THE LIBRARY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING RETURNS! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

We are asking our patrons to follow the return schedule set out below, based on the first letter of your last name:

A-E begins Tuesday, June 30 (closed Friday 7/3) F-K begins Monday, July 6
L-R begins Thursday, July 9 S-Z begins Tuesday, July 14

WE CONTINUE TO OFFER CONTACTLESS CURBSIDE SERVICE

Patrons can once again borrow material from our collection, although we are still NOT accepting donations at this time. For details on how to take advantage of this new service, click here. If you have any questions, contact our Reference Department by phone (609-581-4060, Ext. 2) for more information. We look forward to welcoming you back!

Although the building itself is still closed, 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 through 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.

Virtual Library Comic Convention

During the COVID-19 social distancing period, leading comic, graphic novel, and children’s book publishing partners are pitching in to help libraries excel

at delivering remote services through our Virtual Library Comic Convention (VLCC) project. The New Jersey State Library has announced the availability of more than 4,000 high-quality comics, graphic novels, and children’s materials as part of an innovative program to make this content free to all residents of New Jersey throughout the summer. All of the eBooks are available in an unlimited, simultaneous use model and served to patrons via geolocation. The collection is free with unlimited access through August 31, 2020. To access the New Jersey comic and graphic novel collection, visit:

https://library.biblioboard.com/home. Browse through the entries or use the SEARCH feature. Depending on your search intent, you can also click MENU and then click CURATIONS or CATEGORIES under the heading EXPLORE. To see the entire list of available entries, click MENU and then click READ under the heading EXPLORE.

Teen Summer Reading Program

The Teen Summer Reading Program is almost here. Starting June 22nd, incoming sixth grade students through exiting high school seniors can sign up and check in for our teen summer reading program through our ReadSquared platform. For more information, please see our flyer. And for updated information throughout the program, check out our Teen Summer Reading page.

Teen Summer Volunteer Program

This year’s Summer Reading Program looks a little different than other years, so we are being creative in offering the opportunity for our teens to give back. Teens who write book reviews for the Library website can earn two hours of volunteer time per book review. Reviews may be edited for length, spelling, grammar, and content, and no guarantee is made that the review will be posted on the website. To sign up to volunteer writing book reviews, or to submit reviews, please email Teen Librarian Kathleen at kbreitenbach@hamiltonnjpl.org. More information is available at Teen Book Review.

STEMNauts Virtual Tutoring

The STEMNauts are offering one-on-one virtual tutoring for students of all ages every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tutoring in a variety of subject areas, including English, math, science, and social studies, is available. Preparation for the PSAT, SAT, or Act, as well as assistance with college applications, can also be obtained. For more information, contact STEMNautsTeam@gmail.com or visit their website at
http://www.stemnauts.org.

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.

Need to File Your Taxes?

Tax help is here! Do you require assistance filing your 2019 tax return? Look no further. The United Way of Greater Mercer County can aid you in this endeavor. The deadline to file your 2019 Federal and New Jersey taxes has been extended to July 15, 2020. View flyer for free virtual tax service.

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: “The Summer Before War” by Helen Simonson – Schoolteacher Beatrice Nash is eager to start a new job teaching Latin in the small English seaside town of Rye in the summer of 1914. She soon has a front-row seat as local squabbles regarding such matters as whether a woman should be teaching Latin at all give way to the more pressing concerns of World War I. A group of refugees from Belgium throw the orderly lives of Rye’s residents into tumult, and the town is soon asked to make even larger sacrifices as its sons depart for the front.

YOUNG ADULT: “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han – Romantic and heartbreakingly real, this novel follows 15-year-old Belly through the most important summer of her life. Every year, her family shares a beach house with Belly’s mother’s best friend, Susannah, and her two sons. Belly has always had a crush on Conrad, the older boy, but he has always treated her like an annoying younger sister. This summer, everything changes. The beautifully written novel captures Belly’s realization that she is changing into an attractive young woman with a growing power over the boys in her life. They include Cam, the “nice” boy she should fall for but doesn’t, and Jeremiah, Susannah’s younger son. Only Conrad is seemingly immune to Belly’s charms. Meanwhile, Susannah and her family are dealing with problems that Belly does not fully comprehend. Flashbacks to previous summers show her struggles to make Conrad and Jeremiah notice and include her, and how hurt she was when they didn’t. The novel perfectly blends romance, family drama, and a coming-of-age tale, one that is substantially deeper than most, but it will still satisfy those hoping for a soapy story of summer love. Belly’s discovery that you can’t always choose who you love will appeal to readers, as will the author’s expert evocation of a magical time when absolutely anything could happen.

CHILDREN: “A Big Bug” by Henry Cole – In this ideal introduction to the concept of scale, young readers will love the lush illustrations of the animals, objects, and scenery of a farm, and they’ll delight in seeing how something “big” can suddenly seem “little” with the turn of a page!

Upcoming Events for Kids

Take a look at our calendar. All kids’ programs are free, but most require pre-registration. If you have any questions, please call 609-581-4064 or email childrensreference@hamiltonnjpl.org.

While we are closed, we are scheduling virtual events – please check them out.

Summer reading is here! Imagine Your Story! through our READsquared platform. This program is designed for kids from birth through 12 years, to encourage life-long reading habits. Check out recommended booklists, including e-book options. Once you’ve earned enough points you’ll receive a completion certificate you can print and share!

In response to COVID-19 and library closures, the NJ State Library has partnered with BiblioBoard to launch a free e-book library of 172 graphic novels and comics available for children and teens in New Jersey. Visit https://njsl-vlcc.biblioboard.com/home to start reading!

Jammin’ in Mr. Jim’s Studio, daily at 8:30 a.m.: 25 to 30 minutes of fun children’s songs showcasing and promoting Key of Awesome Music’s children’s educational music program.

Alex Mitnick invites you and your little ones to watch his interactive kids’ music shows, anytime. Click on his name and scroll down to choose a platform.

Author Dav Pilkey wants to help you get creative and have fun with some of your favorite characters from Dog Man and Captain Underpants! Check out his website for activities, exciting videos, and so much more.

To hear picture books read by authors and celebrities, click StorylineOnline or 100+ Free Video Read Alouds, curated by the Indianapolis Public Library.

Follow #OperationReadAloud on Facebook for easy access to over 100 story videos, as well as links to virtual author festivals and other events.

Barefoot Books has some fun at-home activity kits for families. Take a look!

Common Sense Media offers resources for families during the coronavirus pandemic.

For the Love of Reading Book Club

CANCELED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Join us at the Hamilton Library to enjoy and discuss a variety of compelling stories. For more information, email hamiltonlibrarybookclub@gmail.com or check out our flyer.

FREE Tutoring Services at the Library

CANCELED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Each Saturday, the STEMNauts will be offering FREE tutoring services to students in grades K-12 at the Hamilton Township Public Library. Subjects include math, reading/writing, science, homework help and more! For information or to register, visit http://www.stemnauts.org/join.html.

Would you like to go to a museum…for FREE?

Check out the Hamilton Township Public Library’s FREE Museum Pass Program. Library patrons may reserve a pass to a wide variety of museums, with some passes accommodating up to seven guests! Find out how to reserve your museum pass today.

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.

HAMILTON, NJ (609) 581-4060