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THE BLAST
THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM
WALLKILL PUBLIC LIBRARY
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Summer Reading:
It ain't over 'til it's over!
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Thanks to all our patrons and performers who took part in the Wallkill Public Library Summer Reading Program. And thank you to the staff for all of your hard work to make it another great summer. It was a blast!
Even though the finale for the summer reading program was last Thursday the fun hasn't ended at the library. Please keep your eyes out for the winners of the summer reading program challenges for the adults, teens and kids in the coming weeks. We're still accepting tickets and bingo sheets for the respective raffles, so be sure to get those in by Friday, August 29 at 6pm.
| | Upcoming Library Budget Vote | |
We at the Wallkill Public Library want to encourage you to come by the library and vote on September 16th!
Here’s what’s on the ballot:
- We are proposing a budget with a Tax Levy of $399,387 for the 2025 Library Fiscal Year.
- A vote to fill three open Trustee seats. Incumbents Larissa Burke & Merrie Witkin are running for another term, and Lisa Palmer is running to fulfil the remainder of a vacated Trustee term.
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How does this impact you? What are you getting for that money?
- The Library is more than just a place to grab a few books, though we do still have a great collection of books, ebooks, graphic novels, DVDs, magazines and more for you to borrow.
- Excellent programming for everyone from babies to seniors
- Upgrades to Computers & Digital Resources
- Upkeep & maintenance to keep our historic library beautiful
- Supporting our staff, so they can continue providing great service
- Continued participation in community-wide events and initiatives
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Here are some of the things the library budget supported last year
- Supported & participated in the Annual Duck Derby
- Expanded Summer Reading Program for young children, teens, & adults
- Repainted the exterior of the library facade
- Replaced aging library lawn furniture
- Addition of new collections to better serve our community
- Participated in Digital Navigator Tech Support & Ulster County Cooling Center programs
| | Library Board of Trustee Petition Signatures | | The Wallkill Public Library is presently accepting petition signatures for library board trustees who are up for re-election. The trustees play a vital role in the functioning of the library. So, we encourage residents who live in the Town of Shawangunk within the Wallkill Central School District to consider signing the petitions for these excellent volunteers who seek to give their time in service of the library and the community. Residents are able to sign any and all of the board of trustee petitions, which can be found on the table across from the Wallkill Public Library front desk. Let's support community members supporting their community! Be sure to sign the petitions before September 3! | | | September is National Library Card Sign-up Month | | | |
Already have a library card?
Share the benefits of your library card that you’ve already discovered with a friend! This month, you can refer a friend! In September, take a referral card and fill it out with your information. Give the card to a friend who needs a library card. When your friend applies for a library card, you will both be entered into a prize drawing! Win! WIN!
Stop by Wallkill Public Library or visit us online at www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org to sign up for your card today. Because with a library card, the possibilities are truly endless.
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The Hawk Watch is back!
Wallkill Public Library will once again be marking the annual autumn hawk migration by encouraging our patrons to report their hawk sightings! Swing by the library during our regular operating hours from September 2 through October 31 to log your raptor sightings in our hawk watch book. We're eager to learn about all of the amazing raptors you'll spot.
Library hours can be found here: https://www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org/pages/index/225512/hours-directions
| | | Birds of Prey with Brian Robinson | |
Tuesday September 23, 4 to 6pm
Town Hall Community Room
In honor of the annual Fall hawk migration, the Wallkill Public Library will be hosting Brian Robinson from "Robinson Wildlife" as he shows off their amazing menagerie of raptors, owls and vultures as we learn more about these amazing creatures. The experience will be exciting and educational!
Brian Robinson has been providing wildlife education programs to schools, libraries and museums since 1993. His animals have been featured on many national television shows such as Regis and Kelly and The Today Show. He has a Masters of Science degree in Education with a concentration in biology. He also has New York State teaching certification, and in addition to doing wildlife lectures, he teaches biology at Saugerties High School.
Please register for the program to secure your spot here: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15148239
Registration is REQUIRED. There is a registration fee of $5 for this program. Please register each person separately.
