Storyville

The library strives to provide a safe, educational and fun environment for you and your children. Note the following guidelines for Storyville:

• Children must be accompanied and supervised by a caregiver at all times. Library staff are available to guide you and answer questions but cannot supervise your children. You are responsible for their safety and comfort. Do not leave your children unattended.
• Storyville is designed specifically for children birth to age 5. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 may enter Storyville when accompanied by a caregiver 13 years or older. However, we strongly encourage children 6 to 12 to enjoy the spaces created for their age elsewhere in the branch.
• Help us maintain a clean and sanitary environment by keeping all food and drink out of Storyville. Nursing and bottle feeding of infants are permitted.
• For the safety of our littlest visitors, the Baby Garden/Park is intended for children who are not yet walking and their caregivers.
• Please be courteous and attentive by keeping your cell phones on silent and other electronic devices off. Save cell phone conversations for the lobby. Laptop use is not permitted.
• Guide your children to choose developmentally appropriate toys and play constructively. Young children thrive on realistic limit-setting and positive reinforcement.
• Assist your child in putting away materials in one area before moving on to another. This teaches your child the importance of clean up, as well as respect for others who will follow them.
• If your child puts a toy in their mouth, place it in the "Sanitize Me" bag you received at check-in, or in the "Sanitize Me" bin at the greeter desk. Staff will sanitize all toys placed in these bags and bins and will spot clean throughout the day.

Have fun playing with your children! Show delight in what they can do. Follow their lead. Encourage them to take each learning experience further.

Storyville is busiest on weekday mornings and weekend afternoons, particularly on days when Story Time events are being held at the branch. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure quality play is maximized in the space, both Storyville locations operate with a capacity limit. If capacity is reached, you may have to wait to enter. When at capacity, you receive a pager to be notified when space is available. 

Reservations are not accepted. Feel free to call the branch ahead of time to check how busy the space is before you plan to visit.

Storyville is designed for individual caregivers and their child(ren) to experience together. Groups from camps or daycares may attend; however, we cannot guarantee that your group can enter together at one time due to capacity limitations.  

Contact the Storyville Coordinator to discuss options for your visit before bringing your group. See the top of this page for contact information. 

Priority for entry is given to children and their caregivers who meet the intended age group audience (birth to 5) for the space. 

Review the Storyville Guidelines with your group before your visit. We encourage a group leader to take a tour of Storyville ahead of the visit to consider appropriate activities.

While Storyville is designed for children birth to age 5, there are many reasons a child over the age of 5 may want to visit. If you are bringing a child over the age of 5, they are considered a “Storyville Helper” and encouraged to ensure the play environment remains safe for our birth to 5 visitors.  

We strongly recommend that children over the age of 5 enjoy the spaces in our branches intended for their age groups. Priority for entry to Storyville is given to children and their caregivers who meet the intended age group audience (birth to 5) for the space. Both Rosedale and Woodlawn branches have activities and spaces for elementary-aged children and teens.  

In order to enter Storyville, a child age 12 or younger must be accompanied by a caregiver 13 years or older.  

Please note that Maryland Law requires children under age 8 to be accompanied by a caregiver while in any space in the library.

Babysitters age 13 or older may accompany children age 12 or younger in Storyville. Teenage babysitters must understand that they are considered an adult in Storyville and are expected to interact with and supervise the younger children they are with at all times.

We do not allow adults without children in Storyville. Adults may call ahead to arrange for a tour with a staff member.

With the exception of a few big books, all Storyville books and parent resource materials may be checked out. Storyville toys may not be borrowed.

As with all other library materials, Storyville books may be returned to any branch.

To maintain an organized and hygienic environment, Storyville is cleaned throughout the day. We ask our visitors to help by encouraging their children to use our materials appropriately and put them away before moving to a new area. Visitors are invited to place any toys they feel need cleaning in our “Sanitize Me” bin at the Greeter Desk.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reviewed our cleaning and safety procedures to ensure we provide the safest environment we can, these include:

• Reduced number of toys in the space
• Provide toys that are easy to sanitize after use only
• Rotate toys throughout the week to ensure time for deeper cleaning
• Assigned staff to move throughout the space for spot cleaning throughout open hours
• Each visitor will receive a bag to use during their visit to place toys their child has placed in their mouth for staff to sanitize