By Chris Frost
EAGLE TIMESNEWS EDITOR
CLAREMONT— Claremont area residents have a great resource at their disposal; the Fiske Free Library, which does more than check out books. Residents can access business services, a computer, E-books and audiobooks to enjoy from their homes.
Librarian Michael Grace said Electronic Books (E-Books) are available through the State Library System, a consortium comprised of most New Hampshire Libraries.
“We pay once a year to purchase E-Books in a joint fashion,” he said. “All the libraries are able to give access to the collective, through their Library websites and patron identifications from a company called Overdrive, a digital distributor.”
He said the computer is open and free; all someone needs is a library card.
“We have passes for anybody to sign in,” he said. “They provide Internet access and office productivity, like processing and spreadsheets,” Grace said. “If you’re printing something, it’s 10 cents a page.”
However, he said they don’t offer scanning services.
“In the future, we’re looking at a new copier system that would scan but I don’t know when that will happen,” Grace said.
He said the library offers inter-library loans through the State Library System as well.
“We can go in and locate an item somewhere else in the state,” he said. “The State also provides a service to move those materials around. That’s a very helpful program, especially for the smaller state libraries.”
When getting new titles, he said they usually get two copies.
“When we were getting new Harry Potter books, we got 3 to 4,” he said. “It depends on the book.”
He said the waiting list for a book can be long, with 6-8 people waiting for a popular bestseller.
“We’re checking books out for four weeks,” he said. “ We extended that time during the COVID pandemic so people wouldn’t have to come back as often . We stayed with it.”
The Fiske Free Library is located at 108 Broad St. in Claremont and can be found online at www.ClaremontNH.com/fiske-free-library-landing-page. Its phone number is (603) 542-7017.
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