May, 8, 2020   Dear Patrons,   The staff and I look forward to the day we can reopen our doors and welcome you back into our beautiful library, but we’re still unsure when that will be. Although the Town Hall is reopening to the public soon, the Library and the Council on Aging will take a little longer, as our services and uses of our spaces are a little more varied.   At the library, we are working on a phased reopening plan that allows for an incremental restoration of services. In each phase, we will adapt our services in order to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our staff members and our patrons. We will coordinate our reopening plans/tasks with the Town of Ipswich, the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Please check our website’s News page, and follow us on social media for the latest updates.   In the meantime, the staff is all still hard at work finding new ways to deliver services to you, and learning new skills to make our library the best it can be. Do not hesitate to reach out to any member of our staff for assistance!   Stay safe and well, Patty DiTullio, Library Director pditullio@ipswichlibrary.org   Some quick reminders! All due dates have been extended, and we have no overdue fines, so you are welcome to keep any books you have as long as you like. Our website has tons of resources that are available to you any time of day or night! Click here for an overview. Need us to look up your card number, reset your PIN, or apply for a new card? Get help here! Since the closure, the 36 libraries in our network have contributed over $200,000 toward new ebooks and audiobooks, and you can also borrow form every other network in the state. Learn more about Overdrive here. The children’s room has been creating online offerings for you, including our popular Mother Goose Storytimes! Explore over 200,000 digitized pages of Ipswich newspapers dating to as early as 1872 (a recently completed grant project).

Friday, March 16, 2020: Dear Patrons, As of today, all town offices, including the library, are closed to the public. We do not charge late fees, but due dates have been extended and all requests have been suspended until we reopen. We encourage you to check this page and follow us on social media for the latest updates. Sincerely, Patty DiTullio, Library Director Questions? Please do not hesitate to contact me at pditullio@ipswichlibrary.org or 978-356-6649.   Friday, March 13, 2020: Dear Patrons, After consultation with town administration and under guidance from public health officials, the Ipswich Library has made the difficult, but necessary, decision to close the library to the public beginning Friday, March 13, 2020 at 5pm, until further notice. Please visit our website frequently and follow us on social media for updates about reopening dates, and services available by phone/email during the closure. We understand, and deeply regret, the inconvenience this will cause our loyal patrons. Our entire community’s health and wellness are our top priority. Ipswich Public Library offers many amazing resources that are available 24/7 available through our website. We thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we face this health emergency together.   Thursday, March 12, 2020: Dear Patrons, We know the current health emergency is causing anxiety across our community. The Town and the Library are sensitive to that, and want to apprise you of the steps we are taking to address the situation. The Ipswich Public Library is working closely with the Ipswich Public Health Department and other Town Departments to monitor the latest information and guidelines provided by the by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) related to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Library’s highest priority is the health and well-being of library users, staff and volunteers. To help ensure that our library is safe and welcoming to all, we have implemented a strategy that aims to prevent and slow the spread of the virus. At present, there is no change in our hours. However, we are taking the following precautions: In response to the latest recommendations by emergency management and health professionals, we are canceling all library programs until further notice. We are also closing our public meeting rooms to outside use until further notice, and will be in touch with those scheduled to use these spaces. Out of an […]

Dear Library Patrons, The library staff misses you terribly and sends you wishes for good health and safety. We wanted to let you know that we are currently hard at work behind the scenes, working to put new services into place during this unprecedented time! Like many other organizations, libraries are scrambling to adapt in order to move forward. Under normal circumstances, we base our decisions and plans on fairly extensive needs assessment and usage data. In this strange time, our community has an ever-shifting menu of needs and we want to make sure we hear from you what they are so we can respond. As the library plans for an extended closure, what services would be most valuable to you and your family? Please take this 30-second survey to weigh in!