Accompanying Adults: This program is designed for children and accompanying adults. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Drop offs will not be permitted.
| | September Is Very Crafty! | | In addition to our regular arts and crafts offerings the Wallkill Public Library will be hosting several new crafting programs during the month of September that we hope you'll join us for. Here's what we have to offer! | |
Saturday Workshop - Soap Making
Saturday Workshop - Soap Making will be held from 12:30 to 2pm on Saturday September 13 in the Town Hall Community Room. This program is for adults. There is a $5 program fee for this workshop.
Learn more and register here: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/14949830
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Mold Making with Nick Trimby
This is a two-part program where patrons will be able to learn how to create and use box/ cup molds for toys, candy and candles! Part 1 will be on Friday, September 26 from 3:30 to 5pm, and part 2 will be on the following Monday, September 29 from 3:30 to 5pm. The program will be held in the Children’s Room of the Library, but anyone 10 and up is invited. Patrons will need to attend both programs to receive their finished mold.
You can find out more and register here: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15209699
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B-I-N-G-O!
Always a highlight of our summer programming, BINGO never disappoints! We had three tables packed with prizes for kids and adults!!
| | MYO Paint was double the fun when Ms. Christine miscalculated her ingredients, turning paint into play do! Luckily there were enough supplies to make paint too! | | A sampling of kids Mastering the Masters!
Epic paint by number kits were a hugely popular this summer! | | Adult Summer Reading Program | |
It's the final stretch...
Time to finish up those last few chapters and collect your tickets for completed books ebooks, and audiobooks read this summer!
Tickets need to be turned in by August 29. Winners will be selected randomly on Tuesday, September 2.
Good luck and keep on reading!
| | | Still at a Library Near You... the 2025 RCLS Road Trip | |
Time for a late summer road trip!
SRP may be wrapped up, but the RCLS Road Trip continues until September 30! So, swing by the library if you're interested in picking up a Road Trip Travel Log! Explore libraries, complete fun challenges, collect stamps, and earn chances to win great prizes.
Wallkill Public Library had a winner in last month's Road Trip drawing. Phoebe came in with her mom to get her own library card. They grabbed an RCLS Road Trip passport at the same time, and just one week later, Phoebe's name was selected from the July Road Tripper tickets! She won a discount card for Ulster County businesses. Congratulations!
The Roadtrip is ongoing, and more prizes will be awarded. The next winner could be YOU!
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Learn more at https://guides.rcls.org/RoadTrip2025
#RCLSStamped #RCLSRoadTrip25
| | The Great Give Back / Ulster County Food Fight | | |
As part of the Great Give Back—an annual New York State Library initiative to support local communities—the Wallkill Public Library is participating in the Ulster County Food Fight and collecting donations for the Wallkill Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry.
From Tuesday, September 2 through Saturday, October 18, we invite patrons to drop off unopened, unexpired, non-perishable food items at the library. Your generosity will help make a meaningful difference for families in need right here in our community!
| | | A Message from Our Friends | | |
The Friends of the WPL are selling beautiful, sturdy canvas bags printed with our logo to continue our fundraising efforts.
One bag costs $15, with two bags for $25. You can purchase one (or two!) at the library circulation desk. Thank you for helping us do more for our library.
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Sign up for our take and make herbal tea growing kit!
Each month register for a new herbal tea kit to grow at home. Kits will include basic instructions and information, a starter pot, starter soil and seeds.
Each month register for a new herbal tea kit to grow at home. Pick up is on the third Friday each month between 12p-5p. Kits will include basic instructions and information, a starter pot, starter soil and seeds.
Registration is required. Any take-and-make kits not picked up within one week of the pick-up date will be offered to the public.
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Art Along the Sidewalk
With this year's Summer Reading Program theme of "Color Our World", the Library and Vision of Wallkill are teaming up for this year's Art Along the Sidewalk contest. Art Along the Sidewalk allows children and adults to paint a "Color Our World" design on a plastic 18x24 "lawn" sign. The artwork will be judged at Weekend of Wallkill and prizes awarded. Then the signs will be placed along roadways in the Hamlet for the month of October for everyone to enjoy. Additional contest and entry information will be available at the library.
All artwork must be submitted by September 9th. Contest entry fee is $3. We hope you'll help Color Our World.
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Coming soon...
