Archive | Announcements

Introducing curbside holds pickup

You can still check out materials while the library is closed! In addition to all of our great online resources like Libby and Hoopla, you can now have materials you put on hold delivered straight to your car. Here’s how it works:

  1. Put an item on hold either using our online catalog or by calling the library
  2. We’ll give you a call when your items are ready
  3. Drive up to the library, give us a call to let us know your name and you’re here to pick up holds:
    • Main Library: call 812-285-5630 and press 3
    • Clarksville Branch: call 812-285-5640 and press 2
  4. Library staff will bring items out to you
  5. Show staff your photo ID so we know we’re giving your items to the right person
  6. Go home and enjoy!

Coronavirus COVID-19

UPDATE: 4/7/2020

Due to Governor Holcomb’s stay-at-home orders and continuing health and safety concerns due to novel coronavirus COVID-19, both locations of the library will continue to remain closed through Monday, May 4th. We hope to begin providing limited services such as curbside hold pickups on Wednesday, April 22nd.

What does this mean for me?

  • Anything you have checked out right now isn’t due until June 1st. PLEASE keep your materials at home, do not return them to the library.
  • Your library card registration is extended through September so you shouldn’t have any problems accessing online resources.

What can I do while the library is closed?

  • Our WiFi is still available from outside the building 24/7 and you are welcome to bring your own devices to use it. We just ask that you remember to maintain social distancing by keeping at least 6 feet apart from others.
  • Your library card gets you FREE access to all kinds of great online resources available from home. Here are just a few:
    • Hoopla: check out digital movies, music, ebooks, audiobooks, and comics (5 checkouts per month)
    • OverDrive: check out ebooks and eaudiobooks (10 checkouts per month)
    • Flipster & RBdigital Magazines: check out digital magazines (unlimited checkouts)
    • Freegal: stream or download digital music (24-hour streaming through 9/30)
    • Ancestry Library Edition: research your family history
    • Mango: learn a new language

    There’s plenty more on our Online Resources page, just look for anything with this symbol:   available for FREE anywhere with a valid JTPL library card

  • The Indiana State Library has put together a great page with information on everything from activities for kids to tips on working from home for the first time.

What if I don’t have a library card?

You can sign up for a temporary library card online by filling out this form. That number will let you use services like Hoopla, Libby, Freegal, and more. Just remember to bring your photo ID and proof of address once the library is open again so we can get you a permanent card, otherwise your card will expire in September.

What if I forgot my library card number or my PIN?

You can contact us through the Ask A Librarian form or our chat widget – located in the bottom right corner of the screen on our website – and we can look your card number up.

Your default PIN is the last four (4) digits of the phone number you used when registering for a library card. If you don’t remember what that was, ask us and we can reset it for you.

Stay in touch

For up to date information regarding the library and our status, please follow us on Facebook @jefflibrary or on Twitter @JTPLtweet. Library staff will be on hand to answer your questions on social media.

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Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening

Join us for the grand opening of our newly remodeled main library and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Tom & Mary Frances Koetter Makerspace:

Thursday, February 6, 2020
Ceremony  4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Open House  4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served; however, we ask that guests refrain from eating and drinking in the makerspace.

View of the makerspace

View of the new Makerspace

We appreciate your patience throughout this renovation and can’t wait to share all of the exciting changes with you!

Your library is now FINE FREE!

Have you heard? Starting November 1st, JTPL is no longer charging overdue fines! All we ask is that you bring your items back in a timely manner.

We have a whole page explaining this new policy in greater detail, but here are a few frequently asked questions:

  • You said you waived fines, so why do I still have charges on my account?
    • The only thing we have waived is overdue fines. Charges still incur for lost or damaged items, replacement library cards, and collection agency (Unique Management Services) costs.
  • So what’s the difference between a fine and a fee?
    • A fine is a charge for an overdue item. Fees are for lost or damaged materials, collection agency referrals and products such as replacement library cards.
  • How will you get people to bring anything back now?
    • No overdue fines doesn’t mean no responsibility. If your item is 20 days overdue or more, we mark it as LOST and bill you for the replacement cost plus a $4 processing fee. Your library account is also blocked until you pay these fees, and fees of $25 or more are referred to our collection agency, Unique Management Services, along with a $10 collections fee.

We’re excited to make this change and provide even greater access to our library’s resources!

Libraries Transform Book Pick: After the Flood

Our library is joining public libraries nationwide in a new digital reading program, the Libraries Transform Book Pick, which offers access to the same ebook for a two-week period. The first ebook selection is the newly released title After the Flood by Kassandra Montag, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

After the Flood will be available with unlimited access October 7 — 21, 2019 through our OverDrive collection. You will only need a library card and either the Libby app or a Kindle device to download a free copy of the ebook. There will be no waitlists or holds for the digital copies of this title during that period.

After the Flood is an inventive and riveting climate fiction saga from a promising new author. In a starred review, Booklist states, “Montag’s thrilling debut takes place in a future climate-change-altered world overrun by water. Anchored by a complicated, compelling heroine, this gripping, speculative, high-seas adventure is impossible to put down.” And Karin Slaughter, international bestselling author of “The Last Widow,” calls Montag “a visionary new talent!”

The Libraries Transform Book Pick is brought to you by the American Library Association and OverDrive. For additional information about the program and ebook and additional resources like a discussion guide, please visit ilovelibraries.org/libraries-transform-book-pick.

Already finished After the Flood and ready for more? Check out these read-alikes:

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