As an essential city asset, the Danbury Library is committed to being:

• A welcoming destination

• Responsive to the varied needs of our city’s diverse community

• A source of inspiration through words and ideas

A free Danbury library card is available and waiting for all Danbury residents, starting at birth.  The card connects Danburians to a very special destination that provides everyone with an atmosphere of learning, inspiration and discovery through books, online resources, recordings, DVDs, CDs, computers, and programming which is both educational and entertaining.  

Specialized staff members within each of the library’s eight departments are dedicated to providing superior customer service to the over 400,000 people who visit the library each year. 

• Lending Services: Assists over 1,500 visitors a day in addition to those who phone in for service. The department processes all new cards and maintains existing cards, assists individuals with their accounts, renews materials, assists with self-check outs, and prepares holds requested by customers from the initial request to the pick-up of the requested item.Over 850,000 items are checked in and out annually through this department.

• Information Services: Answering over 65,000 questions a year, this department is ready to provide dependable answers and locate materials at the library or through the inter-library loan system. Questions are answered either in person at the Ask Me! Desk, or by using IM or email at comments@danburylibrary.org.

• Junior Services: With a collection of over 50,000 items for our new and youngest readers from birth to grade 8, this department encourages children to enjoy a lifetime of reading. Specialized displays greet visitors.Story times and a wide variety of programming await parents and children.Due to the importance of reading during summer vacation, the library has offered children and teens a summer reading program for over 25 years.Unveiled in 2013 and funded by the FRIENDS of the Danbury Library, Playaway Views are the department’s newest service, providing pre-loaded stories on video players for children ages 4-8.

• Technology Services: This year’s addition of 13 computers for public use, along with a renovation of the main floor to accommodate a total of 31 computers, was overseen by the department and funded by the Praxair Corporation.The department staff maintains all public and employee computers, ensures the security of the network, offers two computer class series each year updates the library website and assists customers with computer questions.

• Movies & Music: This department houses over 20,000 items including DVDs and Blu-Rays, books on CD, music CDs and pre-recorded books on iPod-like devices called Playaways.Downloadable music is available using the Freegal music service through which every library cardholder can download 3 songs per week to keep.

• Language Center: Customers will find the Praxair Language Learning Lab where studying and learning English is made easier through the use of the ELLIS program. Print, audio and video materials are available for customers looking for items in languages other than English.

• Technical Services:This department selects orders and prepares all of the items that are placed on the shelves.Items are also repaired here and staff members regularly evaluate items to determine what can be removed from the shelves to make room for newer items.

• Community Relations:Develops public understanding and support of the library and its role in the community, promotes library programs and services, coordinates meeting room use and meeting room set up, ensures the consistency of signage throughout the library, coordinates, trains and supervises volunteers, plans and executes displays, and arranges and conducts library tours.

We are very happy to announce that after many customer requests, as of June 2014, Danbury Public Library has Overdrive as it E-BOOKS vendor.