Category: News

May 3, 2021 — <no preview available>

March 31, 2021 — Forbes Library, Northampton’s public library, is governed by an elected board of trustees, as stipulated in the will of Charles E. Forbes. The five trustees, who serve as volunteers, are elected for four-year terms. The next election of trustees will be in the general election in November 2021 for two positions on the board. One…

March 29, 2021 — Forbes Library supports the Statement Condemning the Anti-Asian and Gender Based Violence in Georgia recently issued by the Northampton Human Rights Commission.

March 25, 2021 — Five communities are coming together during March, April and May in a partnership called All Hamptons Read. The inspiration for this multi-community initiative is the book Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, an ALA Notable Book and Arthur C. Clarke Award winner. Spearheaded by the public libraries in Northampton, Florence, Easthampton, Southampton, Westhampton, and…

March 25, 2021 — Turning the calendar to March brings anticipation for spring and this year it also brings hope for a continuing decline in COVID-19 cases. We are monitoring cases locally, listening to the health experts, and following the roll out of widespread vaccinations along with the virus variants. Our next steps in reopening the library are tied…

March 1, 2021 — <no preview available>

February 26, 2021 — Top 25 public library consortium worldwide in total digital circulation  Northampton, Mass. –  Forbes Library helped CW MARS, the Central and Western Massachusetts Resource Sharing network, reach a record-breaking 1.8 million digital book checkouts in 2020. For CW MARS, this accomplishment illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of ebooks and audiobooks,…

February 2, 2021 — Forbes Library now offers pick up and delivery services of library materials to residents of Northampton, Leeds and Florence. Residents of any age with an underlying health condition or illness and anyone aged 65+ regardless of health status are eligible for this free service. Contactless deliveries are made within one week of request. “We know…

November 30, 2020 — Friends of Forbes winter 2020 newsletter (6 pages PDF)

November 16, 2020 — In order to safely serve more patrons, we are expanding our self-service hours while maintaining both walk-up and drive-up curbside pick-up options as well. Our new service schedule is: Self-Service Holds Pickup Monday 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm Tuesday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm; 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm Wednesday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm;…

July 29, 2020 — Black Lives Matter. The Forbes Library staff and trustees condemn racism and the oppression of people of color in our community and throughout the United States. Furthermore, we denounce the legacies of white supremacy, and of murder and racial violence against Black and Brown people, Indigenous people, and People of Color (BIPOC) that have permeated…

July 7, 2020 — The Trustees of Forbes Library have established the Marie Hershkowitz Memorial Children’s Book Fund in honor of the beloved Bridge Street School teacher. The fund was established with a gift of $50,000 from Dr. Melvin Hershkowitz, Marie’s father. Forbes Library’s children’s department is a crucial community resource that supports early literacy and a lifelong love…