NEW! Case Closed Book Group

Do you enjoy mystery, thriller and true crime novels? Come join the Case Closed Book Group! 

The first meeting is on Tuesday, February 4th at 6:00 pm via Zoom. 

We read a variety of mystery, thriller and true crime books; fiction and non-fiction! New readers are always welcome. We also do not discourage those who were unable to finish the current title from attending – we welcome you to join the discussion anyways!”

This month’s title is “First Lie Wins” by Ashley Elston

organization

“Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge…”

Registration required. Register HERE

Or copy this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sd-mpqT4uG9Mf1rstPsTVbf9pJEM-_D_o.

Shelf Help- Book Subscription Service

Shelf Help is a book recommendation service that provides you with three to five book suggestions based on your reading preferences! To register for a book bag, fill out the online form below with your information and reading tastes. The more you tell us, the better our recommendations will be!

By filling out the form you are signing up for the January bag only. You will need to register again for any future bags.

Every bag will include:

  • Three to five book recommendations based on your reading preferences.
  • A custom bookmark.
  • An optional rating form to let us know how we did!

Please allow up to two weeks to process your recommendations.

You will be contacted via email when your recommendations are available to be picked up at the circulation desk. 

If you are new to Shelf Help, please fill out this online form to let us know your reading preferences.

If you are a returning Shelf Help subscriber, please fill out this online form to confirm your preferences.

Terms and Conditions

By signing up for the Shelf Help Subscription Bag, you give the Newburyport Public Library permission to access your library account in order to check out materials. We will not access your account for any other purpose. The Shelf Help Subscription Bag will also keep track of books recommended to you in an effort to avoid duplication. 

Registration for the January bag begins January 15th and ends January 29th or until we reach capacity.  

Winter Reading Challenge

To submit your reading progress, click here! 

Come play BINGO with us and track your reading progress for a chance to win a $30 gift card to Illume Books! Use the online form (linked above) to view the BINGO card and submit what you’ve read. Each submission will enter you into the raffle (even if you don’t hit BINGO), but you can only submit one book per category.

You can enter your submissions at any point during the Winter Reading challenge. Three lucky winners will each win a $30 gift certificate to Illume Books and all winners will be drawn after the conclusion of the program. Participants can win only once.

If you have any questions or would like a physical copy of the BINGO card, please speak with a reference librarian on the second floor.

The Winter Reading program runs from January 13th through March 15th. 

Printing Price Change

Starting January 1st, the cost for printing and copying will increase by 5¢ due to the cost of upkeep and supplies.

Black & white will now be 20¢/page and color will be 40¢/page.

We appreciate your understanding.

NEW! Art Hive

Join the Newburyport Public Library Art Hive! The NPL Art Hive is held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month in the Program Room.

What is an Art Hive? Art Hives are community art spaces where participants bring in their own arts and crafts projects to meet, exchange ideas, and socialize with fellow artists in an inclusive and respectful environment. They are often held at an art studio, a local venue, or a public library.

All skill levels are welcome. Please bring in your own supplies and projects to work on. The Library will also provide coloring pages, color pencils, and origami. Suggested art hive projects include knitting and crocheting, collaging, small-scale watercolors and/or drawings.

Adults only. See our calendar for dates. Please call 978-465-4428 x2 with any questions. 

The Great Old Book Sale is almost here!

Book Sale Donations

Saturday, October 19: 9:30 am-4:30 pm

Monday, October 21: 9:30 am-7:30 pm

Tuesday, October 22: 9:30 am-2:30 pm

All donations must be brought in through the front door.

Hardcover, paperback and audio books only; no other media, textbooks or magazines will be accepted. Please, 8 box limit.

Friends of the Library Members’ Sale

Wednesday, October 23: 2 pm-8 pm
FOL Members Only. Membership can be purchased at the library.
Entry numbers are available in the lobby starting at 12:00 pm Wednesday.

General Sale

Thursday, October 24: 9:30 am-7:30 pm

Friday, October 25: 9:30 am-4:30 pm

Saturday, October 26: 9:30 am-2:30 pm

Volunteers are always welcome. A volunteer sign-up book can be found in the library lobby next to the Book Sale poster or you can sign up online using Signup Genius HERE.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Newburyport Public Library. Proceeds will benefit the Newburyport Public Library collections and programs.

NEW! Classics Book Group (In-Person)

Join NPL’s newly formed Classics Book Group! This group meets in-person 3-4 PM the third Thursday of every month in the Director’s Room. Please call 978-465-4428 x2 if you have any questions or would like to have a librarian put the book on hold for you. Registration is highly requests as space is limited. Click HERE to register.

