Franklin Public Library Changes Due to Coronavirus

Issue Date: 
April, 2020
Article Body: 

This information was updated as of Local Town Pages press time, 3/17/20
Due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, the Franklin Public Library will be closed to all patrons indefinitely, until further notice. The staff will be required to work a full schedule and will continue to operate business via online services and will be available by phone during modified business hours at (508) 520-4941. Modified business hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday where staff will be available by phone.
All programs at the Library, including the Book Sale, are cancelled for this duration. Any late fines will be waived through at least March 27th. Items that are checked out will have their due date extended to April 30th. The Library’s book return will remain open twenty-four hours a day. No book or media donations will be accepted until further notice.
On advisement from our Franklin Health Department, curbside pickup has been discontinued at this time. Holds currently on the holdshelf will remain there. As soon as we are given the green light, we will resume curbside delivery.
We also have many online resources for patrons to explore! I have been highlighting some of them on our Facebook page. This includes the Libby app from OverDrive where patrons can download ebooks and audiobooks, hoopla (movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows), Kanopy (on-demand movie streaming video service with access to thousands of documentary, foreign, silent, and independent films), PressReader (full issues of premium newspapers and magazines the moment they hit newsstands), Newspapers.com , and The New York Times. Patrons can register for Library cards online at https://library.minlib.net/selfreg .
There is a Databases and Research Resources page https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/databases-resea... as well as a Featured Databases page which is just for Franklin residents https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/featured-databases . A favorite is NoveList Plus, a readers’ advisory resource for fiction, nonfiction, and audiobooks for all ages.
Our Youth Services Department is preparing to have streaming storytimes, book talks, and other online programs starting today at 4 p.m.