March 18, 2020

Dear Belmont Library Patrons,

We wanted to reach out and share some more updates about our services to you, and how things will be working for the near future. The Library will be closed to the public until further notice, but library staff are hard at work converting as many of our regular services online for digital access as possible.

We also want to make sure you know about all the great things we have to offer to you while the Library is closed to the public.

But first, some business. We are going to:

• Extend all due dates – Please keep and enjoy your library materials for now. When it’s time to bring them back we’ll let you know, and there will be no fines on anything.
• Freeze all holds – Anything waiting for you at the library will be here when we reopen.
• Suspend delivery — The Massachusetts Library System suspended the delivery of materials, so anything you’re waiting for from other libraries will still come, but not until the libraries open back up.

We would like to remind you about your free ticket to a never-ending string of resources right from home: your library card.

• Through our website, we offer you downloadable ebooks with the newer, sleeker Libby app from OverDrive.
• More downloadable ebooks, audiobooks, and movies through hoopla.
• Kanopy is a great resource to stream free movies, The Criterion Collection especially which contains many of the greatest films of all time.
• RB Digital has incredible amounts of magazines ready to read.

In the coming days, we’ll be creating some new interactive content for you all to enjoy. We are working together with many of our regular performers to share some digital experiences through our website and social media pages. We hope to see live programs streaming, and also have saved videos available, so that you can join in on some live face-to-face fun, or access recorded activities later around the schedule that works best for you.

Immediately, we wanted to say thank you to all of you for staying patient with us. While we can’t let you in to the Library to access our materials, we wanted to still to bring the materials to you.

Starting on Friday, March 20, we will be leaving care packages of donated materials outside of the Library in paper bags. These care packages will be themed bags of free books and other materials, all from donations to the Library.

In the coming days — when it’s not raining, and while supplies last — we will leave these care packages on the front steps, on the library walkway, and outside the Children’s Room. They will be closed bags. Please come, take a bag to keep forever, and open it at home. Bags were put together by library staff (wearing gloves).

These care packages are courtesy of the Belmont Public Library staff and made possible by the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. If you use social media at home (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), please share a photo of yourself with your care package and tag our accounts and use #BelmontPublicLibrary. 

Your Library Director,

Peter J. Struzziero

Get digital media from home! We have eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, movies, and more for all ages and interests.

Download the Libby app, then log in with your library card and PIN to borrow thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks, and magazines from our OverDrive collection. Check out up to 10 items at a time. You can also use your Minuteman Library Network card to borrow from partner libraries across Massachusetts, including the CW MARS, NOBLE, and MVLC networks.

hoopla is like free Netflix, PLUS music and audiobooks! You can stream (or download to the hoopla app) 5 titles per month. Instantly borrow any title — no waiting, no holds. Sign up with your email address and library card, then search, borrow, stream, and enjoy!

To watch some of the world’s best films (over 30,000 of them!), try Kanopy. With film festival favorites, award-winning documentaries, and countless films from the Criterion Collection, Great Courses, PBS, Women Make Movies, Samuel Goldwyn, and more. Also available is Kanopy Kids with films and TV series like Sesame Street and Arthur, perfect for preschool and up! Stream up to 5 titles per month.

Special notice: Until April 12, Kanopy is offering a selection of films that won’t deduct from your monthly play credits — enjoy them here! — as well as free, unlimited access to Kanopy Kids!

RB Digital is a digital newsstand with over 40 popular magazines. There’s something for everyone: The New Yorker, OK! Magazine, Vogue, National Geographic, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, and more! Create an account with your library card and email address, then browse and check out to read magazines instantly.

Still curious? Discover more online resources or try our Children’s e-resources.

Need a library card? Register online for a temporary library card to use state-provided databases and the OverDrive digital collection. Massachusetts residents can also sign up for a Boston Public Library eCard for access to more online resources!

Do you want to…

Study a new language? Practice with Mango Languages.

Learn to cook? Watch live cooking instruction using common pantry ingredients with chef Michael Symon on the Food Network Kitchen’s Facebook page, get tasty recipes from Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap and From Scratch — free PDFs are available here, or search the Culinary Arts collection from Gale OneFile.

Stay up on current events and news? Visit our Subject Guide and explore “Current Events” and “Newspapers and Journals”, or watch some of the over 3000 TED Talks or animated TED Ed videos that will spark your curiosity.

Gain a new skill? Learn to code at FreeCodeCamp.org, take an online course through Lynda.com, or start a new project around the house backed by information from the Home Improvement collection from Gale OneFile, or research your family tree with HeritageQuest.

Practice self-care and relaxation techniques? Whenever you need a break, practice guided meditation on hoopla, listen to a new-to-you podcast, or chill out with a free movie from Kanopy.

If you’re not sure where to start, send us your questions through our Ask a Librarian service!

Stuck at home with absolutely nothing to read? Your Belmont librarians are here to help.

First things first, you can always contact us for personalized recommendations! Through our Ask a Librarian service, tell us what you like (genre, author, other book titles) and we’ll respond with a few suggestions that you might enjoy. We can match you with books, movies, TV series, podcasts, and more — just ask! Teens and tweens can fill out this Personalized Recommendations form here.

Check our staff picks book lists for recommendations on popular topics in fiction and nonfiction. Don’t forget to get ideas from our reading recommendations for teens/tweens and book lists for kids, too! The Minuteman Library Network also has recommended reads — if you’re stuck, start with this list of Books You Can’t Put Down.

Need even more ideas? Looking for something in a niche genre or a read-alike for your last favorite read? Explore NoveList to find new authors and titles, using your interests based on mood, genre, or appeal.

Wowbrary helps you discover the latest books, magazines, DVDs and CDs at the library, and allows you to place holds. Sign up for Wowbrary’s newsletter to receive a weekly email with what’s new.

Through May 31st, Kanopy is offering a selection of films that won’t deduct from your monthly play credits — enjoy them here! In addition, get free, unlimited access to Kanopy Kids to enjoy storytimes, educational TV shows, animated films, and more.

With your Belmont Public Library card, Kanopy gives you film festival favorites, award-winning documentaries, and countless films from the Criterion Collection, Great Courses, PBS, Women Make Movies, Samuel Goldwyn, and more. In addition to the credit-free viewing above, you can stream up to 5 titles per month. Once you press the play button on a film, you have 3 days to view it as many times as you like, without using another one of your 5 “play credits.”

To use Kanopy on your computer, sign up online; on your TV, use AppleTV, Chromecast, or Roku; or on a mobile device, download the Kanopy app for iOS or Android.

Still curious about what the library can do for you? Discover more online resources or try our Children’s e-resources.

March 14, 2020

Dear Belmont Library Patrons,

Effective immediately, the Belmont Public Library will be closed to the public until further notice.

During this time please continue to visit the library website as we will be working to highlight what options are available through our digital resources. We will be offering services via phone calls as usual at our public desks, so please call us if we may be of service to you:

Main Phone Number: 617-489-2000
Circulation Desk: 617-993-2855
Reference Desk: 617-993-2870
Children’s Room: 617-993-2880

We will be forgiving all library fines on any materials that are returned via our outside book drop during this time.

Please visit the Town of Belmont website to keep up on all updates from Town Administration and the Belmont Health Department.

Stay safe, Belmont Library Patrons.

Your Library Director,

Peter J. Struzziero