and fees for more information about this collection since they do have lending policies that are substantially different than those established for the book collection.
Check out new DVD releases on the library's Hot Titles pages...
| Engravers |
BCPL does its part to help secure the community. The library has engravers available for checking out. Use these to engrave your belongings such as bikes or other valuables. These devices can be placed on hold and checked out just like our books. Check to see if your branch has an engraver available or to place a request for an engraver at the branch of your choice.
| Foreign Language Collections |
The library has limited lending collections in three non-English languages. While some of these may be found at any of our branches, the following locations have designated collections:
Korean - Cockeysville, Parkville, and Towson have fiction and non-fiction for adults and children.
Russian - Russian materials for adults and children can be found at Pikesville and Reisterstown. A small collection of entertainment, two-day loan DVDs in Russian for adults are available at Pikesville and Reisterstown.
Spanish - Children's books, mainly picture books, in Spanish and bi-lingual Spanish and English can be found at all branches. Catonsville, Essex, North Point, Perry Hall, and Towson have collections of Spanish fiction and non-fiction books for adults and older children and a small collection of entertainment DVDs.
Additionally, the library's online catalog is also available in Korean, Russian, and Spanish search interfaces.
The library also provides access to Mango which is an online language-learning system that teaches conversation skills for twelve different languages including English as a Second Language. Mango is available at Baltimore County Public Library branches and from home, work or school. All you need is a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
| Large Type Books |
All branches have a wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction large type books. These materials are listed in the library's online catalog and can be identified by the prefix of "LT" as a part of the call number. You can also review new large type fiction and new large type non-fiction titles that have been purchased by the library by visiting our Hot Titles pages.
| Legacy Web Historic Photo Collection |
Browse our fascinating collection of local historic photographs on the Web. The collection contains almost 18,000 images! All aspects of life in Baltimore County for the last 130 years are contained in Legacy Web and also appear as a "digital collection" in the library's online catalog. Included are most aspects of rural living, including photographs of people, buildings, sites, and events in the Baltimore County area. Search or browse this growing archive of annotated, digitized photographs of Baltimore County as well as Baltimore Magazine from 1917 to 1928. You can even buy copies of most of the photos.
| Local History Room Collections |
Arbutus, Catonsville, Reisterstown and Towson branches have historical materials about the local communities they serve. The local community history information consists of rare and out-of-print books, newspaper clippings, and historical prints of local sites. These materials are non-circulating and in some cases are accessible by appointment only. Please call the library to determine whether you need an appointment to view their historical collection.
| Maryland Collection |
Whether planning an excursion, delving into history, locating government information, answering school assignment questions, or just browsing for photographs, sports, and more, this collection includes abroad spectrum of material. All libraries have a wide variety of materials about Maryland and Baltimore County.
| Microfilm |
Towson and Catonsville branches have microfilm readers and microfilm of older and current newspapers and magazines. See our Microfilm Page for a list of the names and years of newspapers and magazines available.
| Music CDs |
BCPL carries a wide variety of music on CD. These CDs can be checked out for 21 days, can be renewed, and be requested for you.
Be sure to check out the new and on order CDs at the Baltimore County Public Library's Hot Titles pages.
| Newspapers and Magazines |
All libraries have current subscriptions to a few newspapers and a wide variety of magazines in print. Click here for listing of periodicals carried by BCPL by title or by branch. To find out if a specific issue is available please visit or call your local library.
BCPL also provides access at no charge to a variety of online databases of magazines, journals and newspapers. They are available at Baltimore County Public Library branches and most are available from home, work or school through the Baltimore County Public Library home page. All you need is a valid library card registered at the Baltimore County Public Library.
| Sign Language Instruction |
The Robert Joseph Wortman American Sign Language Collection of adult and children's DVDs is housed at the North Point Library. This collection covers many issues of interest to the deaf community, including teaching or learning Sign Language as well as information for the hearing parents of a deaf child. The DVDs from this special collection can be checked out, renewed, and requested for you.
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Additional gaming resources (such as information about video game ratings, parental controls, strategies, etc) can be found on BCPL's Video Game Resources page.
Customers may borrow a limit of three games, free of charge, for twenty-one days. Click here to read more about the borrowing policies for video games or for more information on requesting a video game.
Editor: MWS
