Author: dbigham

Moving Into The Next Phase

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The Franklin County Library System branches are getting back to normal schedules after our closure in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We are pleased that we will be able to again provide outlets to help residents of Franklin County pursue learning for both personal and community growth. 

Coyle Free Library and Grove Family Library in Chambersburg, as well as Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library in Greencastle, have been open limited hours for curbside service since June 8th. 

Our Blue Ridge Summit and St. Thomas branches will be open for curbside service starting June 29th. 
Barring an upsurge in local COVID-19 cases, on July 13, all Franklin County Library System branches will be open for limited hours. Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook pages as we update our hours. 

To reserve items, please call your local branch library by phone or visit us at fclspa.org to reserve items online. You can use the “Get Your Library E-Card” link to request your library card information if you can not find your card or do not know your PIN. Your librarians will be happy to provide readers’ advisory services if you don’t know an exact title and would like recommendations. We hope to add contactless printing services in the next few weeks. 

Our libraries continue to provide online programming via our social media presence and have been focused on a community summer reading program. Any resident of Franklin County can participate in programming or the summer reading challenge via our website and social media outlets. 

As we look forward to a post COVID-19 world we know that library services will change, but we hope we are able to adapt in ways that make us effective stewards of the resources entrusted to us, knowing that the choices we make affect the future of our community. We will continue to provide exceptional, quality service by forming connections that spur change and build community as we move through 2020 and into 2021. 

Coyle Free Library 717-263-1054

St. Thomas Library 717-369-4716

Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library 717-597-7920

Alexander Hamilton Memorial Library 717-762-3335

Blue Ridge Summit Memorial Library 717-794-2240

Grove Family Library 717-264-9663

Franklin County System Offices 717-709-0282

Click here if you want to receive our email newsletter with updates about our libraries

FCLS and AHML libraries’ commitment to diversity

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The Franklin County Library System and Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library, as members of the American Library Association (ALA), affirm our commitment to embrace and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion as they pertain to accepting and respecting all patrons, staff, and community partners. Read our full diversity statement here.

We stand with the ALA and the Black Caucus of the ALA (BCALA) and support their recent public statement regarding racism in America and the ongoing mistreatment of people of color in our country.

“The ALA Executive Board stands in solidarity with BCALA, with library workers, with library users, and with members of the communities we serve and support who are susceptible to acts of prejudice, threats of violence, and even death based solely on their race or ethnicity. The pervasive racism present in our nation denies its residents equal rights and equal access and as such is a barrier to the goals of this association and to the wider profession.

Wherever it resides, racism leads to degradation. It weakens our institutions and destroys our communities and is one of the greatest obstacles to the American Library Association’s mission “to enhance learning and ensure access to information to all.” The Franklin County Library System and the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library are committed to promoting equality. We feel a responsibility to challenge inequality in our community and we take that role seriously. We stand with those who are treated unfairly, who are in pain, and who face discrimination. We encourage and provide a safe space for exploration and difficult discussions.

Curbside Service

Posted on by dbigham
Curbside Service

*Beginning Monday, 6/1/2020, all Franklin County Library System book drops will be open. Please return materials you have on loan at the book drop location most convenient to you.

*The due date for materials currently on loan is now 6/30/2020. That means you have all month to get your materials back to the library. No need to rush.

*Curbside pickup will be starting at Coyle Free Library, Grove Family Library, and Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library on Monday, 6/8/2020. We plan to start curbside pickup at Blue Ridge Summit Free Library and St. Thomas Library before the end of June: stay tuned for more details.

*Reserve your books online or by calling your library branch: leave a message if there is no answer. Someone will call you to follow up and to schedule a time for you to pick up your items. You cannot pick up items without a scheduled time (and a mask).

Update 6/25/20: Moving Into the Next Phase

* The Franklin County Library System branches are getting back to normal schedules after our closure in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We are pleased that we will be able to again provide outlets to help residents of Franklin County pursue learning for both personal and community growth. 

*Coyle Free Library and Grove Family Library in Chambersburg, as well as Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library in Greencastle, have been open limited hours for curbside service since June 8th. 

*Our Blue Ridge Summit and St. Thomas branches will be open for curbside service starting June 29th. 

*Barring an upsurge in local COVID-19 cases, on July 13, all Franklin County Library System branches will be open for limited hours. Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook pages as we update our hours. 

*To reserve items, please call your local branch library by phone or visit us at fclspa.org to reserve items online. You can use the “Get Your Library E-Card” link to request your library card information if you can not find your card or do not know your PIN. Your librarians will be happy to provide readers’ advisory services if you don’t know an exact title and would like recommendations. We hope to add contactless printing services in the next few weeks. 

*Our libraries continue to provide online programming via our social media presence and have been focused on a community summer reading program. Any resident of Franklin County can participate in programming or the summer reading challenge via our website and social media outlets. 

*As we look forward to a post COVID-19 world we know that library services will change, but we hope we are able to adapt in ways that make us effective stewards of the resources entrusted to us, knowing that the choices we make affect the future of our community. We will continue to provide exceptional, quality service by forming connections that spur change and build community as we move through 2020 and into 2021. 


