Library News & Blurbs

Local high school student Massimo Fontaine is making himself available by appointment at the Library to help the technically challenged with their computer woes. His availability is Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:00 to 8:00.  He can teach basic computing, networking, HTML, social media, and troubleshoot/perform small repairs on computers. So if you need help with basic computing tasks or need someone to look at your machine to figure out why it is acting funny, give Massimo a call at (508) 714-6241 or an email at massimofontaine@icloud.com to set up an appointment.

Not Quite Finished? Don’t worry! Your library book will renew automatically!

Starting in July, patrons will no longer have to remember to log into their account to renew physical items they have checked out.  If a checked out item can be renewed it will automatically be renewed on the due date. 

An email notification will be sent on the due date alerting patrons of renewal status for checked out items.  It will indicate if their items were successfully renewed or unable to be renewed. Patrons can also log into their account via the CW MARS Libraries app to view the status of all checked out items.

All 147 CW MARS member libraries are participating in auto renewal.  This means that no matter where in CW MARS your materials were borrowed from, they will automatically renew on the due date if a renewal is available.

There’s a new blue button on the home page. Given the success of e-books and audio, we’re adding a streaming video service to our arsenal of literacy.

Kanopy is a streaming platform that you can use on your computer, or you can download the relevant app for IOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast, or Roku. Adults can enjoy award-winning documentaries, film festival favorites, indie films, classic films, and world cinema. Kids will find films and TV series thoughtfully curated to help develop empathy, mindfulness, and self-esteem.

To access Kanopy, either click the button on our homepage or go to mysfpl.kanopy.com. Douglas library card-holders are currently allotted 6 play credits per month, and we’ve set a monthly cost ceiling that applies to the entire community (basically it’ll shut down before it breaks the budget). Hopefully we don’t bump up against that ceiling and everyone who wants can use all 6 of their play credits.

Online Magazines are here! CWMARS has added a first wave of 50 magazines to our Overdrive subscriptions. These are simultaneous use licenses, so they are always available to you no matter how many people are reading them. You can “borrow” them to download them to your device or read them online. You can find them in the Overdrive catalog, or you can simply click here to see a special page just for magazines.

The library will be closed on January 4th due to the snowstorm.

Library Assistant, Simon Fairfield Public Library in Douglas, MA
The Simon Fairfield Public Library seeks a part time library assistant to staff the circulation desk on Thursday evenings and every fourth Saturday. We pride ourselves on offering a congenial, laid-back, but efficient atmosphere for our patrons and staff. We encourage applicants who will thrive in such an atmosphere.

Schedule:
Part time. Thursday evenings from 5 pm to 8 pm and every 4th Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm. There are occasional opportunities to pick up additional hours to substitute for other staff.

Qualifications:
High school diploma;
One year of work experience;
Experience with ILS software is preferred, but applicants who can demonstrate a high level of comfort and proficiency with software will also be considered.

Duties:
Performs circulation duties including but not limited to checking materials in and out, receiving and recording money collected, answering the telephone, and making copies;
Understands databases and how to answer or refer routine reference questions;
Gives directional information to patrons;
Assists patrons in locating materials;
Participates in processing materials;
Makes repairs to materials;
Makes recommendations to the library director on relevant issues and problems that arise at the circulation desk;
Performs other duties as required.

Work Environment
Works under direct supervision of the Library Director;
The employee is alone on the circulation desk most of the time, working in tandem with a page to oversee library operations;
Interacts with the general public;
Operates standard office equipment.

Salary:
$14.06 per hour

How to Apply:
Please fill out an employment application and email it, along with a resume and any other desired documents, to Justin Snook at jsnook@cwmars.org. Applications submitted by September 17 will be considered. The Town of Douglas is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The library will be closed Saturday, September 2 and Monday, September 4 for Labor Day weekend. Items returned will be backdated to remove late fees. Enjoy the long weekend!