The annual Weekend of Wallkill (WOW), presented by Vision of Wallkill is less than a month away! Come celebrate our amazing community on September 19 & 20 for two days of family fun, creativity, and local pride. Admission is free and open to everyone—family, friends and neighbors near and far. Events take place on or near the Wallkill Public Library lawn and the Shawangunk Town Hall.
Kick off the weekend on Friday, September 19 at 5 pm with Lego Sculpture Building & Story Time (sponsored by Wallkill Public Library), a Fall Egg Hunt for children and the Photography and Art Show, open for viewing & voting.
Calling All Artists & Artisans! There’s still time to showcase your creativity! Submit your original work by September 15. Accepted media include paintings, drawings, photography, jewelry, and other media.
Saturday, September 20, 10 AM to 3 PM will feature exhibits, contests, games, and community fun for everyone: Rogue the Magician, Scavenger Hunt, Touch-A-Truck, Pony Rides & Petting Zoo, Billy Goat Bingo, Dive Tank Experience, Science Corner, learn the history of our Hamlet, Contests: Dog Costume, Potato Peeling and Remote-Control Car Race, Food & Vendors featuring Hudson Valley favorites on the library lawn.
End the evening with a Steak Dinner al fresco at Popp Memorial Park, hosted by Wallkill Lions Club. Contact a Lions member for tickets.
Mark your calendars and don’t miss this chance to connect, create, and celebrate in the Hamlet of Wallkill! Additional information on Vision of Wallkill’s Facebook, Instagram and www.visionofwallkill.com.
| | Click the titles to link to our online catalog to read descriptions, reviews, and place holds. | | If you would like to attend virtually, contact Kim O'Sullivan at kosullivan@rcls.org. | | |
The Adult Fiction Book Club will be meeting on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 3:45 p.m. to discuss Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino. (If the book looks familiar, it was recommended by the Saturday Morning Book Club!)
When Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the whole congregation, her parents ship her off to her great-aunt Ada for the summer. If anyone can save their daughter’s reputation, it’s Philadelphia’s strict premier matchmaker. Either that or Marilyn can kiss college goodbye.
To Marilyn’s surprise, Ada’s not the humorless septuagenarian her mother described. Not with that platinum-blonde hair, Hermès scarf, and Cadillac convertible. She’s sharp, straight-talking, takes her job very seriously, and abides by her own rules…mostly.
As the summer unfolds, Ada and Marilyn head for the Jersey shore, where Marilyn helps Ada scope out eligible matches—for anyone but Marilyn, that is. Because if there’s one thing Marilyn’s learned from Ada, it’s that she doesn’t have to settle. With the school year quickly approaching and her father threatening to disinherit her, Marilyn must make her choice for her future: return to the comfortable life she knows, or embrace a risky, unknown path on her own.
-- from Goodreads.
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October's Adult Fiction selection
The Adult Fiction Book Club will be meeting on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 3:45pm to discuss Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.
-- Goodreads
| | | Saturday Morning Book Club | | | | |
The Saturday Morning Book Club will hold their next meeting on Saturday, September 27 at 10:30 a.m. They'll be discussing The Wedding People by Alison Espach.
A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.
In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
-- from Goodreads
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October's Saturday Book Club pick is...
"The Unmaking of June Farrow" by Adrienne Young. We'll be discussing it on Saturday, October 18 at 10:30 AM.
In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line...
With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.
-- from Goodreads
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2025 Reading Challenge
Join the year-long 2025 Reading Challenge at the Wallkill Public Library! Ask for your challenge card at the Circulation Desk. Read a book for each month as outlined on our challenge card and earn one raffle ticket for every completed month. Complete three challenges, and you’ll receive a special incentive prize plus an extra ticket for the final prize drawing.
The grand prize will be announced later, and the drawing will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026. Don’t miss out on the fun and the chance to win fantastic prizes while expanding your reading horizons!
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Expanded Tech Support
10:00-4:00 PM weekdays
Technology doesn't just give you headaches on Thursdays. So, the Wallkill Public Library will be offering Tech Support from 10-4 on weekdays from now on, rather than just on Thursdays from 2pm until 4pm. So, if you're having issues with your cellphone, tablet, or other technology please stop by the front desk of the library. We'll be happy to lend a hand if we can.
