Springfield City Library: Adult Programs & Services

The library maintains an extensive, up-to-date collection of reference and circulating materials covering all disciplines. The collection is especially strong in the areas of music, fine arts, business, career development, and Holocaust materials, and includes most major reference sources in those areas. Consult the online catalog for holdings. The Springfield City Library is a member of the C/WMARS (Central and Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing) consortium, which provides access to library collections in Western and Central Massachusetts, as well as of the Massachusetts Virtual Catalog, which includes most public and state-funded academic libraries in the Commonwealth. Consult a librarian for assistance in requesting materials from other libraries.

The print collection is enhanced by many online databases, some of which may be accessed from your home computer; and links from the library's Directory of the Web, a collection of websites that have been identified by Springfield librarians as both useful and credible.

In addition to the print collection, the library has an extensive circulating collection of videos, CDs and audiotapes, books on tape, CD-ROMs, and large print books. The online Public Access Catalog allows you to search the collection of the Springfield Library and branches, as well as those of all participating libraries in the Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing (CWMARS) consortium.

As a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center, the Springfield City Library provides visitors with free public access to grantmaker directories, books on fundraising and nonprofit management, and to the Foundation Center's electronic databases, The Foundation Directory Online and Foundation Grants to Individuals Online.

Highly trained librarians are always available and eager to assist you to: identify appropriate sources for your research or factual queries; guide you in the use of our computers and the library's online catalog; or help you to find a "good book" to read. The information desk may be contacted by telephone (413-263-6828 x213), fax (413-263-6817), or by using our online form for answers to brief factual questions or for guidance in searching the library's catalog and other online resources. In addition, the library participates in MassAnswers, a nationwide chat reference service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The library offers a continuing series of more formal training in use of the online catalog, searching the Internet, and subject-oriented research. For more information and the current schedule, visit our Hi!Tech@the Library page or contact Anna Brandenburg at (413) 263-6828 ext. 221 or abrandenburg@springfieldlibrary.org.

Please check out the Adult Programs page for information about all our programs, including book groups, computer classes, author visits, and more!

Our collection includes more than 300 current magazine subscriptions and 20 newspapers. The library is pleased to announce that Springfield newspapers on microfilm are now available from 1900 to the present. Springfield newspapers prior to 1900 may be consulted in the Local History and Genealogy Library, which is housed in the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum. Microfilm of the New York Times, Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal is also available.

Many newspapers and periodicals around the world now place current issues of their publications on the Internet. Several indexes and finding aids are available on our News & Media section of the Directory of the Web. In addition, online databases of electronic resources provided by the Library and by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners offer access to newspapers, magazines and other publications both in the library and from your home or business computer.

The library has been a selective depository for Federal government documents since 1966, and maintains an extensive collection of Congressional and legal materials. Some important titles, such as Congressional Record, are supplemented with back runs in microform. In addition, the library is a depository for Massachusetts state documents. Increasingly, many documents at all levels of government are being made available on the Internet. Visit our Government & Law page for finding aids and other resources. For additional information, contact the Government Documents Librarian at 413-263-6828 ext. 423 or elonergan@springfieldlibrary.org.

At the Central Library, dedicated computers are available to search the online catalog and online databases. In addition, the library has more than 20 computers available in Wellman Hall offering Internet access and a full suite of Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and more. The Computer Lab located on the street level of the Central Library includes 14 computers, which offer Internet access, Microsoft Office programs, the Encarta Encyclopedia, Magic Schoolbus, and more. Public access to the Computer Lab is available Monday through Saturday from 1 - 5 pm and on Sundays from 12 - 5 pm (during the school year). Public access computers are available for sign-up with a Springfield Library or CWMARS library card. A limited number of guest passes are available for out-of-state visitors. Computer use is governed by the library's Computer Use and Public Internet Access Policy.

Computers for the online catalog, Internet access and word processing are available at all branch libraries. Procedures for use may vary from branch to branch, depending on demand.

