Trustees:
Kathi Mitchell, Tilton, Chair, lifetime appointee
Nancy Court, Northfield, lifetime appointee
Morris Boudreau, Northfield, lifetime appointee
Carol Carignan, Tilton, elected
Tom Fulweiler, Northfield, elected
Stephanie Giovannucci - Treasurer
Staff:
Jennifer Davis, Director
Julie Dylingowski, Children's Services
Brittany Shanahan, Young Adult, Technical and Cataloging Services
Sarah Langevin, Programming, Publicity and Inter-library Loan
Tristyn Watts, Chris Cucchiara, Sara Wheatley & Sarah Paone – Circulation Clerks
Scott Tedford, Jody Libby & Mike Murphy, Maintenance
Evan Smith, Library Page
2020 was a year of change and transitions at Hall Memorial Library. Though we started off our year with a bang, by the end of March we were closed due to the Governor’s stay at home order. We reopened to curbside pickup May 5 and on July 22, we reopened to browsing for books and computer use by appointment for 30 minutes at a time.
Throughout these difficult times, our full time staff continued to work both in person and from home, to provide as many services as we could to those at home. We offered virtual programming such as storytime and craft tutorials. One of our favorite programs to offer was when we partnered with local company Dumka Productions and offered a virtual Trivia series that was so much fun! Our one in person program was giving away books weekly, at Winnisquam Regional’s lunch pick up program from March until school ended. We gave away approximately 375 books to local school children, through the assistance of the Raven Gael Blaisdell Foundation at Hall Memorial Library.
In order to follow CDC guidelines, the Trustees decided to retrofit the main circulation desk with permanent glass partitions to protect the staff and public from the passing of germs. Plexi partitions were put up at our public access computers and in our Children’s Room. We also continued the option of curbside pickup for all of our patrons which has been a well utilized service. We genuinely look forward to seeing our patrons as they pick up books and items as it keeps us connected to our vibrant community.
In addition, we expanded our eServices Card offerings so that patrons could access ebooks and audiobooks from home. Our usage of NHDownloadables saw a 28% increase over 2019 and continues to grow. We also offered phone support for technological issues and reference questions.
We are so thankful to the community who supported and rallied with us throughout this rollercoaster year. Letters and phone calls of encouragement and discussions about how much people missed the library bolstered us during 2020. Please follow us on Facebook so you can stay up-to-date on what’s happening at Hall Memorial Library, both virtually and in-person.
We happily look forward to 2021 and hope nicer weather and vaccinations will bring the community back to the Library!
