Stay Safe
I hope everyone who can be is safe at home, and everyone who can't be is holding up. As for all the parents of school-aged kids who are trying to survive, my heart goes out to you. My wife and I are homeschoolers by default, and even our patience is being tried to the breaking point.

The Library's primary mission, as most see it, has always been to loan books. That is still largely true, because books are still a very ubiquitous package for transmitting stories and information. The internet has steadily been providing more packages for delivering content, though, and users have been migrating in that direction. Check out this chart:
I initially started looking at this data before the Library closed to determine how many of the people who recently borrowed books were in age groups especially susceptible to COVID-19. What it also showed me is that the majority of patrons in every age group except 3 (0-10, 51-60, and 81-90) have already made the shift to frequenting Libby more often than physical collections. I expected this of 11-50 year olds, but I did not expect it of 61-80 year olds! I guess those senior center classes accomplished something...

In any case, it looks like the shift to digital services necessitated by the pandemic won't be that big of an adjustment for most people. Unless you are in your fifties. :) If you have questions about any of our resources or need help setting up your accounts, please call me . I'm with the government, and I'm here to help.

I have attached the official announcement that is on the home page of the Library below because it has many useful links as well as instructions if you currently have out loans. The thing that has me most excited, though, is a complete digitized copy of They Raced Horses on Main Street now available for free online viewing! Now more than two people can read it at a time. So read up on local history. There might be a quiz later.

Thanks for Reading,

Justin Snook



Effective Tuesday, March 17, the Library is closed to the public until further notice. Please check out the website--especially ebooks , databases , Kanopy videos , and our new socially distanced library resource page
For pertinent local information regarding the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, please see the official alert page managed by the Emergency Operations Center .

  • If you have materials out, keep them. We are closing the book drop until we are open to the public again. All fines will be forgiven.
  • If you find you cannot access electronic resources because of fines on your account, call the Library. We'll get you access. There is an option to use CWMARS without applying for a card (using just a phone number), but this will not get you access to the additional content we have purchased.
  • If you don't know your library card number or password, call 508-476-2695.
  • If you do not have a library card, apply for one from the services dropdown.
  • If you need internet access, our wifi extends into the parking lot. You can park and hop on--just stay in your car.

We will be checking our phone messages at regular intervals. If you need assistance immediately with one of our electronic resources, though, please don't hesitate to call my cell, which is currently provided on the Library's away message. I apologize for the inconvenience. Stay safe, everyone.
Brought to you by the Friends of the Simon Fairfield Public Library.