News
Transparent Languages Online/Byki Mobile
Our Online Catalog
Privacy at the Library
History Database
Accessing the State Library
Judi Crowley Fund
MORE eBOOKS FOR HAMPSTEAD LIBRARY PATRONS: OverDrive Advantage
Hampstead folks who like to access free audiobooks and ebooks now have an enhanced resource through the Hampstead Public Library with OverDrive Advantage. If you’ve ever been frustrated with long waiting lists for ebooks, you will love this new feature. Library cardholders can simply log onto the NH Library OverDrive website (easily accessed by an icon on the homepage of our website, www.HampsteadLibrary.org.) Not only will you see titles available to all NH libraries, you will now see the Advantage collection which is visible and accessible only to Hampstead Public Library patrons. For example, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, “The Racketeer” by John Grisham, and “Blood Stained” by C.J. Lyons. Advantage titles are indicated by a gold checkmark icon. Over time, the library will continue to make additions to the Advantage collection, customizing it for our community and this will help to reduce waiting lists on popular titles. This resource is made possible by a donation from the Friends of the Library. Please call the library at 329-6411, if you need assistance downloading audio or e-book titles. If you don’t have a library card, one can easily be obtained with proof of residence or employment in Hampstead.
Transparent Language Online available now
Don't hesitate to contact us at the library to get started. We're very excited to offer this valuable learning tool to our patrons.
Our Online Catalog!
The Hampstead Public Library's catalog of its holdings is online at the library's web site.
Now you'll be able to find out if the library has a book or magazine or CD, DVD or video that you want from the comfort of your own home by going to http://www.hampsteadlibrary.org and clicking on the link to the catalog. You'll also be able to put a hold on something or renew the book you haven't quite finished, although there will be some restrictions on what can be renewed from home. You'll see exactly the same search screen at home that you see when you use one of the catalog computers at the library and there will be online instructions for how to place a hold or renew something. Instead of shopping online at 2 a.m., you can now plan your reading or listening in your PJs.
How would you like to be able to keep track of everything you've ever borrowed from the Hampstead Public Library online using the library's system? Would you also like to keep a list of things you haven't read yet but want to read? What about a list of things you'd like your kids to read or DVDs you'd like to watch? All these things and more are possible with the library's new Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC to its friends).
When you log in to a section call 'My Items' using a PIN that you have created, at the library, you'll be able to not only do all these neat things but also see what materials you have checked out, place a reserve or two or three, see if the library has anything waiting for you to pick up and renew things that you haven't quite finished yet.
There are lots of other neat features to the new system as well. You'll be able to see the jacket (cover) of a book, read a brief summary of the plot, find out if it's part of a series and where in the series it falls, and check reviews of the book from standard library review sources such as 'Library Journal', 'School Library Journal', 'Booklist' and 'Publisher's Weekly'. There are much more sophisticated ways to search the catalog for things as well, including the expert search using the famous terms 'and', 'or', 'and not' that you may have learned in a computer class at some time in the past. It will even be possible to do a secondary search to narrow down your choices. You'll be able to see a variety of lists of materials as well, such as new materials, a list by material type (book, DVD, audio, etc.) and other relevant groupings including a list by Dewey Decimal classification.
LIBRARY TRUSTEES ESTABLISH
JUDI CROWLEY FUND
In honor of retired Library Director Judi Crowley, the Trustees of the Hampstead Public Library have set up the Judi Crowley Fund to be used to enhance the library's collections. The Friends of the Hampstead Public Library have also made a generous contribution to the fund to help get it up and running.
Judi has contributed so much to the town of Hampstead through her work as Library Director that the Trustees and Friends felt this would be the most appropriate way to memorialize her tenure. Under Judi's stewardship as Assistant Director and then Director the library acquired its present building and moved from the totally outgrown old library that is now the Historical Society Museum. She oversaw the computerization of the circulation system and catalog. She helped design and plan the second floor expansion of the building. She was able to make the positions of Assistant Director and Children's Librarian into the full time positions they needed to be. In so many ways, Judi was the true architect of the Hampstead Public Library as we know it today.
Any person who would like to honor Judi by contributing to the fund may do so at any time. Checks should be made payable to the Hampstead Public Library with a note on the memo line 'Judi Crowley Fund'.
Privacy Matters At The Library
Public libraries in this country have always been very conscious of the need to respect the privacy of their patrons' borrowing choices. What this means in practical terms is that no one, including husbands, wives, parents or siblings, is ever entitled to know what you're borrowing from the library. You can't just ask your spouse to stop by the library to pick up a book you have on hold unless said spouse has your library card in hand or knows your card number. This is why we never leave the title of a book on an answering machine when calling to notify a patron that a book is in. This is why we don't give the name of the book on hold to another family member who answers the phone. Once children reach middle school age, they should have cards in their own names to protect their right to privacy.
This raises another issue revolving around the concept of "in loco parentis" or in the place of a parent. By law, schools must act as if they were the parents of the children who are in their custody while school is in session. Also by law, libraries are specifically prohibited from acting "in loco parentis" while children are in the library and borrowing library materials. A public library cannot deny a child the right to use or borrow any library materials. If a parent finds this law too lax, then the parent needs to accompany the child to the library to supervise what materials are consulted and borrowed.
The Patriot Act of 2001 has changed these rules. Federal officials may now require libraries to turn over all patron records without a subpoena, search warrant or even a stated reason. But the old rules of privacy still apply locally.
So when we won't give you the name of the book we're calling your spouse about or let you pick it up on your way home without the spouse's card, we're protecting your right to privacy and confidentiality. It's our job to make sure your rights are protected, even if you sometimes wish we weren't so punctilious about saving you from your family.
Access The Entire State's Library Holdings
Did you know you can now look at all the holdings in libraries throughout the entire state of New Hampshire using the Hampstead Public Library's web site?
Every library in the state has put their holdings into the NH State Library's data base, and here's how you can see them:
Once you've located the title you want and you want to borrow it, just come into the library and fill out an Inter-library Loan Request card at the front desk. To fill out the card you need to know the title and the author's full name. If you also have the ISBN, that's a big help, too. Please print your name clearly, add your phone number and library card number in the appropriate spots, and give the card to the person at the desk. It takes a bit of time to process inter-library loans but we will call you when your request comes in.
Technology really does help libraries serve their communities better and better all the time. Never before could people sit at home and check not only their local library's holdings but the holdings of every library in the state. Never before could you renew your books or put a reserve on something in your library that's out from home, even at 2 a.m. if you're an insomniac. We often complain about the computerization of our world, but there are real pluses, too.
Take advantage of the wonders the Hampstead Public Library's new capabilities offer.
