Author Archives: Christine Michaud

Hoopla Service Updates

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Due to rapidly increasing monthly usage fees, the Durham Public Library has made some difficult decisions regarding the Hoopla service. Due to rapidly increasing monthly usage fees, the Durham Public Library has made some difficult decisions regarding our Hoopla account, resulting in service changes for Hoopla users. Starting May 1st, we are reducing the number of hoopla checkouts you can make each month from six to four and we are instituting a monthly budget cap.

We know that hoopla is a popular service with our patrons, who enjoy the ability to check out ebooks, eAudiobooks, eComics, videos and music albums from the service. We also love offering hoopla to patrons and will continue doing so. Unfortunately, the cost of hoopla and other digital materials continues to rise.

The Library pays for each item downloaded from hoopla, and increased popularity is rapidly driving up the cost. Hoopla costs have increased almost 70% over the last year. To make the service sustainable within the confines of the library’s budget, we’ve had to lower the maximum number of monthly borrows and cap our monthly costs.

We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause. Please note that there will be no changes to the Libby/Overdrive service, which also offers downloadable ebooks and eAudiobooks.

Saturday April 20 at 11:00 a.m.

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Have you ever dreamed of writing a murder mystery? You’re in luck! Lucy Burdette (a.k.a., Roberta Isleib), author of the USA Today bestselling Key West food critic mystery series, will discuss the secrets of hatching ideas for and then writing a murder mystery. Clues, red herrings, shady characters, plot twists and turns—she’ll share all her secrets. Or at least some of them.

CLICK AND REGISTER

Going, going, gone!

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All of the Library’s eclipse glasses have been claimed. Looking for other options? Make a pinhole viewer: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/how-to-make-a-pinhole-camera/

(If you have registered for the eclipse viewing party on the 8th, glasses are included in those registrations.)

Passport to Connecticut Libraries

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Enter for a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card.

Contest Dates: April 1 – 30

Your library card opens the world to you through physical books, audiobooks, music CDs, DVDs—as well as downloadable or streaming version of the same products.  Now let your library card open the doors of Connecticut libraries by participating in the Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program!

Over one hundred fifty (150) Connecticut library locations are proud to participate in the Connecticut Library Association’s Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program. To celebrate National Library Week during April, the Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program invites you to visit all of the participating Connecticut public libraries. Each library has its own architecture, vibe, and collection to explore and browse! The program is open to adults and children, and the hope is that it encourages residents to explore the amazing diversity of our public libraries.

To begin, visit your local participating library to pick up your Passport. They will stamp it and possibly give you a token gift to get you started. Then, take your Passport along as you visit other participating libraries. At each visit, show your Passport; the library will stamp your Passport and may give you another small gift. (Please note: not all Connecticut libraries are participating and not all participating locations are giving gifts! Please be kind to library staff.)

If you visit at least five (5) participating libraries and return your Passport to a participating library by May 10, 2024, then you will be entered into a state-wide drawing for a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card for adults (18 and up) and a $200 Visa gift card for children (under 18). This is a state-wide contest where four winners will be selected: one adult and one child from a random drawing from all returned Passports with at least five separate library stamps, and the one adult and one child who visited the most libraries/received the most stamps.

For more details and a full list of participating libraries, ask your local librarian.

Ask for your Passport at the circulation desk today & begin participating on April 1st!  Click Here for a List of Participating Libraries

This is a Connecticut Library Association initiative.

The Eclipse and the Spring Sky

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Monday, April 1 at 6:30 PM

Get ready for the upcoming Solar Eclipse and spring stargazing!  Learn how to safely view the upcoming Solar Eclipse and explore the sky this spring observing events and objects from within our atmosphere to beyond our galaxy. Learn what can be seen and how to locate them with your eyes, binoculars, and the library telescope. Open to adults, teens, and upper-elementary children (or younger ones with a passion for astronomy) with their families. Every attendee will receive a pair of eclipse glasses to view the eclipse on April 8th.

Speakers:
Jim Mazur and Laurie Averill are long-term members of the Astronomical Society of New Haven and guide people in observing and understanding astronomical events and objects. Jim is a life-long amateur astronomer.  Laurie also volunteers as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Click here to register