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Textile Tuesdays
The Wallkill Quilter's Circle is sponsored by the Wallkill Public Library. The Circle meets for Textile Tuesdays in the Community Room at the Shawangunk Town Hall on Tuesdays from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Bring your present project and your lunch and join us! No registration necessary.
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Mahjong Meet-ups
Every Wednesday at 1 PM and Thursday at 6 PM the library hosts our Mahjong Clubs in the Reading Room. If you’re a player or just interested in learning, join us! We supply the games and (a limited number of) mahjong cards. Just drop in, no registration required
Forgot your card? Check one out at the circulation desk to use during the game!
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Lend-A-Pole Program
Thanks to the Federated Sportsmen’s Clubs of Ulster County (FSCUC), patrons are able to borrow fishing poles from the library!
The FSCUC donated a Lend-A-Pole cabinet filled with poles, tackle boxes, and informational pamphlets to the library. Patrons can check fishing poles out just as they would a museum pass or book. Borrowers also get to take out – and keep! - a tackle box, as the FSCUC will replenish the supply when it gets low.
Ask at the circulation desk for assistance.
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Battery Recycling Made Easy
Wondering what's the best way to get rid of those used batteries rolling around in your junk drawer?
The Library accepts used batteries and cell phones to be recycled! You will find the WeRecycle Battery Box located on our window seat. Please use a plastic baggie (found on the side of the box) to place your batteries or cell phones in before placing them in the battery recycle box. Quick, easy, convenient, and environmentally friendly!
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Clynk Bottle & Can Collection
Stop by the circulation desk to grab a Clynk bag and tag, then simply:
- Fill the bag with aluminum cans and plastic bottles eligible for the NY bottle deposit.
- Donate your filled Clynk bag by dropping it off at the Clynk collection area located at the entrance of your local Hannaford grocery store. Follow the instructions on or next to the Clynk door.
Together, we can all make a positive impact on the environment and help the library at the same time!
| | Click the titles to link to our online catalog to read descriptions, reviews, and place holds. | | Ms. Susan presented the program “Moga” which is unique blend of music and yoga that got everyone moving and singing while finding their inner calm. | | After learning about maps in the Summer STEM program, children let their creativity soar as they created either treasure maps or structures made from Lego bricks. | | | | The Summer Reading Program finale included "Up in Arms" which was an entertaining puppet show that blended humor and audience involvement with meaningful messages. It was followed with ice cream sundaes topped with sprinkles and whipped cream - a hit with both kids and adults. | | Turn in your SRP BINGO cards! | | |
In addition to Barnes and Noble gift cards and Kartrite gift cards, kids' prize baskets have been added! There is still time to earn spaces on your Bingo card! Each Bingo (earned by reading and logging 5 books) will allow a child the chance to win a raffle prize. Stop by the library soon to check out more books and take a look at the kids' prize packs.
Bingo cards and reading logs may be turned in by August 30th, 2025.
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Lego Bricks Needed
If you have Lego bricks that you no longer want, please consider donating them to the Wallkill Public Library. Lego bricks were used by children during this summer's STEM programs, but we need more bricks for the Saturday Lego Club which is scheduled to begin in September. Thank you!!
| | 1000 Books Before Kindergarten | | |
Wallkill Public Library is proud to announce we're still participating in the 1000 Books before Kindergarten program.
This program is a national initiative which promotes bonding through reading between infants and young children and their caregivers/parents using a simple and fun approach to establish strong early brain development and literacy skills. There are also incentive prizes along the way! Any child from birth to kindergarten-age can participate.
This is a multi-step program that takes approximately 1 to 3 years for each participant to complete. caregivers and parents who are interested in participating in this with their infants and young children should speak with Miss Sarah, or any of the library staff members at the desk if you're interested in participating or registering a reading milestone!
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Congratulations...
to Delaney A. and Marshall A. who both finished their 200th book and earned their 200 book badge in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge!
| | Ongoing Children's Programming | |
TUESDAYS
10:30AM Family Storytime
Children of all ages are welcome. The books and activities will be centered around children ages 4-10 years of age. Registration is required.
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11:00AM Crafting Caboodles
Join Miss Sarah for crafts in the Children's Room. We will celebrate a different theme every week by making fun creations! Ages 3+ (younger children may attend, but this may require more assistance from the parent). Registration is required.
