Ely Library, Westfield State University
WESTFIELD – Westfield State University’s Ely Library and the Westfield Athenaeum are collaborating on services designed to complement each institution’s strengths, which will result in a broader range of offerings available to the entire Westfield community. Reciprocal borrowing privileges between the two libraries is one of the first direct links that expands content and access for the Westfield community and is intended to provide card holders of both libraries access to books, services, and collections either may not have.
Westfield State students are able to borrow from the Westfield Athenaeum Library using their college ID while Westfield Athenaeum card holders are allowed full onsite access to the Ely Library’s academic databases, Wi-Fi access, and study space. Registration with Ely Library is required, but once complete, Athenaeum card holders will use the same card to check out materials. Westfield Athenaeum card holders can register by filling out an application and bringing it to Ely Library with a photo ID and proof of address.
“The goal of Ely Library and the Athenaeum is to complement rather than duplicate each other’s services,” said Thomas Raffensperger, Library Director at Westfield State. Both institutions also collaborate on the maintenance and storage of archival material related to the university and the town.
“Westfield Athenaeum borrowers may borrow from our main circulating collection. We are limiting borrowing from certain collections in order to preserve student, faculty, and staff access to those items needed in support of the curriculum, but in general guests are welcome to read and use most everything while onsite,” said Raffensperger.
Many Westfield State students use the Athenaeum frequently “including our education students, [who] are heavy users of their children’s book collection,” Raffensperger said. “We are very grateful to the Athenaeum for reaching out to and supporting our students.”
Libraries are continually being transformed to meet the changing needs of our patrons, according to Christopher Lindquist, director, Westfield Athenaeum.
“Technology has dramatically changed the nature of the way we do business in the past decade or so. We now offer access to a growing array of electronic information resources, including books, audios and videos that can be downloaded onto mobile devices, which are becoming increasingly popular with our users,” he said.
“We still provide the full range of traditional printed materials, however, and we still see ourselves as “the People’s University,” which nicely complements the services offered by Ely Library in a more academic setting. We are excited to collaborate with Tom and the staff at Ely and we are grateful that our cardholders will now have access to the valuable resources available at Ely Library.”
There is no charge for Massachusetts residents to sign up for a library card at the Westfield Athenaeum. Teachers and School Administrators in the Massachusetts school system and people who own property in the state of Massachusetts are also able to sign up for a card free of charge. Out of state residents are charged $25 a year for a new registration.
Westfield Athenaeum card holders can borrow up to 50 items at a time. Temporary card holders are allowed to borrow up to two items at a time.
The Athenaeum has extensive historical collections relating to the history of Westfield, including objects that are on display in the Edwin Smith Historical Museum, which is open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., or by appointment.
The Westfield Athenaeum also loans 14 museum passes that offer free or reduced admission to area museums and attractions. Passes are loaned to card holders for one day. The complete list of passes is available on the Athenaeum’s website located at http://www.westath.org. Videos, DVD’s, and periodicals are allowed to be borrowed for up to one week. E-readers and New Adult Fiction Books are allowed to be borrowed for up to two weeks.
“Please note that this program is limited to Westfield Athenaeum card holders, and does not include other CW/MARS consortium libraries,” Raffensperger said.
For information on how to borrow items from the Westfield Athenaeum or Ely Library, see their websites at http://www.westath.org and http://lib.westfield.ma.edu
