Storytime Kits & Book Discussion Resources

Book Club Kits, Storytime Kits, & LEGO/DUPLO Kits

The Indiana State Library provides five types of kits for use by public library youth librarians and teachers across the state of Indiana:  Book Club Kits, LEGO Kits, DUPLO Kits, Storytime Kits, and Big Idea Storytime Kits.

Book Club Kits for Kids & Teens

Book Club Kits are designed for public library book clubs but can also be used for small reading groups at schools.

• Book Club Kits contain 15 copies of each title and a discussion guide.
• Spanish Book Club Kits contain 30 copies of each title and a discussion guide.
• Book Club Kits check out for 90 days.
• Limit of 5 Book Club Kits at one location at one time.
• No back-to-back reservations of the same kit.
• Reserve via Kit Keeper, our online kit reservation system (video below.)

LEGO & DUPLO Kits

LEGO and DUPLO building helps develop early literacy and STEM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) skills through play and adult interaction.

• LEGO kits contain hundreds of LEGOs, a handful of bases, and many mini-figures.
• DUPLO kits contain hundreds of DUPLO blocks for play as well as activity guides.
• LEGO and DUPLO Kits can be checked out for 90 days.
• Only 2 LEGO kits and 2 DUPLO kits checked out per library system per year.
• No back-to-back reservations of the same kit.
• Reserve via Kit Keeper, our online kit reservation system (video below.)

Storytime Kits & Big Idea Storytime Kits

All storytime kits come with activity guides that suggest how to use kit materials as well as suggestions for incorporating the Five Practices of the Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library program into your storytime. Big Idea Storytime Kits have additional math and science elements. The kits feature hands-on activities created by the Vermont Center for the Book’s Mother Goose Programs as well as books and a guide to help plan your storytime.

• All Storytime Kits can be checked out for 60 days.
• Limit of 5 Book Club kits at one location at one time.
• No back-to-back reservations of the same kit.
• Reserve via Kit Keeper, our online kit reservation system (video below.)

General Guidelines

Shipment of Kits:  Please be aware that all Indiana State Library kits are shipped via the INfoExpress courier system.  If your school or library is not part of this service, please work with the closest public library who does use INfoExpress to book your kits.  Kits can only be used in Indiana.

Available titles:  A complete list of kits is available in the Kit Keeper reservation system.

Lost items:  Borrowers assume responsibility for items lost or missing from kits. We ask that the borrower replace the item with a new or gently used version of the original. Contact youngreaderscenter@library.IN.gov for more information.

Reserving Kits: All Indiana State Library kits can all be reserved via a system called Kit Keeper.

1. First, watch this video for an overview of how to reserve.  
2. Then, go here to reserve your kit.  

If you have questions or encounter any issues, please contact us at: youngreaderscenter@library.IN.gov or at 317-232-3700.

Teachers

• Indiana teachers may also use this system.
• If your school uses INfoExpress, you may book the kits yourself.
• If your school does NOT use INfoExpress, ISL requests that you work with your public library to book your kits:
  • ISL’s preferred method is that you ask a public librarian to book the kits for you.  This is the easiest way to keep the public librarians in the loop when booking, and the best way to ensure that confusion is avoided and you receive your kit in a timely manner.
  • However, teachers may book their own kits if they include their public librarian’s name when they reserve the kit, i.e “Teacher’s Name/Public Librarian’s Name.” Additionally, all reservation confirmations and shipping notifications should be forwarded to the public library contact by the borrowing teacher. More details on how teachers can reserve their own kits is included in this instructional video:  https://youtu.be/wxj8m1B2QyY

Additional Book Discussion Resources

Shared Book Discussion Resources List

This database is a listing of book discussion/club resources owned by and located at public libraries throughout Indiana. If your library has book discussion kits that you would like added to this list for sharing, please email youngreaderscenter@library.IN.gov and include the name(s) of the book discussion kit(s), number of books (indicate also if regular or large print) and other identifying information. The Indiana State Library assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged materials nor for problems which occur with the booking, delivery, or return of materials.

Novel Conversations

The State Library endorses Novel Conversations, Indiana Humanities' statewide lending library open to any Indiana library or civic book club. They lend more than 950 titles, primarily fiction and biography, to reading and discussion groups at libraries, senior centers, schools, and other organizations, free of charge. Books include classic titles such as Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as contemporary titles such as The Help and The Time Traveler’s Wife. Novel Conversations titles are deliverable via INfoExpress.

Visit http://www.indianahumanities.org/programs/novel-conversations/ to take advantage of this great service.

INBookClub Listserv

Circulating Escape Room Experiences

The State Library is currently developing Escape Room Experience Kits based on Indiana history and featuring facsimiles of primary sources from the Indiana State Library’s collections and collections from the Library of Congress. Kits will be available in 2025 to Indiana teachers and librarians. This program is sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region Program, located at Illinois State University. Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS Midwest Region does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress. If you are interested in learning more about our circulating Escape Room Experiences, please fill out this form.

IYRC SW 6-10-2024