Richards Free Library

If you’ve been waiting to come back to the library, wait no longer!

The Reverend David Lewis Yale came to Newport in 1918 during the influenza epidemic. Because there was only one other minister in town, he also served the neighboring communities of Goshen and Croydon. Rev. Yale remained in Newport until 1923 but returned in 1937 with a valuable gift: the photographs he took while a resident.

At that time, he presented two wooden boxes of these glass lantern slides to the Richards Free Library. Our thanks go to Jim Perkins of New London for digitizing the glass slides and to the New Hampshire State Library for not only funding but providing one-on-one instruction (Thank you, Bobbi Slossar!) on how to create this digital collection.

This collection is available for viewing on our website here.

Join us for the Richards Free Library First Annual Read-A-Thon! Full details can be found on our website under Remote Services.

The Richards Free Library has a brand new way to search for new books and authors you might like. Next time you visit our catalog, search for a book you have read and enjoyed. Click on the result you want read-alikes for (the physical book, or the audio book) and scroll to the bottom of the page. You’ll see a list of similar titles. Click on one to see why it’s recommended! Next you’ll see a list of similar authors. You can click on these too. If the book you searched for is part of a series, you’ll also see a list of similar series as well as all of the books in the series listed in order.

These read-alike features from NoveList are available for adult and kids for books and audio books!

If you find a read-alike you’d love that we don’t own, email us and we’ll request it through Inter-Library Loan.

Its like having a librarian in our catalog!

We’re very excited about this new tool! If you have any questions or need any assistance, please give us a call at 603-863-3430 or email us at rfl@newport.lib.nh.us We can’t wait to help you find your next favorite book!

Due to a significant rise in COVID-19 transmission in our area and across the state of New Hampshire, the library will be suspending walkthrough services after November 25th until further notice. The library will be closed November 26th, 27th and 28th for the Thanksgiving holiday and will reopen on Monday November 30th with curbside service and virtual services only. 

At the governor’s press conference on Thursday, very high numbers of hospitalizations, community transmission, shortages of hospital staff, towns that have active cases, and active cases in Newport made us reevaluate our service levels at the library. Until cases begin to decline, we will offer curbside and virtual services only. This decision was not made lightly, and we know this will affect and disappoint many of our patrons, but community and staff safety are our top priority. 

We encourage patrons to reserve materials online, by email, or by phone and reserve a pickup time. We also have a form you can fill out for some new book recommendations. Inter-Library Loan remains available. Don’t forget you can browse our new books right on our website too! Staff will continue to be in the library from 10am to 5:30pm Monday through Friday and 10am to 12pm on Saturdays to answer emails and phone calls. 

Our virtual services including Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, The New York Times, Universal Class, and more are available 24/7 from our website. If you need help with any of our virtual services, please give us a call or send us an email. We’re always happy to help! 

We’ve missed it and we know you’ve missed it, but the good news is Inter-Library Loan is back! Because of quarantine requirements, it may take between 2 and 3 weeks to receive an item you request from another library, so please plan accordingly.

You can call the library at 603-863-3430 or email Justine at jfafara@newport.lib.nh.us to request an item. We are able to borrow books, DVDs, and audio books from other public libraries around New Hampshire.

The Richards Free Library will open for limited hours five days a week for Walkthrough Service beginning September 1!

We are pleased to announce the next stage of the library’s reopening.  We will be open limited hours five days a week for Walkthrough Service. Patrons may browse the collection, make a photocopy or use a computer.  Only 20 people will be allowed in the main library at one time. The Youth Services area is limited to one family at a time for 30 minutes. Families may schedule their visit by calling the library.
(Ms. Mo has more information below.)
In order to keep our staff and patrons safe, masks are required while in the building and we ask you keep your social distance as you move around the library. You will find hand sanitizer at the entrance and around the building.  

Just ring the doorbell on the right side of the door for admittance.

Library Hours:

Curbside pick-up is still available. Patrons are encouraged to put their materials on hold using the online catalog or by contacting the library via phone (603-863-3430) or email (rfl@newport.lib.nh.us).  The staff is happy to help you navigate our catalog or Novelist.
Please return all materials in the outside book drop.  All items are being quarantined for 72 hours and then checked in and put on the shelf.

Visiting the Library With Children:

Starting Tuesday August 4th, families are invited back to the library to browse in the Children’s Area during our opening times! For everyone’s safety, only one family will be allowed in the Children’s area at a time, so we recommend that you call ahead to reserve a ½ hour time slot. As always, anyone under age 9 must be accompanied by an adult (18+). In order to reduce surfaces to clean, we’ve removed all the toys, games, puzzles, coloring supplies, and seating from the Children’s Area, so plan on swinging by to pick up books, rather than to hang out or play! Any books or other materials that your family touches but does not choose to take home can be placed on our red quarantine cart or the Book Elephant. Thank you so much for your cooperation and flexibility in helping us keep our space safe for everyone!

Our hours and services may change, so please be patient with us as we do our best to meet our community’s needs while upholding best practices for public health.