Pelham Library Patrons Check Out Nook Program

PELHAM, N.Y. – The eReader borrowing program the Pelham Public Library started in April is off to a strong start, said Kathleen Egan, the library's head of circulation.

Patrons started checking out the six Nooks within an hour of the availability of the devices and it has maintained a “steady circulation” since that point, Egan said. The idea of offering the popular eReader was to honor longtime library director Polly Gadsden, who passed away in 2006, said Tricia Perito, the current library director.

The program has been made possible through donations. Westchester residents with a library card from one of the county’s libraries can check out one of the Nooks in person or by calling 914-738-1234, Perito said.  

“I’m happy that we could use the Gadsden memorial donations to introduce something new and relevant,” the director said. “Libraries are always changing. We have been and remain interested in incorporating new technology into our service while remaining true to our core philosophy.” 

Each of the Nooks comes with a specific genre locked in -  Fiction/Thrillers, Mystery, Romance, History/Biography, Travel/Memoir or The New York Times’ Best Books of the last 25 years. A patron “can use the library’s preloaded titles or ask to have a specific title loaded before the borrowing period begins,” Perito said. The request must be made two weeks in advance of picking up the eReader.

Perito and Egan said that no eReader has stood out as the most borrowed, but instead have been equally popular. They added that they are often putting new titles on the Nooks and would love suggestions for titles.

People are allowed to borrow the devices for three weeks and are not allowed to renew them because “the library wants the devices to be available to as many people as possible,” Perito said.

Also, patrons who borrow the eReaders will be charged $5 for each day it is overdue and $200 for lost or damaged ones. Anyone who borrows a Nook must be 18 years old and the devices must be returned to a staff member at the circulation desk.

Perito said that Gadsden’s family likes the eReader program. Gadsden lived in Pelham for 47 years and retired from the library in 1997. 

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