News Archive

New Popular Music!

Have you seen our popular music section recently? We are currently expanding the collection! Some of our most recent purchases include albums by Justin Timberlake, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, and Imagine Dragons. Request one today on our online catalog, or stop by to check out what's available!

If you want to hear new music, but don't want to leave the comfort of home, why not try Freegal? The library's subscription to Freegal allows Topsfield cardholders to download songs for free. Just enter your library card barcode number to access the database, then search or browse for songs. Each card is allowed three downloads per week, and you may keep your songs forever! For more information, read the Freegal FAQ.

Oscar-Winning Movies at the Library!

Wondering if Ben Affleck should have been nominated for "Best Director?" Curious as to how they filmed a two-hour movie with a computer-generated tiger? Want to hear that Adele song again? Oscar-winning movies are trickling into the library! We currrently own Argo, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Brave, and Searching for Sugarman, with more on the way as they're released!

To keep up with the library's new DVD purchases, follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook. You can also see a list of new movies on the navigation menu to the left, under "Just In." All of our movies can be requested online—just search our online catalog and click "place hold."

Check Out Our New E-readers!

Thanks to the Friends of the Topsfield Library, we now have two new e-readers that are available for checkout! Our newest additions are the Kindle Fire and the Nook HD. We also have a first-generation iPad and a Kindle DX.

All of the library's e-readers may be borrowed for one-week intervals. To check one out, you must first sign our e-reader policy and give us a photo ID, which we will photocopy and keep on file with your signed policy. E-readers cannot be requested or renewed.

Borrowing an e-reader is a great way to give a potential holiday gift a trial run! Check out our e-readers page for more information, or stop by the library and ask about our e-readers or our e-book loaning program, Overdrive!

Good News for Readers!

eSequels: Looking for a new series? Our newest database, eSequels, indexes series books by title, author, character, location, and subject. Search for a series you know, or browse for something new! If you need to find out which book comes next in a series, check eSequels to see titles listed in their correct order, so that you don't miss an important volume.

Book Club Kits: Book Club Kits are canvas bags containing 15 copies of a book, as well as a discussion guide for your book club. In the past, these needed to be reserved for you by a librarian. Now, you can reserve book club kits yourself online. Just use the book club kit request page to see what's available. You will need to enter your library card barcode number to make a reservation.

Now Available: Universal Class

Want to learn something new? The Topsfield Library now subscribes to Universal Class, which offers over 500 non-college credit continuing education courses. Each class allows you to do assignments on your own schedule, and has a real instructor that you may contact via e-mail. You will need to create an account before signing up. Once you have created an account, you will have access to your course online 24/7.

A variety of subjects are offered, in areas such as career training, crafts and hobbies, alternative medicine, computer training, pet and animal care, cooking, and many more!

Happy Banned Books Week!

Celebrate the freedom to read by checking out our banned books display! The American Library Association has been celebrating Banned Books Week for thirty years, and has gathered the following materials to help you learn more:

• Want to know the difference between a challenge and a banning? Curious as to who is banning all these books in the first place? Get the answers to these questions and more.
  
  
• You may also view charts and statistics on challenges to books organized by year, reason, initiator, and institution.


• Check out this interactive timeline on the history of book banning in America.


• Looking for yearly lists of banned and/or challenged books? Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see lists dating back to 2004.

Love the Library? Become a Friend!

Looking for a way to help out the library, but not sure what you can do? Join the Friends! The Friends of the Topsfield Library organize programs, promote library services, and fund our museum pass program. If you've ever attended our book sale, joined in the Easter Egg Hunt, or decorated gingerbread houses at the library, you have the Friends to thank!

The new Friends membership year begins on October 1st. Membership costs are $25 for families or $10 for a senior household. Not only does joining the Friends help out the library, but it also gives you access to our many museum passes! The Friends have purchased passes to fifteen different Boston-area museums. Borrowing a museum pass can get you into the Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Peabody Essex Museum, and more at a huge discount!

For more information on the Friends of the Library, and to join online, see our Friends page. For more information on our available museum passes, see the museum pass page.

Find Your Summer Reads!

Looking for a good book? Here are some resources to help you out:


Novelist recommends books based on authors you like, other books you have enjoyed, or by using a keyword search for any topic. Just type in your library card barcode number to enter the database, then use the search bar at the top of the page, or browse using the genre links on the left-hand side.

Overbooked is a book review blog written by Topsfield Library staff. Browse through entries chronologically, or use the category links on the right.

If You Like... is a New Zealand-based website that lists authors that are similar to each other. Look at lists by genre in which the author writes, country or culture featured, or find the name of a popular author to see a list of authors who write in a similar style.

Goodreads is a "social cataloging" website that uses input from thousands of users to create reading recommendation lists. You don't have to sign up in order to see the lists, but if you do, you can keep track of books you have read and receive recommendations based on your personal taste.