The Newburyport Public Library Children’s Room provides materials and programs for children and families from birth through sixth grade. We also provide assistance to teachers, caregivers, and others working with children. Services include regular programs for various ages, school vacation programs, and Summer Reading programs.
The Children’s Room contains picture books, board books, beginning readers, early chapter books, fiction books, non-fiction books, Playaway audio books, Read-Aloud books, and DVDs.
Library Cards
Children who live in Newburyport or are residents of towns within the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (MVLC) may obtain library cards once they have turned five years old. A parent/legal guardian must accompany their child and provide proof of residency. Young adults ages 13 or older may obtain a Library card without a guardian present, but they must show photo ID, or some other proof of residency.
All patron card activity is confidential under state law, even for very young children. Guardians who allow their child to open a Library card should be advised that we are unable to share any information about the child’s account or borrowing history without the child’s permission.
Find additional library card information here.
School Visits and Tours
What We Can Offer
The Library can host tours of the Children’s Room or Teen Space. Given adequate notice, we can provide research instruction and/or tips for using our online catalog. We offer read-alouds of 2-3 picture books upon request. We do not offer full story times for class visits.
How to arrange a visit
The library must consider staffing constraints, available space, and other programs before accommodating class visits. Requests must be made at least 48 hours in advance. To arrange a visit, contact Allison Privitera, Head of Children’s & Teen Services, at 978-465-4428 at least 48 hours before you hope to visit, even if you are not seeking a tour or other engagement from staff.
Please remind students of the following expectations prior to every visit:
- Teachers, please check in with library staff upon arrival. We will advise you about where students should leave their personal effects that day so that they don’t create tripping hazards. Students should be mindful at all times that there are patrons in the building trying to work, access materials, and enjoy a pleasant and calm environment.
- Books in the library are organized in a very specific way. Students should not attempt to reshelve a book if they don’t know exactly where it goes.
- Students should bring their physical library cards with them to the Library. We have the capability to look up accounts (provided it is the student’s own card and not that of a caregiver), but this can be very time-consuming.
Safe Child Policy
Our policy states that a child should be nine years old before they visit the library without a caregiver, but a more general rule is that a child is ready to be in the library without supervision when their caregiver feels it is safe for them to leave the library without supervision.
Our chief concern is the safety of our patrons. The NPL is a busy public building and staff are not able to provide direct supervision of unattended children. This means that caregivers are responsible for the safety and behavior of their children in the library and on library property.
Like all library users, kids are required to follow the library’s Patron Policy. If a child is breaking library rules, they may be asked to leave the library. You can find more details in our Safe Child Policy.
Tutoring
The library has study rooms that are ideal for tutoring sessions. Patrons may book these rooms online up to 48 hours in advance. If these spaces are unavailable, we invite tutors to make use of our coworking space on the third floor. We request that tutoring sessions not take place in the Children’s Room.
