A note from the Director: At their meeting last week, the Library Trustees asked me to create a Transition Plan that will allow us to increase our physical services. In light of Governor Sununu’s May 1st announcement of the Stay At Home 2.0 Order (see below), I am cautiously optimistic that we will be able to slowly introduce limited physical services to our community in the coming weeks. While the building has been closed, our staff have been diligently working from home, ordering new materials, providing virtual reference services, adding new library card accounts, creating online content, and attending conference calls and virtual library meetings. Additionally, myself and our Department Heads have been periodically in the building performing facility checks and other administrative tasks.

Several of our professional library organizations, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the American Library Association, the NH State Library, and the NH Library Association have been researching and creating guidelines for increasing physical services to ensure our libraries are safe for both staff and the public.

We’ll get through this together. Remember that all fines are waived and our Wi-Fi is on 24/7 while the Library is closed. Please keep your items for now. We miss you and wish you health and peace during this time.

Yvette Couser, Director

Resource of the Week: NoveList Plus

Running out of things to read while browsing from home? Visit NoveList, the online readers’ advisory companion dedicated to finding your next great read!

New to using readers’ advisory tools? Visit the  NoveList Support Center  or  Book-a-Librarian  for assistance finding personalized reading suggestions.

Updated Tutorials Available on Niche Academy

Niche Academy users will notice updated content for the platform’s Transparent Language, Ancestry Library, and other tutorials.

Take advantage of this stay-at-home time to learn a new skill or brush up on your technological literacy with our Niche Academy subscription and other eLearning resources!

Resident Fast Facts

The Town moderator has announced her intention to postpone the Town’s ballot voting, originally rescheduled for next Tuesday, May 12, until Tuesday, June 23. All voters are eligible for absentee ballot voting due to COVID-19.

Nashua Paratransit services will continue to operate for essential trips. Passengers needing access are encouraged to call 880-0100 ext 1 to schedule service.

We’re Just a Click Away!

Our Librarians will be monitoring voicemail daily and can be reached via  Facebook,  Book-a-Librarian, our  Ask Us  service, and the following emails:

Yvette Couser, Director – 

ycouser@merrimacklibrary.org

Arefe Koushki, Circulation – 

ekoushki@merrimacklibrary.org

Max Blanchette, Adult Services – 

max@merrimacklibrary.org

Cathy Walter, Youth Services – 

cathy@merrimacklibrary.org

Visit www.merrimacklibrary.org