WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 7pm – 8:30pm Armchair travel is going virtual! Join Reference Librarian Jeff Klapes, ‘The Traveling Librarian,’ for another of his popular armchair travel presentations. This series highlights travel photography and stories and travel tips about destinations around the world. This month we’ll be going to Malta, the tiny island nation in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Sicily, along with its smaller companion island Gozo. Malta has a long and fascinating history with influences from many different occupiers, and is a mix of African, Italian, British, and other cultures. In addition to historic villages and ancient neolithic temples, Malta has beautiful scenery, especially its craggy coastline and clear blue water. Jeff Klapes is the Head of Reference Services at the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Registration is required. Please click here to register.  ***This is an online presentation. Registered participants will be sent a link to the Zoom meeting prior to the program*** Please share widely with your friends and family afar! Our virtual programs are open to all! 

The changing season marks several new beginnings we are excited to tell you about! Beginning Monday, September 21, you can browse parts of the collection and use our public computers by appointment. Online booking is live now! These appointment-based services will allow us to safely manage capacity limits and protocols for cleaning and disinfecting. Click HERE to read about how the new system works, and book right online, or call us to reserve a time to visit. We will keep offering our Library Takeout service for those who prefer to “grab and go!” For a refresher on how this service works, click HERE. Another way you can get help from home is through our new Online Chat Service! When you visit our website you will see a new “Ask Us” button that you can click to chat live with one of our librarians (more information available HERE). We know that families have a long list of issues to navigate and skills to learn this fall as plans and expectations shift constantly. To help you keep track of it all, we’ve been working on this Family Resource Guide – an extensive compilation of library materials, educational guides, and other resources as your family manages both this school year and the years ahead. It contains tools and tutorials for remote learning technology that we’ve compiled with input from the Ipswich Public Schools, and a wealth of information about other services and issues your family may be juggling right now. Last, but most certainly not least, we’re expanding our program menu in a variety of ways! For families, we have on-demand versions of our storytimes, updated every week! School-age book groups are resuming outdoors and online, and many of your long-time favorite events will return this fall in online form (keep an eye on our calendar)! Also make sure to ask us about take-home crafts next time you’re in. For adults, many book groups are moving their discussions online, and Cookbook Club has resumed with an outdoor meet-up. The ever-popular Armchair Traveler will be back (in Zoom form!), and we’re introducing a new monthly wine webinar you won’t want to miss. Many more exciting offerings will be coming your way, so definitely check our event calendar often and follow us on social media for updates. And don’t forget about these great ongoing services that are still available: Printing Services and Tax Forms You can […]

It’s been a challenging year in so many ways. Here at the library, we cherish the relationships we have developed with each one of you, and cannot thank you enough for the outpouring of support we’ve received. As we forge ahead to keep serving the community, another great way to help us is by joining the Friends of the Ipswich Public Library. The Friends are a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to the support of our library. Without the hard work and generosity of our Friends, the library would not be able to offer half the services our community has come to love. Did you know that the library has NO line item in its municipal budget for programs? Over 11,000 people attend library programs at the library each year, and most are funded by this amazing group! In addition, the Friends assist in many other areas that are above and beyond the municipal budget, sponsoring projects including: New furnishings Technology enhancements Discount museum passes for over 20 area attractions (saving our patrons over $30,000 every year!) Scholarships (presented annually to graduating high school seniors) While our Friends have always provided the bedrock on which we build our services, they’ve especially been there for us during the pandemic. They’ve continued to fund new online programs, take-home crafts, and other needed services. In order to have two very successful book sales this fall, they navigated the complicated requirements of setting up for social distancing and quarantining inventory. We don’t know what the future brings, but we know the Library will rise to challenge, because of the partnership and support we can count on from the Friends. CLICK HERE to learn how you can make a donation and/or become a member of the Friends today (you can now donate or join right online!).