Hours:
Call the Library with questions or requests for materials!
Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 10-6
Tuesday 10-8
Friday 10-5
Saturday 10-1
The Portland Library is currently closed to the public due to reconstruction and the Covid-19 virus.
Staff in the Library are available by email and phone contact 860-342-6770 *
The Book Drop is open 24/7 and Curbside delivery is available!
8/6/20: The latest reopening info from the Library Director Jan Nocek: click here
Please check our Portland Town website for UPDATED information on the
Covid-19 virus situation.
Portland Library now offers museum passes for free or discounted access to your favorite museums!
New Britain Museum of Art open July 18
All visitors using a Museum pass from the Portland Library are required to make a reservation online in advance at nbmaa.org/visit
Check what days are available for our library pass, reserve that day and then go to the museum website to reserve a time on that day to visit the museum!
Register as a member, using Portland Library as the member name and present the printable museum pass for that day when you get to the museum.
Florence Griswold Museum opened July 7th. All guests are required to make advance reservations prior to visiting.
Check what days are available for our library pass, reserve that day and then go to the museum website to reserve a time on that day to visit the museum!
https://florencegriswoldmuseum.org/
Looking for some recommended reading or items to request for curbside pickup? The Library has some booklists of the latest books: click here
Job Seekers
Looking for a job? Considering a career change? Need to update your resume?
LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator or JobNow Live Job Assistance can help you be successful in your search! You can register for an account and use it from home!
Create professional resumes and cover letters, master interviewing and networking techniques, and more. Get detailed information on more than 1,100 occupations. Find careers that match your skills and interests. Access millions of current job and internship postings.
LearningExpress Computer Skills Center
Video courses are the fastest and easiest way to learn how to use a computer. Use the materials in this center to learn the basics of computers, from searching the Internet to using popular programs for word processing, creating spreadsheets and databases, implementing design, and more.
Congratulations to the Donohue family, who won a $20 gift card to 0 degree ice cream in Middletown for spotting Gnorbert on his last week out!
We will be outside during the following hours this week for Summer Reading registration and prize and craft kit pickup, weather pending:
Monday: 10-1:30
Tuesday: 10-12
Wednesday: 10-1:30, 2-4
Thursday: 10-1:30
Friday: 10-1:30, 2:30-4:30
Tuesday September 15th at 6:30pm
Votes for Women
presented by the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
In 2020 we mark the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States. The fight for women's right to vote was long and took many twists and turns. Join us to learn about the Connecticut women who fought on a local, state, and national level and on whose shoulders we stand. Be inspired by their stories to use your vote to give a voice to women.
Registration requested!
To join this virtual meeting presentation, see the Zoom meeting info
Portland Library Digital Archive: Documenting COVID-19
The Portland Library is collecting materials and anecdotes for a rapid response collection to document the outbreak and spread of coronavirus.
This project is intended to be a community initiative to document how our lives have been affected by the virus in Portland, Connecticut. The Portland Library will collect, document and preserve how the pandemic has affected the lives of residents of Portland, Connecticut and the surrounding area.
Please consider submitting items (digital and paper) that document your daily life during this time. We will accept up to five submissions per person.
For more information, visit our submission page HERE.
Zoom meetings
To join Portland Library's virtual meetings, click on "Join remote meeting access though Zoom", the ID is 8603426777 and the Password is Portland
Upcoming
Events
E-Books & E-audio
Curbside pickup Library Services
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To place holds on items to be picked up
choose Library Catalog. -
Search for items that you are interested in and click on “Request it”
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If you are already logged in to your account click “Submit”. If not, you will be prompted to enter your library card number and your PIN after you sign in click “Submit”
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The library will contact you to arrange a date and time for Curbside Delivery pick up.
E-Books & E-Audiobooks
Our book drop is open 24/7!
No Donations in the Book Drop please!
E-books, E-audiobooks,
Comics & Movies
Summer Reading 2020: Imagine Your Story
Click a banner to get started!
You must select a new username and password, even if you've done a program before.
e-magazines for adults and kids
Ages 0-4
Going into grades K-5
K-6 children's ebook database
K-6 math ebook database
gr 7-12 ebook database
all ages audio book database
romance ebooks for adults
Check out the Early Learning, Kids, and Activity Corner tabs for printable activities for children including coloring sheets, tracing activities, games, recipes, arts and crafts
and more!
Going into grades 6-12
Adult
Get your printable BINGO card HERE. You will receive one point for each completed "mission" on the card.
Come in and get a Library Card...
Library cards are free to all residents of Portland. All you need is a picture ID with your Portland address or a picture ID and a piece of mail with proof of your Portland address. Portland residents of all ages may obtain cards; if you are under 18, your parent or guardian must sign the library card application.
**While the library is closed for construction, you can also apply for a temporary library card to access our ebooks and online materials. For more details about library cards, visit our My Account page.**
How to Stay Busy at Home!
Want to learn a new language? Look no further. Transparent Language Online is a great place to start your language journey. With over 100 languages to learn and many other resources, Transparent Language Online is the way to go.
Take almost any class online. Universal class provides accounting, social work, history and so much more!
Questions for the Information Staff
Do you have a question?
This service is meant for brief factual questions
(a definition, a date, a phone number, what library in
the area has the item you are looking for, etc.)
If you need an immediate answer, please call the
Library at 1-860-342-6770.
Automatic Renewals!
Beginning January 1st, any item checked out at the
Portland Library and eligible for renewal will be automatically renewed. Renewals won’t happen for Zoom books, items with holds for another patron, or if the user's library card is expired or blocked. Please note, our renewal policies have not changed,
everything has stayed the same with the exception that your renewals will happen automatically.
If you have an email associated with your account. You will receive an email listing the items that have been renewed. You will also continue to receive a courtesy email alerting you that your items will be coming due. We hope this service will
assist you in managing your account with ease. As always, if you have any questions, please call the library at 860-342-6770.
portlandlibraryct
Portland Library Celebrates 125th Anniversary
The Portland Library was established on May 4, 1895. Its initial collection included around 800 books that were housed in a room in the Town Hall. 77 subscribers (14 years old and older) could borrow one book at a time.
Shortly after its opening, Horace B. Buck, a Portland native who later moved out of state, donated $2,000 for the establishment of a library building. The building became known as the Buck-Foreman building and was built with brownstone from local quarries Shaler & Hall and Brainerd Quarries. The library moved to its current location on Freestone Avenue in 1981.
For a look at other significant events that occured in May 1895, visit HERE.
Dinosaur Footprints
When dinosaurs roamed the Connecticut Valley some of them came to Portland!
There are still footprints to be found in Portland including a few mounted on walls at the Portland Library. Inside the library there are 2 brownstone slabs, one containing several good quality, medium-size theropod footprints labeled as Anchisauripus and the other containing two remarkable specimens of Otozoum.
