The Hamilton Township Library Board of Trustees will be holding their monthly meeting on Monday, October 26^th at 5:00 P.M. remotely via teleconference.  The public are invited to attend by calling 877-336-1828.   When prompted, enter access code 4485423.

THE LIBRARY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT STARTING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH WE WILL BE OFFERING COMPUTER USE, FAX, AND NOTARY SERVICES BY APPOINTMENT.

For instructions on how to make a reservation for computer use, click here.
For instructions on how to make an appointment to fax an item, click here.
For instructions on how to make an appointment to have an item notarized, click here.

CONTACTLESS CURBSIDE SERVICE HOURS ARE NOW OFFERED FROM 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, MONDAY THRU FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY FROM 9:00 AM -1:00 PM.

For details on how to take advantage of this service, click here. If you have any questions, contact our Reference Department by phone (609-581-4060, Ext. 2) for more information.

Our outdoor book drops are open for returns 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For the safety of our patrons and staff, returned materials are quarantined for a minimum of 72 hours, and then disinfected before being placed back on the shelf. We ask for your patience and understanding as items will remain on the cardholder’s account during this period. Patron’s will not be charged fines or fees for the time their items remain in quarantine.

Although the building itself is open only by appointment, access to online and digital resources remain available. Each day, we continue to update and increase the material we offer remotely – virtual tours, children’s programming, reader recommendations and more are just a click away. We have added many links to websites for children, teens and adults, and staff are available to answer your questions and concerns via email between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Monday thru Friday.

WI-FI is available from the parking lot and surrounding grounds – no password is required.

Please check our website or Facebook page frequently for updates as more information becomes available.

L2B Initiative Showcases Calendar of Free Online Events for Business Community

In the wake of the economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, L2B (Libraries to Business) announces the launch of its website, www.libs2b.com, a clearinghouse of online events and resources for the small business community. L2B seeks to connect individuals, small business owners, and entrepreneurs to assistance and development organizations that have shifted in-person meetings to online webinars. All events listed on the calendar are free of charge, do not require membership in order to attend, and are not limited to a certain geographic area. To get further information, to view the calendar and other resources, or to list your organization’s business or workforce development events to the L2B calendar, please visit: www.libs2b.com.

Teen Book Reviews

This year’s Summer Reading Program looked a little different than other years, so we had teens write book reviews for the Library website for volunteer time. To check out reviews from teens and our Teen Librarian, check out Teen Book Review.

Teen Summer Reading

Thank you to all of our participants and volunteers this summer! We know it’s not like what we normally offer, but we all did our best. And enormous thanks to the Friends of the Library for financial support for materials and prizes!

STEMNauts Virtual Tutoring

For more information concerning COVID-19, click here

Additionally, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation has created an information and resource page for legal matters connected to or impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis.

Virtual Tours

We have a new page highlighting virtual tours and extra online access while we are closed.

Recommended Reads

Each week, we will provide suggested readings for adults, young adults and children to enjoy.  All titles are accessible via our eLibrary.

ADULT: “Haunted New Jersey: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Garden State“ by Patricia A. Martinelli and Charles A. Stansfield, Jr. – New Jersey is home to dozens of unexplained phenomena, from the legendary Jersey Devil to the lesser-known White Stag of Shamong. The authors (Martinelli is a freelance writer; Stansfield is a geography professor at Rowan University in New Jersey) take a serious look at the state’s occult history, traversing it from northwest mountains to the southern beaches as they document reported sightings of ghosts, witches and other creatures. Befitting their credentials and generally sober tone, the authors don’t actually reveal whether or not they believe in certain legends. Rather, they rely on eyewitness accounts to verify their tellings. This compendium of legends should appeal to residents of the Garden State interested in local lore, as well as American historians.

TEEN: “Watch Over Me” by Nina Lacour – Mila has just aged out of the foster care system and is presented with a new opportunity. She will get to live and work at the farm of Terry and Julia in isolated Northern California, and she’s viewing the move as a positive step forward. Moving to the farm will be a chance to leave behind the dark parts of her past while she teaches the younger children who live there, tends to the flowers, and runs the Sunday market farm stand. Mila has been warned that the farm is “a special place” and tries to enter with an open mind. While the farm provides a refuge, it is haunted by the past. Mila yearns for acceptance from her newfound family, but her own memories are rising to the surface. She is also haunted. It turns out that a change in scenery doesn’t allow her to escape the ghosts from her past, and she has to confront them head on. LaCour presents a ghost story that is moving, unsettling, and full of atmospheric beauty with foggy, coastal air that hangs heavy in the pages. This is a quiet, contemporary tale filled with loneliness and dark undertones. This story will elicit readers’ feelings and is 100% LaCour at its core.

CHILDREN:  “Popcorn” by Frank Asch – On Halloween night, Sam invites all of his friends to his house for a costume party. As his guests arrive, each one brings the same snack—popcorn! What will Sam and his friends do with so much of this tasty treat?

Kids

New Jersey Covid-19 Child Care Tuition Assistance for School-Aged Children

While in-person services are limited, we are scheduling virtual events and activities.  Please check them out on our calendar.

If you are looking for Biblioboard graphic novels or Tumblebooks, free access to these services ended 8/31/20.

For all other information, please check out the Children’s Page.

Interested in local history?

Be sure to check out Tom Glover’s Hamilton Scrapbook website for fun and interesting facts concerning the history of our town and the surrounding communities.

…..that’s what Hamilton Free Public Library is all about.  We take our role as a central meeting place in the township quite seriously. And we feel a responsibility to our patrons and others who may be less fortunate than ourselves. Therefore, we offer you the following opportunities to “pay it forward”.   We are a…