DIGITAL COLLECTIONS | MUSEUM PASSES | LIBRARY OF THINGS | TALKING BOOKS & BRAILLE LIBRARY | SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

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Digital Collections

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Museum Passes

Access passes for Albany Institute of History & Art, Bennington Museum, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Boscobel, Chesterwood, Clark Art Institute, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Hancock Shaker Village, Herman Melville’s Arrowhead, Hudson River Maritime Museum, Iroquois Museum, Mass MOCA, Olana State Historic Site, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Opus 40, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School, Underground Railroad Education Center, and USS Slater.

Newly added in 2022: Bennington Museum, Boscobel House & Gardens & Iroquois Museum.

You can also reserve our Empire Pass for NYS Parks, sponsored by the Friends of the Chatham Public Library and available for pick up from the downstairs circulation desk.

Columbia County Museum Passes are made possible by a grant to the Columbia County Libraries Association from the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation. Columbia County Passes are available to all Columbia County residents with a library account in good standing.

Thanks to the Friends of the Chatham Public Library for sponsoring these additional museum  passes for Chatham and Canaan library patrons with accounts in good standing.

• FASNY Museum of Firefighting – Free Library Pass
• Norman Rockwell Museum – Discounted Admission Price
• Columbia County Historical Society – Free Library Pass

Museum Pass Guidelines

• Patrons can check out passes in person at the library.
• Passes can be borrowed for three days.
• Passes must be returned at the circulation desk on the due date.
• One museum pass per family per day.
• If the pass is lost or stolen, you will be required to pay the full replacement cost.

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Library of Things

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The Library currently offers a variety of “Things” for Chatham and Canaan patrons to check out, in addition to our traditional print and media collections.

The majority of items in the Library of Things can be checked out for seven days at a time. Items in this collection are subject to overdue fines and a replacement fee if the item is not returned within two weeks of its due date.

A Loan Agreement must be signed at check out and items must be returned in person to the Library’s circulation desk. Items may not be returned through the outside book drop.

The Friends of the Chatham Public Library are launching an expanded Library of Things in June of 2022 with tools, games, and more available to borrow for free with your library card. Please fill out our brief survey share what “things” you would like to see in our collection!

• Chromebook Laptops & WiFi Hotspots
• Movie Projector & Outdoor Movie Screen
• PocketScan plus Vehicle Scanner (CP9960) – Reads ABS & OBD II generic codes for 1996 and newer vehicles
• Drill Bits, Home Tools, Stud Finder, Sewing Machine & Sewing Kit
• Garden Tools including a Bulb Planter, Compost Thermometer, Garden Auger, Soil Block Maker, & Hand Weeder
• Lawn Games including Badminton, Bocce, Croquet, Pickleball and Jumbo versions of Checkers, Connect 4, Jenga, and Yard Pong
• Bubble Machine
• Ukuleles
• Nature Explorer Backpacks (Sponsored by Columbia Land Conservancy)
  • Birding
  • Insects
• S.T.E.A.M. Learning Kits
  • All About Magnets (Pre-K – 3)
  • Construction & Building (Pre-K – 3)
  • Examine Science & Nature (Grades 4+)
  • Math Patterns & Tactile (Pre-K – 3)
  • Robotics & Coding (Pre-K – 3)
• Early Literacy Kits
  • Letters & Numbers (Pre-K – 3)
  • Little Critters Phonics (Pre-K – 3)

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Talking Books & Braille Library

The New York State Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) is a free lending library available to individuals living in the Hudson Valley, who have difficulty reading standard print due to a visual impairment, a physical disability, or a reading disability. While TBBL’s mail service is temporarily on hold, we recommend library patrons register for the free downloading service called Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD).

What is BARD?

BARD is a free web-based service from the National Library Service that provides immediate access to audio and electronic braille books, magazines, and music scores. Thousands of resources are accessible any time of the day. With BARD, there are no waitlists and no books to return.

Reading materials can be downloaded through the BARD Mobile app which is available for iOS and Android devices. TBBL patrons may also download titles through the BARD website and read using a TBBL digital talking book player or third party player.

Apply for BARD

• First, apply for TBBL service – To qualify for BARD, you must first be a TBBL patron. If you are not a TBBL member, please complete and submit an application for TBBL service. Please note that in cases of blindness, visual impairment, or physical limitations, a library staff member may serve as “competent authority” to certify a patron’s application.
• Current TBBL Patrons May Apply for BARD – Please complete the short online application found here for access to BARD:
  • Individual BARD Application

BARD applications will be approved as quickly as possible. New BARD members receive login information and directions for downloading after registration. Please visit the New York State Library website to learn more about TBBL service.

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