Printing: All Internet and word processing stations are networked for printing. The charge for printing is 15 cents a page.

The Central Library is equipped with wireless access. Ten users at a time may log on to the network in either Wellman Hall or the Periodicals Room.

Librarians are available to assist patrons and to ensure that the network is running properly, however, they are not equipped to configure a patron’s laptop.

Printing from a laptop is available only by saving work to a disk and printing from one of the library’s workstations.

For more information, call the Information Services desk at 413-263-6828, ext. 213.

Below are several other locations in Springfield currently providing wireless access to the public:

The following libraries in the Western Mass. area offer wireless access. Please contact the individual library for more information on wireless access and policies:

Agawam Public Library
Babson Library, Springfield College
Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield
David & Joyse Milne Public, Williamstown
Dickinson Memorial Library, Northfield
East Longmeadow Public Library
Emily Williston Memorial Library, Easthampton
Forbes Library, Northampton
Franklin Law Library
Greenfield Public Library
Hinsdale Public Library
Holyoke Public Library
Jones Library and Branches, Amherst
Lenox Library Association
Lenox Memorial Middle & High School
Meekins Library, Williamsburg
MN Spear Memorial, Shutesbury
Monson Free Library
New Marlborough Town Library
North Adams Public Library
Palmer Public Library
Pelham Library
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, Northampton
Springfield Technical Community College Library
Sunderland Public Library
Taconic High School Library, Pittsfield
W.E.B. Du Bois Library, UMass, Amherst
Western Massachusetts Regional Library System
Westfield Athenaeum
Westhampton Memorial Library
Worthington Library

The Central Library maintains a collection of published works on Springfield-area history, including local publications such as the Springfield Planning Department's neighborhood studies. All titles are cataloged and searchable in the online catalog. For a more comprehensive local history collection, including archival material, and assistance with genealogical research, please contact the Local History and Genealogy Library at the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum (CVHM).

The Central Library maintains a near-complete collection of City Directories dating back to 1866, and a limited collection of Springfield colleges and high school yearbooks dating from the early 1900s to the late 1980s. Please contact the Wellman Hall reference desk with inquiries about these resources. City directories and yearbooks are also available for reference use at the CVHM.

The library offers access to Springfield newspapers on microfilm from 1900 to the present at the Central Library. Microfilm readers are available and use is self-service. Librarians are available for assistance. Springfield newspapers prior to 1900 are held at the Local History and Genealogy Library at the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum on the Quadrangle (CVHM). The Local History and Genealogy Library is open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 noon - 4 pm; the Reference Desk number is 413-263-6800 ext. 230.

For recommended websites to assist with online genealogical research, visit our Directory of the Web.

Young Adult Services, part of the Youth Services Department, provides collections and services to meet the information needs of patrons between the ages of 12 and 19. The Young Adult collections include magazines, paperbacks, books on tape, and hardcover books. These materials are selected with the educational and entertainment needs of young adults in mind. Our Young Adult collections include the magazines Slam! and Vibe, the books Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and the Sweet Valley series, as well as many literary classics in paperback. All locations of the Springfield City Library have Young Adult collections.

For more information on activities and programs for Young Adults, call or e-mail Martha Coons at 413-263-6828 ext. 425 or mcoons@springfieldlibrary.org or visit the Teen Page.

The Springfield Library provides handicapped parking spaces, entrance ramps, elevator access to all public levels, and walkers for use within the library.

For visually impaired persons, the library has a collection of large print books, descriptive videos enhanced with voice narration, and books on tape. Also available is a computer workstation that converts printed text to audiotape or braille, and a print enlarger that magnifies print and images up to 60X.

For the hearing impaired, the library has closed captioned videos which have dialogue written along the bottom of the screen.

For more information on resources available to the physically disabled, call or e-mail Jean Canosa-Albano at 413-263-6828 ext. 291 or jcanosa@springfieldlibrary.org or visit our Access Guide page.

Visit the Central Library Rotunda at 220 State Street for lots of FREE giveaways of interest to your organization! For more information, click here.