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.  

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.

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!

Summer Reading Fun for All Ages

It’s that time of year again. Summer Reading is here!

We have programs for all ages. All three programs have been created to keep you reading all summer long!

For children ages 0-12:

Make reading a habit this summer with the Children’s Summer Reading Program. Each day we want you to ask yourself, “Did I read today?” If the answer is yes, tick off that day in Beanstack. You decide how much you want to read each day, and all reading counts: listening, being read to, whatever!
For every 10 days of reading you log (consecutive or non-consecutive), come to the Library and pick out a prize from our prize bucket. As you log, you’ll also receive virtual raffle tickets. Use these raffle tickets to enter for a grand prize bag! We’ll notify grand prize winners at the end of the summer. All prizes must be picked up in person.

For teens ages 12-18:

This summer, dive in to a great book! Log the minutes you read to earn badges and virtual raffle tickets.
What can you read? Anything! Just track the time you spend reading (or listening). Tracking your reading time and completing activities earns you virtual raffle tickets, which you can then use to enter for prizes. And yes, you can use your summer reading book for school to earn tickets.
We will have two drawing this summer, one on July 15 and one on August 12. 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 August 12.

For 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 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 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. 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.

To find out more information about Summer Reading, including access to the online form for the adult summer reading program, please visit the Summer Reading page here on our website.

Come Chat With Us!

The Newburyport Public Library is proud to partner with Newburyport Youth Services to talk about all things parenting!

Join us for two moderated discussions of “Long Days, Short Years: A Cultural History of Modern Parenting,” by Andrew Bomback. We hope to engage in multigenerational discussions about parenting, how it has changed, and what today and tomorrow look like. 

Utilize current literature as a way of exploring parenting ideas and experiences through engaging community conversations! We can learn so much from books, but we learn so much more from each other, and hope this community read will spark some great discussions.

Parents and caregivers will have two opportunities to chat with other members of our community in May. Our first discussion will take place on Monday, May 8th from 6-7:30 PM. The second discussion will take place on Wednesday, May 10th from 6-7:30 PM. Both discussions will take place in our Program Room and no registration will be required.

The Library has groups!

Are you looking to connect with like-minded people over books or art? Ready to read something new or learn about a prolific artist? Then consider our collection of book and art groups!

The Newburyport Public Library is pleased to offer groups that meet monthly, virtually or in person, that cover a variety of interests.

Next Chapter: meets the first Wednesday of the month in person at the Senior Center.

Fiction book group: meets the second Thursday of the month virtually.

Just the Facts – nonfiction book group: meets the last Tuesday of the month virtually.

Circulo de Lectores – Spanish book group: meets every third Tuesday of the month virtually.

Art History Group: meets the second Tuesday of the month in person at the library.

To get more information on when and what time the groups meet, how to access them virtually, or what books/artists are being profiled for the month, check our our event calendar by clicking here.