The Middletown and Willimantic Library Service Centers Puppet Collection
All the puppets and dolls you see here may be borrowed from the Service Centers. Click on the puppet you are interested in borrowing, note the name and barcode number of the item you wish to borrow. Then contact one of the Service Center staff members below with your request to borrow. Puppets and dolls may be booked ahead of time for specific programs in your library.
Project photographer: Diane Stielau, MLSC.
To book and borrow puppets and dolls, contact:
Arthur’s Gang Dolls
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Bears
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Birds
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Book Character Dolls
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Cats
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Circus and Zoo Animals
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Dinosaurs
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Dogs
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Fantasy
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Farm Animals
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Hand Puppets
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Human Characters
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Insects & Spiders
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Miscellaneous
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Other
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Primates
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Reptiles and Amphibians
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Sea Creatures
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After four years using a Sirsi Unicorn integrated library system, the Middletown and Willimantic Library Service Centers have signed a contract with Insignia Software of Edmonton, Alberta to host their new system. Those accustomed to using the Sirsi web interface will find Insignia easier to use and more versatile.
The Service Centers expect the new system to be in place in about two weeks. Until then, libraries can use reQuest for searching for library material at the Centers. Or libraries may call the Centers directly for assistance. The Centers remain open for business during this transition period.

The Willimantic Library Service Center will be closed on Fridays starting this week. Staff retirements have reduced the State Library workforce considerably and will mean less staff working in Willimantic for the foreseeable future. WLSC hours are now 8:30 to 4:30 Monday thru Thursday. WLSC will be closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Budgets are tight and there is usually very little money anyway for buying professional library books and dvds for the library’s staff. Why not borrow these books from the Service Centers. The list of recent professional titles is updated monthly, and many titles have been added in the last few months. It is easy for your library to place holds, or ILL your requests to one of the two Service Centers. There are lots of great books being published by ALA, Neal-Schuman and others. Why not see what is available.
Many Connecticut Children’s librarians probably know that the Service Centers have puppets which libraries can borrow for programming and other library events. But many of these librarians also don’t know what puppets the Centers have or what they look like. No more! Go to the Service Center Gallery of Puppets and see photos of many of the puppets and dolls available for libraries to borrow. Click on any photo to get a better image and more information about the puppet.
Our official project photographer, Diane Stielau, will add more photos and information in the coming weeks. Borrowing information can be found at the Service Center Gallery of Puppets.
We haven’t had this much fun at the Service Centers since the iCONN pencils arrived!
The Middletown and Willimantic Library Service Centers are asking for help in planning for the future. Connecticut library staff are encouraged to fill out this brief survey. You do not need to be a regular Service Center user. The Service Centers want to know how we can serve the Connecticut library community better. Filling out the survey will help us find out how.
The survey will be up until May 23. Thanks for your help!
Subscribe to the RSS feed on WebJunction Connecticut’s New Professional Titles at the Service Centers and you will receive a monthly update of all the new professional library books and DVDs that have arrived recently at the Middletown and Willimantic Library Service Centers. You can then request an item via ILL, or use the online catalog to place a hold on items and the Centers will send available items to you the next day.
Many excellent but expensive books arrive each month at the Service Centers from A.L.A, Neal-Schuman, Libraries Unlimited, Library Video Network, and others. By keeping track of these new arrivals you can keep up with the latest library trends and save money by borrowing rather than buying.
Many libraries are borrowing Library Service Center materials by having materials chosen for them and then delivered via Ccar. Some common requests include:
If you can’t keep up with patron demand in any of these areas, then help is as close as a phone call or an email to one of the Service Centers. Find out more on how to borrow. You may call or email either MLSC or WLSC. If you prefer to choose your own material, then you may place holds on our online catalog and the available items will be on their way to you the next day.
There are people these days who do 100% of their holiday shopping online. They never need to fight the shopping crowds or stand in line to check stuff out. There are libraries in Connecticut that do the same thing, but they shop all year long and they aren’t buying stuff, they are borrowing library materials. These libraries borrow material from the Middletown and Willimantic Library Service Centers by placing holds in the MLSC/WLSC Online Catalog. Two or three days later, the material they requested shows up at their door ready for use for three months. What do they borrow? Here are examples:
All you need to do to place holds so that the Centers can send the material to you by Ccar is to know your library’s “User ID Number.” Email tnewman@cslib.org if you don’t know it already. Once you find something in the online catalog that you want to borrow, click on “Details” and “Place Hold.” “On shelf” items will be on Ccar to you the next morning.
The Middletown and Willimantic Library Service Centers purchase materials to help libraries supplement their own collections. Now you can order your material online by going to the Service Centers’ Online Catalog. Search the catalog, or look at the various collection lists such as those for new professional titles, new large print books, Playaways, storyhour kits, book props, holiday books, etc. You will need your Library’s ID number to place holds (email webjunction@cslib.org to find out your ID #). The Centers will send items to you by ccar. Most items circulate for 3 months.
See the Introduction to the Service Centers for more information on how borrowing from the Centers works. If you are unfamiliar with the Service Center collections, see What the Service Centers Can Do For Your Library.