After some Temple patrons had no way of accessing e-books over the several months the Mansfield Public Library was closed to the public, the library is now lending two Kindle Paperwhites out for home use. After the library reopened in June and staff helped patrons who were having trouble downloading audiobooks and magazines to their own devices, the next obvious need was to serve patrons who had no way of getting digital content, assistant librarian Beth Crooker said. Patron use of Overdrive, the platform for downloading digital media, is up 35 percent this summer from last year, she said. There are still wait lists for downloading popular digital content from libraries, she said, which is why the library’s two kindles come pre-loaded with 15 titles, she said. Librarians picked out an assortment of adult fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, including some classics that can be downloaded for free, like Tom Sawyer, the Scarlet Letter, and the Beatrix Potter anthology, she said.
The Kindles are just the second pieces of digital technology in the library’s collection, Crooker said, besides a video camera that’s mostly used by organizations in town like the historical society and drama club. The Kindles are available to any patron 18 years or older for a three week period with one renewal, she said, with an agreement for borrowers to accept responsibility for lost or damaged items. The Mansfield Public Library is currently operating on a curbside pickup basis, so requests can be made via mansfieldlibrarynh@comcast.net or calling during curbside pickup times. The WiFi is on 24/7 and visitors can pick up signal outside the buidling, Crooker said, which might be useful as the new school year starts.