Libraries are Las Vegas’ hidden entertainment gems

By Chris Kudialis

Sunday, June 12, 2016 | 2 a.m.

With 25 branches, nearly 700 staffers and 14.9 million pieces of material per year checked out from Las Vegas to Laughlin, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District is the 15th-largest in the United States. And besides its massive size, the library district is unusual in many ways, giving the Las Vegas Valley an unexpectedly brainy point of pride. Here are some fun facts you need to know.

1. Using the library costs a grand total of $0.

Locals and tourists alike can use library computers and Wi-Fi, and check out books, at no charge. While many cities across the country charge nonresidents for a temporary library card for such services, Clark County offers a free guest library card, good for three months. The guest card can even be renewed as long as there are no outstanding fines or fees. Typical Vegas VIP treatment, considering public libraries in Los Angeles and New York charge an annual fee of $50 for visitors to check out books.

2. No matter your age, you can sit down and have a book read to you (possibly by a famous drag queen).

Starting at 10:30 a.m. at most branches and 11 a.m. at others, the library district offers storytelling for children and families. “Reading is incredibly important, and we want people to be engaged and aware of the stories out there,” library district spokeswoman Karen Bramwell said.

Kid-centric sessions might also involve singing songs or putting on plays with finger puppets, while those designed for adults offer information-style storytelling by best-selling authors and popular Las Vegas celebrities such as longtime “Divas Las Vegas” headliner Frank Marino.

3. There are classes designed to help you have a functional relationship with your computer.

If Grandma has been aching to get on Twitter, or you’ve been nursing an Excel handicap, consider classes for adults offered weekly at the Las Vegas, Summerlin, Mesquite, Clark County and West Las Vegas branches. People can get help making online resumes and searching for jobs, learning the basics of email and Microsoft programs and using social media. Special computer classes for seniors also take place daily at the Whitney and Summerlin libraries.

4. There are a lot of private study rooms. A LOT.

Compared with libraries in other cities, where study rooms are limited (if they exist at all), each of the 25 Clark County libraries offers private rooms for readers to find some peace and quiet. Study rooms are available to both residents and nonresidents for up to two hours at a time, and some have space for groups of six. “Occasionally there is a need for a quiet place for independent study or to keep a group collaboration more private,” said Ronald Heezen, the library district’s executive director. “Our free study rooms allow for those types of environments and an area without much distraction.”

5. Unlike many other businesses in Las Vegas, libraries aren’t 24/7.

The county’s 13 urban libraries are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the week. The 12 outlying branches are open various hours during the week, but for no longer than the urban branches. The county has no plans to change that, either, Bramwell said, citing staffing issues.

6. You know what is 24/7? Opportunities to learn over 100 languages at lvccld.org.

Through the district’s Transparent Language Online, library patrons can learn and practice languages for free, from Afrikaans to Zulu. The program offers alphabet lessons for those learning to read and write in other languages, speaking practice through classic activities like multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank, and links to language and culture blogs.

7. The library district includes six performing arts centers.

Seven days a week, these venues host theater productions, dance and music performances — a majority of which are free and open to the public. The centers are at Summerlin, West Charleston, Whitney, West Las Vegas, Clark County and Windmill branches. Famous authors who’ve stopped by include “The Office” screenwriter and actor BJ Novak, thriller novelist Brad Meltzer, mystery writer Charlaine Harris and romance writer Catherine Coulter.

8. Did we mention the arsenal of entertainment?

While stacks of the latest DVDs and CDs line the shelves of library branches, the district also offers free streaming music, movies, TV shows, videocasts and podcasts available online for those long family road trips. The wide range of titles includes popular mainstream movies such as “Django Unchained” as well as niche favorites like “The Adventures of Gumby.”

9. We’re not just working with material from 25 libraries.

Las Vegas-Clark County libraries offer an Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service, giving patrons a chance to borrow books, articles and reference materials from other library districts across the country. With more than 500 monthly requests on average, our local district gets several each day, Bramwell said.

Most requests are for books, while others might be for articles or microfilm, usually for genealogy research. Another common ILL request is for information on World War I and World War II. The library district borrows “from Reno to Harvard to California,” Bramwell said, and the service is free for library card-holding residents of Las Vegas and Clark County. Those outside of the district must pay $25 for each item, Bramwell said, and materials can take two to four weeks to arrive.