Category Archives: Featured

Homebound Delivery Service

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The Durham Public Library provides books and other materials for residents of Durham who are physically unable to visit the library because of a temporary or permanent disability.

How to apply: Applicants should complete the Durham Public Library Homebound Delivery Application and a reading interest form. Click here to complete the form online or call us at (860) 349-9544, ext. 5 to request a physical form.

How is delivery arranged?  Materials will be delivered by a library representative on a schedule convenient for the library, but no more than once per month. When we receive your enrollment form, we will contact you to discuss delivery.

What are the borrowing guidelines? Any circulating item may be borrowed by our homebound patrons, with a limit of 25 items per delivery. There is no fee for the delivery service and overdue fees will not be charged. The Library’s standard fee schedule shall apply for damaged or lost items.

For more information: Please contact Christine Michaud at (860) 349-9544, ext. 5 or cmichaud@207.210.128.11 if you have questions about this service.

Book A Study Room

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Looking for a place to meet? The Library has two study rooms for 1-4 people for the purpose of quiet study and discussion.

Please note that the rooms are not soundproof — please keep conversation to a low volume. Noise-reducing headphones may be borrowed at the circulation desk.

  1. Patrons must be 12 years old or older to reserve a study room.
  2. Groups or individuals may reserve a study room for a maximum of 2 hours per day.
  3. Reservations are limited to one per day, per group and may be reserved up to one week in advance.
  4. If it has not been reserved, patrons may remain in a room beyond their scheduled time, but must vacate it when a new patron signs in.
  5. Please check in at the circulation desk.
  6. The library is not responsible for equipment, supplies, materials or any other items owned by an individual or group used in the study rooms. Personal items may not be stored in the study rooms.
Reserve a Study Room

Submitting a reservation indicates acceptance of the Library’s Room Reservation Policies.

In addition to the study rooms, the Study Zone also includes a “laptop bar” and comfortable seating with device charging and flip up tablet desks. Just plug your device in and get to work. This area is past the circulation desk, where DVDs were previously.

New Resource – AtoZ World Travel

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Planning a trip? The Durham Public Library is pleased to announce that it has recently added AtoZ World Travel to its online reference offerings. This new library resource includes 202 world city travel guides covering 67 topics each. The travel guides cover a multitude of topics that are of interest to those planning their international travel. Topics include pre-trip planning, points of interest, excursions, neighborhoods, restaurants, nightlife, as well as health and safety.

Anyone can access AtoZ World Travel using the library’s computers, and Durham patrons can access it from anywhere in the world from the library’s portal at www.durhamlibrary.org or directly at AtoZ World Travel with their library card.

AtoZ World Travel was designed for world travelers, schools and universities, global businesses, and anyone who wants to prepare for their trip abroad.

New Service! Online Language Learning

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110+ Languages Are At Your Fingertips: Transparent Language Online Now Available

Planning a trip to Italy to celebrate your anniversary? Collaborating with your Chinese counterparts in your company’s Beijing branch? Just want to brush up that language you studied for four years in school, but somehow can’t seem to remember at all? We’ve got you covered.

We are excited to announce that we now offer Transparent Language Online free to all Durham Public Library card holders. Whether you’re starting at the very beginning with a new alphabet or you’re an intermediate learner looking to enhance your vocabulary and grammar knowledge, Transparent Language Online can help. Available for learning 110+ languages, plus English (ESL) materials for native speakers of 30+ languages, the program has something for everyone. This resource is funded by PALS: The Friends of the Durham Public Library.

Click Here to Get Started

Worried that you won’t be able to learn on your own? A customizable Learning Path allows you to choose what you want to learn, while an integrated analytics system tracks your progress, periodically prompting you to review material that you haven’t seen in a while. It’s like having a built-in teacher there to keep you on track toward your language-learning goals.

Best of all, Transparent Language Online works on any Internet-connected device, so you can learn from your laptop, phone, or tablet.

Be sure to look for Kidspeak. With KidSpeak young learners explore a new language with their cartoon “friend” and his or her pet. They’ll broaden their horizons as they work their way through fun and engaging activities with KidSpeak. This feature is available for Chinese, German, French, Spanish and Italian.

Transparent Language Online is available FREE to all Durham Public Library cardholders. Sign up today at Transparent Language Online or download the app to your mobile device and set up you account with your Durham Public Library card.

Feel free to contact us with any questions at dpl@207.210.128.11.

French Conversation Group

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Calling all French speakers! Expand your speaking skills by practicing the language in a welcoming atmosphere. Open to all levels of speakers. Facilitated by native French speaker Simone Howe. Meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month on Zoom. Regular participants will receive a link to the Zoom meeting. If this is your first time please email lredfield@207.210.128.11 to receive the Zoom link for the online meeting. See you there!

Next meeting Thursday, August 5 from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.