Kids Check Out New Library That Has Games, Not Books : Youth: Thanks to a county program, a corner of the Newhall Community Center is stocked with 200 toys for borrowing, from dolls to Duelin’ Dudes.

Gregory Espinosa and Adam Gardner have finally found a library that suits them.

They are hunched over a brown tabletop scaled to their 6-year-old bodies, shouting and furiously wiggling joysticks so their Totally Awesome Duelin’ Dudes will pummel one another.

No one is shushed. No one hears “Careful!” as they pluck items off the shelves. No one is told to walk rather than run.

This is a toy library.

“I like it,” said Gregory. “I like the games.”

Adam is more succinct.

“Cool.”

Their enthusiasm is understandable. This tiny library, which opened March 1 in a corner of the Newhall Community Center, carries the works of Milton-Bradley rather than those of John Milton or Ray Bradbury.

Co-sponsored by the city of Santa Clarita, the facility is open 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and is the newest outlet for a toy-loan program run by Los Angeles County since 1935. Board games, stuffed animals and balls for various sports fill both of its five-foot, white shelves. There also are jump ropes, puzzles and dolls, more than 200 playthings in all.

Organizers say they’ll periodically rotate toys with the 35,000 spread among the 32 other toy-loan sites throughout the county.

Children can check out toys from these locations--just as they would borrow books from a traditional library--for a week. More than 16,000 youngsters borrowed toys last year alone, according to the county’s Department of Public Social Services.

Organizers say the program teaches important lessons of responsibility, cooperation and promptness.

It can also save parents a bundle.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Patricia Hamoodi of Newhall, who brought her 3 1/2-year-old daughter, Laila, to pick out a toy to borrow. “I think it’s a nice idea that you can use the toys without having to buy them. And without having to clutter up your house.”

Laila quickly retrieved a doll from the library’s shelves. Minutes later, she discarded it in favor of a fluorescent green ball and a two-foot-high basketball hoop.

“Being the mother of two young boys, I know how expensive it is to buy toys,” said Jan Uberstein, a volunteer “toybrarian” at the center. “I also know the frustration of buying a toy and having them stop playing with it after two hours.”

Although quieter than their young patrons, Santa Clarita officials are no less excited about the toy loans. The joint program is run at no cost, using volunteer workers and donated items.

“It is such a nice program,” said Jodi Jones, a city recreation supervisor. “It’s nice to be in a partnership with the county for something that can only do good.”

“Use it well,” Jo Anne Darcy advised youths at the library. The mayor of Santa Clarita and field deputy for Supervisor Michael Antonovich added: “Have fun with it and tell your friends about it. We want to see this place packed with kids borrowing and bringing back toys.”

More contributions are already arriving.

Students in William S. Hart High School’s peer counseling program held a bake sale last month for the toy library. It raised $110 that will buy coloring books and board games, said Sara Epstein, a member of the Hart program.

“There were barely any games here for kids to play with, and a lot of the games had missing pieces,” said Sara, 16.

With no expenses to worry about and community support growing, officials have identified what is now their biggest challenge.

They’re seeking names for two stuffed blue dragons--the first toys donated by Santa Clarita residents. The dragons now are the community center’s official mascots.