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).

How might COVID-19 affect your day-to-day life? Please check out the resources below for up-to-date information on COVID-19 and related topics (taxes, student loans, etc.). COVID-19 Resources:   Center for Disease Control (CDC) The CDC has a site with all of the latest information you need about the current state of the situation on the national and global level.   Massachusetts Department of Public Health The Mass Department of Public Health offers state-specific information and guidance on COVID-19. Daily and cumulative data updates on COVID-19 cases and testing in Massachusetts are available HERE.   Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency The MEMA offers state-specific information and answers a variety of questions regarding COVID-19 in Massachusetts and the responses by FEMA during this health emergency.   Town of Ipswich COVID-19 Updates Follow the Town’s COVID-specific page to learn more about how Ipswich related changes and updates. This page contains a variety of helpful links, including ones on local case documentation and resources for small businesses.   COVID-19 Related Resources:   Coronavirus Tax Relief and Economic Impact Payments (IRS) Through this page, the IRS offers updated tax help and information for taxpayers, businesses, tax-exempt organizations and others – including health plans – affected by coronavirus (COVID-19).   Federal Student Aid and Loan Repayment During COVID-19 The U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office of Federal Student Aid is actively monitoring the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak. They have answered questions about several provisions of the CARES Act and your student/parent loans. Questions that have been added or updated are identified with “NEW” or “UPDATED” before each question, so please check back frequently.   Pandemic Unemployment Assistance This page offers help on how to apply for pandemic specific unemployment and addresses various changes concerning unemployment in the time of COVID-19.