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.  

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.

Teen Book Subscription Bags

Do you have a tween or teen at home who devours books? Are they looking to branch out of their comfort zone and do not know where to start? Consider a Bookup Subscription Bag!

The Bookup Subscription Bag is your hookup for everything young adult books! Each bag will be filled with snacks, goodies, a craft, and books. Tweens and teens need to register and fill out a form. This form allows us to curate a personalized bag tailored to their preferences.

For information about the Bookup Subscription Bag, including June’s theme and important dates for sign up and pick up, click here.

Spots for the subscription bags are limited. Register today to reserve your bag!

Stay Connected

Want to know what programs are happening at the library for an upcoming week? Not sure about anticipated holiday closures? Are you curious about our growing Library of Things collection? Sign up for our e-newsletter!

Our e-newsletter is emailed once every week and offers a quick snapshot of programs for all ages, book groups, and highlights of our incredible variety of resources. It is one of the quickest and easiest ways to stay current with events happening at the library, including holiday closures.

To stay up-do-date with everything happening at the library, sign up for our e-newsletter here.

Tip: Signed up for the e-newsletter and cannot find it in your inbox? Check your spam/junk folder. E-newsletters arrive in inboxes on Sundays.

Learning a new language is easy and fun!

We may have been closed recently in honor of Indigenous People’s Day, but our online resources are open 24/7!

Curious about learning a new language? Look no further than Mango Languages.

Mango Languages is your go-to resource for learning and practicing a variety of different languages free from the comforts of your home. With your Newburyport Public Library card, you have access to Mango Languages from the moment you set up a free account with your device.

Now is the time to start working on your Italian phrases for your upcoming trip to Italy in the summer! Buon viaggio!

All about eCards

MVLC is proud to announce that the new MVLC eCard now available to patrons. This card allows the card holder access to online resources provided by MVLC, the state of Massachusetts, and their home library.

Who is eligible?

Any Massachusetts resident who does not already have a library card from an MVLC library is eligible for an MVLC eCard.

How to apply.

Fill out this form.

The system will provide you either a full or provisional library card until it can verify your address. Regardless of the status, you will have access to the online resources.

After a successful submission of the form, patrons will receive an email at the address they provided, giving them their new barcode and PIN and more information about what privileges the card offers them.

Any exclusions?

If you already have a physical library card, you will not be able to get an eCard. You can continue to use your physical library card to access these online resources.

Staying on Trend

Pickleball is incredibly popular now, but do you know what it is?

Pickleball is a sport invented back in 1965 in Washington State by three dads whose kids were bored with the normal summer time activities (many of us can relate!). It combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and can be played indoors or outdoors. It’s versatility has made it extremely popular – so much that pickleball courts are springing up in vacant stores in malls!

Are you ready to get started? We can help with our pickleball kit!

Our pickleball kit has everything you need to get started, but beware – once you start, you will be hooked!

The kit can be reserved, as with all our other Library of Things items, for use. To find more information about our Library of Things collection, click here.

Outdoor Fun

Summer time is around the corner. Can you believe we’re only a month away from the official start of summer?

If you have any outdoor parties planned for the warmer weather, why not consider our collection of outdoor yard games?

Our yard games are part of our growing Library of Things collection.

For more information on our Library of Things collection, visit our website here.