Due to some system maintenance, there will be two instances of Symphony downtime next week. On Tuesday, August 12, beginning at 4:00 a.m., SirsiDynix will be migrating our Symphony installation to a new server. And on Wednesday, August 13, beginning at 5:00 a.m., they will conduct some routine patching of the Symphony server operating system.
Each of these updates should take about one hour to complete. During these maintenance windows, the Symphony server will be unavailable. Enterprise will be available for searching, but any service that connects to Symphony in the background may not be fully available for patrons to use. This includes:
The Library experienced an unexpected power outage and closed from 11:50-2:00 p.m. on July 10, 2025. Power has been restored. Thank you for your patience.
Summer Reading runs June 14 – August 16. There are programs for children, teens, and adults.
KIDS (Ages 0-12)
Download the Beanstack app or visit newburyportpl.beanstack.org to create an account. If you used Beanstack last year, you should still have an account. We can reset your password for you if you’ve forgotten it.
If you want to log reading for multiple kids at the same time, we recommend using the app instead of a web browser. Please note that in addition to logging days, the app allows you to log minutes and books read. The library does not need this information, so only log that information if you want it for yourself.
Mark off each day you spend time reading (or listening, or being read to) this summer.
Everyone who signs up will be entered for the grand prize: a big lobster roll Squishmallow!
Every time you log ten days (consecutive or non-consecutive), you get to pick a prize from the Library’s prize bucket.
TWEENS & TEENS (Ages 12-18)
Tweens & Teens (Ages 12-18). Download the Beanstack app or visit newburyportpl.beanstack.org to create an account. If you used Beanstack last year, you should still have an account. If you need help logging in, please give the library a call: 978-465-4428.
Track minutes that you spend reading or listening to audiobooks to earn raffle tickets. Yes, required summer reading books counts for minutes!
Use raffle tickets to enter raffles to earn prizes. This year’s prizes include: a bluetooth speaker, gift cards, books and candy, and mystery prizes!
The Newburyport High School’s required summer reading is listed here.
Come play BINGO with us and track your reading progress for a chance to win a $30 gift card to Jabberwocky! Use the online form (linked above) to view the BINGO card and submit what you’ve read. Each submission will enter you into the raffle (even if you don’t hit BINGO), but you can only submit one book per category.
You can enter your submissions at any point during the Summer Reading Challenge. Three lucky winners will each win a $30 gift certificate to Jabberwocky and all winners will be drawn after the conclusion of the program. Participants can win only once.
If you have any questions or would like a physical copy of the BINGO card, please speak with a reference librarian on the second floor.
Prizes are funded by the Friends of the Newburyport Public Library.
Shelf Help is a book recommendation service that provides you with three to five book suggestions based on your reading preferences! To register for a book bag, fill out the online form below with your information and reading tastes. The more you tell us, the better our recommendations will be!
By filling out the form you are signing up for the March bag only. You will need to register again for any future bags.
Every bag will include:
Three to five book recommendations based on your reading preferences.
A custom bookmark.
An optional rating form to let us know how we did!
Please allow up to two weeks to process your recommendations.
You will be contacted via email when your recommendations are available to be picked up at the circulation desk.
By signing up for the Shelf Help Subscription Bag, you give the Newburyport Public Library permission to access your library account in order to check out materials. We will not access your account for any other purpose. The Shelf Help Subscription Bag will also keep track of books recommended to you in an effort to avoid duplication.
Registration begins March 12th and ends March 26th or until we reach capacity.
Join the Newburyport Public Library for some creative fun with Maker Mondays. (See our calendar here for dates! Maker Mondays typically occur once a month.)
We are using this Maker Monday to officially launch our Seed Library on Monday, March 17! Come by the Library between 6 – 7:30 PM to check out the seeds available in our Seed Library and bring your own to share. Stop in at our Seed Starting Station where you can get planting right away or get creative at our Craft Station and make your own plant markers for your garden.
Due to limited supplies, crafters will be limited to no more than five plant markers. This program will not have a limit on the number of seed starts per attendee, but please be respectful of the time limit set for the program so staff will be able to clean up on time.
Join our newly created group for a casual and fun conversation to find your next great read! The library will offer book suggestions and teach you how to use some of our favorite recommendation tools. We would love to hear about your favorite books too! No need to prepare a review in advance of this informal discussion.
We hope to see you there!
No registration required. This is an adult in-person program that will meet Tuesday, February 18 at 5:30 PM.
We read a variety of mystery, thriller and true crime books; fiction and non-fiction! New readers are always welcome. We also do not discourage those who were unable to finish the current title from attending – we welcome you to join the discussion anyways!”
“Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.
Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge…”
Shelf Help is a book recommendation service that provides you with three to five book suggestions based on your reading preferences! To register for a book bag, fill out the online form below with your information and reading tastes. The more you tell us, the better our recommendations will be!
By filling out the form you are signing up for the January bag only. You will need to register again for any future bags.
Every bag will include:
Three to five book recommendations based on your reading preferences.
A custom bookmark.
An optional rating form to let us know how we did!
Please allow up to two weeks to process your recommendations.
You will be contacted via email when your recommendations are available to be picked up at the circulation desk.
By signing up for the Shelf Help Subscription Bag, you give the Newburyport Public Library permission to access your library account in order to check out materials. We will not access your account for any other purpose. The Shelf Help Subscription Bag will also keep track of books recommended to you in an effort to avoid duplication.
Registration for the January bag begins January 15th and ends January 29th or until we reach capacity.
Come play BINGO with us and track your reading progress for a chance to win a $30 gift card to Illume Books! Use the online form (linked above) to view the BINGO card and submit what you’ve read. Each submission will enter you into the raffle (even if you don’t hit BINGO), but you can only submit one book per category.
You can enter your submissions at any point during the Winter Reading challenge. Three lucky winners will each win a $30 gift certificate to Illume Books and all winners will be drawn after the conclusion of the program. Participants can win only once.
If you have any questions or would like a physical copy of the BINGO card, please speak with a reference librarian on the second floor.
The Winter Reading program runs from January 13th through March 15th.
The Library will be closed for the Labor Day holiday Saturday, August 30 through Monday, September 1. The Library will reopen Tuesday, September 2 at 9 AM.