October 17 we will be discussing Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

“When young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by a wealthy gentleman, he quickly forms a close bond with his benefactor’s daughter, Cathy. But over the years, their childhood friendship morphs into a desperate, twisted, possessive love, as they wrestle with the violent and tyrannical rule of Cathy’s brother and the confines of social class that keep them apart. What follows is an ingenious and darkly captivating narrative of frustrated passion and tortured heartbreak reverberating through the generations, wrought with all the brutality, power, and wildness of the Yorkshire moors.

With striking force, Emily Brontë’s mesmerizing prose claws at the nature of human folly, defying the gender, religious, and social mores of its day. Wuthering Heights is a transcendent, mystifying masterpiece that examines the cruelty of love, and the ways in which the past, scratching at a windowpane with ghostly fingers, never lets us go.”

— Penguin Random House 

Council on Aging Outreach Services Drop-In Hours

Starting on Thursday, September 12 (12:30-1:30 PM), Outreach Specialist from the Council on Aging, Ann Freeman, will be available at the Newburyport Public Library twice a month to Newburyport residents.

Stop by to get connected to services and information, including information on housing, home care, food, transportation, finance, health, and family issues. Residents will be helped on a first-come first-served basis. See Reference staff for directions. Consultations and referrals are confidential and free to all. 

Please see the Events calendar for exact dates or call us at 978-465-4428.

Archives Special Summer Walk-In Hours

Need some help getting started on researching your Newburyport home for If This House Could Talk? Or are you researching your family history in Newburyport?

Whatever your question is in relation to Newburyport history, we are happy to connect you with the resources that we have available. You can get started by seeing what we have available by visiting our Archival Center page and clicking on Genealogy Research, House History Research, Local History Research, or Collections.

In addition to our regular hours, the Newburyport Archival Center is offering special Drop-In House History Research Help on Wednesdays 2-4PM until July 24th.

There are also Special Summer Walk-In Hours from 9am to 12pm on the following Saturdays: July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3, and August 10.

Need help on a different date or time? Please view the Archival Center Hours here or contact us at 978-465-4428 or by emailing info@newburyportpl.org. While appointments are encouraged during certain times so that we can better assist you, you can always feel free to stop by the Archival Center (basement level) or Reference Desk (second floor) to check on availability.

Summer Reading Starts June 8th!

The Summer Reading program runs June 8th through August 10th. 

Events

The Newburyport Public Library is offering tons of fun events for summer! Check out our events calendar for details, and join us on Saturday, June 8, 2024 for our kickoff event with a petting zoo on the front lawn!

KIDS (Ages 0-12)

Download the Beanstack app or visit: newburyportpl.beanstack.org to create an account. If you used Beanstack last year, you should still have an account. If you want to log reading for multiple kids at the same time, we recommend using the app instead of a web browser.

  • Mark off each day you spend time reading (or listening, or being read to) this summer.
  • Every time you log ten days (consecutive or non-consecutive!), you get to pick a prize from the Library’s prize bucket.
  • As you log days, you’ll also earn virtual raffle tickets. Use these raffle tickets to enter for a grand prize bag! We’ll pull winners at the end of the summer.

Grand prizes this year include Walkie Talkies, Glow in the Dark Magnatiles, and more!


TWEENS & TEENS (Ages 12-18)

Download the Beanstack app or visit: newburyportpl.beanstack.org to create an account. If you used Beanstack last year, you should still have an account.

Log the minutes you read to earn badges and tickets.

What can you read? Anything! Just track the time you spend reading (or listening). Tracking your reading time or achieving activity badges earns you tickets, which you can then use to win prizes. And yes, you can use your summer reading book for school to earn tickets.

We will have two drawings this summer. Some of the prizes will change between the two drawings, but you’ll be able to enter for the grand prizes all summer long. Grand prizes will be drawn on the last day.

This year’s prizes include gift cards to Jen Ju Boba, Lexie’s, a Bluetooth projector, themed mystery bags, books, and more!


ADULTS

Come play BINGO with us and track your reading progress for a chance to win a $30 gift card to Jabberwocky!

Use the online form (linked below) to view the BINGO card and submit what you’ve read. Each submission will enter you into the raffle (even if you don’t hit BINGO). You can only submit one book per category.

Attending any program hosted by the Newburyport Public Library will also enter you into the raffle! Submit your attendance via the online form. 

You can enter your submissions at any point during the Summer Reading challenge. Three lucky winners will each win a $30 gift certificate to Jabberwocky and all winners will be drawn after the conclusion of the program. Please note, participants can only win once.

If you have any questions or would like a physical copy of the BINGO card, please speak with a reference librarian on the second floor.

View the BINGO card and submit your reading progress HERE!

Prizes are funded by the Friends of the Newburyport Public Library.