March 20, 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 today, 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

Here are just a few more ways to pass your time at home:

For Kids

Songs & Stories with Deb — Sing-alongs and storytimes with our own Head of Children's Deborah Borsuk!

New England Aquarium — Live demonstrations daily at 11am.

At-Home Resources — Suggested activities from the publisher HarperCollins.

For Teens

Itch.io — Games (many currently free!) from indie game developers.

Magic: The Gathering Arena — Free online platform to play MTG. Stay tuned for details about an online tournament!

Enchambered, Mateusz Skutnik, Neutral — Free, single-player escape rooms.

For Adults

Music Concerts — A list of upcoming streaming concerts, compiled by NPR.

World Class Museums — Links to museums that you can visit online.

Listen Notes — Podcasts, searchable by topic or creator.

Find additional library updates here.

The Town has opened a dedicated COVID-19 informational phone line and email address: call 617-993-2222 Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, or email belmonteoc@belmont-ma.gov with inquiries.

Trusted Health Resources

• Belmont Health Department 
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• World Health Organization