Coyle Free Library 717-263-1054

St. Thomas Library 717-369-4716

Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library 717-597-7920

Alexander Hamilton Memorial Library 717-762-3335

Blue Ridge Summit Memorial Library 717-794-2240

Grove Family Library 717-264-9663

Franklin County System Offices 717-709-0282

We have expanded our wifi

Posted on by dbigham

Some exciting news! Thanks to a Slow the Spread Grant we received from WellSpan Health −Franklin & Cumberland County, we were able to increase the WiFi around four of the Franklin County Libraries! Wifi service was improved at Coyle Free Library (Chambersburg), Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library (Waynesboro), Blue Ridge Summit Library, and St Thomas Library. These photos illustrate the new, extended range of service for free WiFi. Our hope is that this will improve access online information and services. Thank you, WellSpan Health, for all that you do for our community.

Resources to help you during this time

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We will continue to update these lists over these many days.

How to get help:

To keep up on current developments about COVID-19 locally, state, federal and internationally:

For the families at home with children:

Free Reads:

Take a break from the stress:

THE LIBRARY IS CLOSED UNTIL AT LEAST ??? – SO NOW WHAT?

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UPDATE: All Franklin County Library System branches are closed, including book drops until further notice. Keep all your items borrowed until we reopen. The due dates will be extended and no fines will accrue during this time.

ANSWERS TO SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS…

What if my items are due next week?

Please keep all of your library materials at home until we reopen. All of our due dates have been extended until June 4. If we have to extend our date of reopening, we will extend this due date as well. In an effort to keep our bookdrops from overflowing, please don’t return your items to any branch until we reopen.

What if I need WiFi? 

You can still access our WiFi from outside of our buildings. Please stay in your car or maintain a safe distance from others to use the WiFi. .

What about items I had on hold? 

All of your holds will continue. You can get them when we reopen.

I’m bored and I have read all of my books: now what? 

We offer lots of online databases and information through our website: fclspa.org. Please check out the “E-Library” and “Our Picks” links on our website to see what there is to offer. If you need help accessing anything, please call your local branch, email library@fclspa.org, or message us through Facebook (this will get you the fastest response). 

Check out our available downloadable ebooks and audiobooks through our website with Overdrive or through the Libby App on your enabled device. You can also learn a  new language with Mango Languages or discover one of the many resources for children and teens available through our website.

We have extended the amount of time you can have an ebook or audiobook as well as the number of items you can check out and have on hold. We hope that this helps you pass the time more easily..

What if I had an event or meeting scheduled at the library? 

If you had something planned at the library, we will be getting in touch with you to reschedule.

What if don’t have a library card but want access to all the things available on your website?

Fill out our online registration form.  A staff member will then email you back within 24 hours with a temporary library card number that you can then use to access all of our online resources.

What if I still have a question? 

Library staff will be available on a limited basis by phone and email. To reach us by email: library@fclspa.org. To contact us by phone, call 717-263-1054 and leave a message.  We will be checking email and voicemail on a daily basis and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Access to Genealogy Resources from home

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A couple of great online genealogy resources are helping out during this time by giving free from home access.

Accessible without login:

Ancestry in partnership with National Archives is providing free temporary access to 500 million records.

Accessible with login:

Ancestry Library Edition – Access to this resource has been temporarily expanded to library cardholders working remotely, courtesy of ProQuest and its partner Ancestry.

To gain access to these site, you have to first log onto your account through the webopac. It will require that you have a library card and know your PIN.

Click here to log onto the webopac through your account. Once you log onto your account, scroll down to find the links to these databases.

If you need a library card, you can sign up for a temporary card online. You will be emailed a library card number that will allow you to log onto your account using the link above.

Any other questions? Fill out the fields below to send an email and someone will respond as soon as possible.

Here are some local digitized resources to get you started.

Franklin County Atlas from 1868

Obituary List

Burning of Chambersburg

Chambersburg Newspapers on Microfilm

Various Historical Papers

Conococheague Settlement

Old Roads of Cumberland Valley

Old Vance Inn

Rebel Invasion

Rebel Invasion Map

Retracing of Famous Old Turnpike

Retracing of Famous Old Turnpike, 2nd ed.

Libraries will close March 16th to April 6

Posted on by dbigham

UPDATE: All Franklin County Library System branches are closed through at least Monday, April 6. Due dates of items due 4/1/2020 to 4/6/2020 are now extended to 4/7/2020.

STARTING ON MONDAY, 3/16, ALL BRANCHES ARE CLOSING FOR 2 WEEKS. THIS MODIFIES THE INFORMATION THAT WAS POSTED THIS MORNING.

As directed by Glenn Miller, Commissioner of Libraries for the State of Pennsylvania, all Franklin County Library System branches will be closed for two weeks starting on Monday, March 16. Libraries will reopen on March 30. Any change to that date will be indicated as soon as we have information. Since many of our drop boxes will be closed so they do not overflow, we have extended the due dates of all items due 3/16/2020 to 3/31/2020 to now 4/1/2020. Please use the contact form below if you have an item that was due before 3/16/2020 to get an extension, including your name and library card barcode number in the message. Please stay home and enjoy your items a little longer.

There is a lot of information regarding COVID-19 in the media. Please verify the sources of your information and obtain it through reputable channels like the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html), the WHO (https://www.who.int/emergen…/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019), PA Department of Health (https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx) or the Gale Virtual Reference Library available through our Website (http://www.fclspa.org/our-e-library/).

We will post any updates through this Facebook page and our website:  fclspa.org

We are doing our best to keep you, our staff, and all of our community safe and healthy. Please remember to wash your hands, keep a distance of 3 to 6 feet between you and anyone around you, and be aware of best health and hygiene practices with regard to COVID-19.