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11:30AM Take & Make Craft Sign-up deadline
If you aren't able to attend Crafting Caboodles, register for a Take and Make Craft. The craft will be ready on Thursday morning through the following week. Registration is required.
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WEDNESDAYS
11:00AM STEM Explorers
Ages 4+. A wide variety of topics and activities pertaining to science, technology, and math will be covered. (Younger children may attend, but this activity may require more assistance from the parent.) Registration is required.
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THURSDAYS
10:30AM Infant and Toddler Storytime
The books and activities will be centered around children ages 0 to 2-3 years of age. Music, finger play, and sensory activities for infants/toddlers may also be included. Registration is required.
Take & Make Craft Pick-up available anytime after 10AM for the next week.
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Some SATURDAYS (Check Wallkill Public Library events calendar for dates)
10:00AM Family Storytime
Children of all ages are welcome. The books and activities will be centered around children ages 4-10. This will be a "repeat" of the previous Tuesday's story time. Registration is required.
NOTE: The first Saturday Family Storytime is scheduled for Aug. 23 at 10:30AM.
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Zoe the Therapy Dog
Zoe will be taking a vacation during the month of August but she will be back with us in September!
Join Miss Sarah for Storytime in the Children's Room at the Wallkill Public Library... with our special guest, ZOE THE THERAPY DOG on Tuesday, September 16! Zoe loves to join in on the fun - she also enjoys being read to and will take some gentle pets along the way… she might even surprise us with some tricks!
Click the link to register: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15010421
| | | Congressman Pat Ryan’s Reading Challenge | | |
Congressman Pat Ryan announced an all-new Summer Reading Challenge for Hudson Valley students, grades K-8. Participating students will track their reading, and those who complete five or more books before August 31st will receive a Congressional Certificate of Achievement.
“Summer reading keeps kids curious, confident, and connected — it’s how we make sure every child comes back to school ready to learn, grow, and thrive.” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “That’s why I’m very excited to announce the launch of my new Summer Reading Challenge. I am consistently so impressed with Hudson Valley students, and I think this is a great way to recognize them and their commitment to education. So, whether you’re enjoying the nice weather in one of our beautiful parks or making a splash at a Hudson Valley pool this summer vacation, make sure you bring a book!”
Students who want to participate in Congressman Ryan’s Summer Reading Challenge should fill out the form linked below. Participating K-8 students who read five or more books between July 1st and August 31st will receive a Congressional Certificate of Achievement.
Sign up for Congressman Ryan’s Summer Reading Challenge: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1f-fnIPi9GybJHatitd7DMeIegOGho7oSasFsifiNMhE/viewform?edit_requested=true
| | Teen Summer Reading Program | | |
The Teen SRP is soon drawing to a close, but you have another week to get some more reading done for our Teen Book Genre Bingo Challenge! Complete squares or score a bingo to earn raffle tickets for a chance to win our grand prize "Taste the Rainbow" bundle—packed with colorful cooking utensils, mixing bowls, cookbooks, and cutting boards.
Turn in your bingo sheet by August 29. Our raffle drawing will be on September 2. Good luck!!
| | | Local Vaccination Clinics | | Business services available at the library | |
Copy & Print
Copying and self-service printing is available from our public access computers.
- Letter size B&W $.10
- Legal size B&W $.20
- Letter size Color $.30
- Legal size Color $.40
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Fax
Faxes can be sent and received at a charge of $1.00 per page.
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Scan
Scan documents to your portable USB drive. There is no charge for this service!
| | Library services at a glance | |
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Our doors are open for library services including browsing for library materials, making copies, sending faxes, and using the public access computers.
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Our bookdrop is open for contact-free and after-hours returns of library materials. Be sure to secure DVD and BCD cases with rubber bands.
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Fine-free returns on everything, except museum/park passes.
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Inter-library loans are available between all RCLS libraries.
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In-person programming for all ages!
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Museum passes are available to Wallkill Public Library patrons for the Empire Pass, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum, Historic Huguenot Street Tour Pass, Mohonk Preserve, Museum Village, and Storm King Art Center. Plus, more print-at-home museum passes available through the Ulster County InfoPortal on the library’s website.
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We are not accepting any donations of books or DVDs at this time.
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