All posts by admin

Show Your Library Love – Library Apparel Store

https://burlingtonpubliclibrary.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Visit our online store to choose from a variety of customizable merchandise in various colors and sizes. We’re very excited about this new addition to the library, so be sure to check the link often for new surprises. All orders will be delivered directly to the library weekly for patron pick up!

Proceeds from your purchase will go to the Burlington Friends of the Library to help fund library programs and improvements. 

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to message us!

Library App Restored – SHARE Anywhere

UPDATE – 3/1/2024

As of today, access to the SHARE Anywhere app has been restored. If you still have the app on your device, it should begin working again. Staff at Sirsi Dynix are working to have the app relisted in the various app stores.


ORIGINAL – 12/1/2023

Please see the statement below from our library automation vendor, Sirsi Dynix, regarding the unavailability of our library’s SHARE Anywhere app.

A statement from SirsiDynix regarding your library’s mobile app:

SirsiDynix is the owner of your library’s mobile application. However, another vendor controls the access of the app. Unfortunately, they have unexpectedly disabled the app, rendering it inoperable.

As an immediate solution, we are working with your library to enable mobile searching of the catalog via the library’s website. This allows many of the core search features of the mobile app to be available on your mobile devices. You can use the URL below to access this capability:

https://ent.sharelibraries.info

We have also been aggressively developing an entirely new, next-generation mobile app for your library. While it is not yet available for general use, we anticipate it will be ready in the next few months. This app will deliver the functionality you enjoyed in the original app, along with many new features.

We regret any inconvenience this has caused you. Please know that your library had absolutely no way of anticipating this situation, and we hope you’ll be understanding as we work through this difficult, interim period.

Bill Davison
Chief Executive Officer
SirsiDynix

Burlington Library is Fine-Free !

Burlington Public Library Expands Fine-Free Program to All Burlington-Owned Items

Effective April 1, 2021, the Burlington Public Library will no longer assess fines for overdue items. In doing this, Burlington joins more than half of the libraries in Wisconsin who have eliminated fines for all users.

Will people still return the books if there are no fines?

Yes! Surveys and statistics from libraries around the state and the country show that people return library books not because they’ll be fined, but because they feel an obligation to do right by other users. However, fines do dissuade people from coming back.  They lack the funds to pay, feel stigmatized, or make the decision to rent or purchase digital items at low-cost rather than pay an eventual fine. We believe that libraries contribute to a strong community, and that barriers to access hinder that.

I didn’t mind paying my fines. I felt good about contributing to the library.

That is a common sentiment. The good news is, the library will still be happy to take your donation. The better news is that people on fixed or limited incomes can now also feel good about the library.

Doesn’t the Library need the fine revenue to operate?

Libraries aren’t financed primarily by fine revenue. In 2019, fine revenue was less than 1% of our total operating budget. And we don’t feel good where we have to make decisions about waiving or enforcing fines based on budgetary considerations, rather than the individual situation of the patron.

I accrued some fines a few years ago. Do I still have to pay those?

Probably not. We cleared old overdue fines on Burlington-owned items for our patrons. We want people to come and use their library more than we want them to pay for that VHS tape that slid under their car seat in 2012 and didn’t re-emerge until mid-2013.  (True story.)

If you’re not sure if you still have fines on your account, or if you do still have overdue fines and want to see if there’s a way that they can be cleared, please call the library.

Are there any caveats?

Why, yes there are!

  • Materials belonging to other libraries may still have overdue fines assessed.
  • All items that are damaged will still be charged for repair or replacement.
  • All items that are long overdue will be assumed lost, and a bill will be sent for replacement. If the patron returns the billed item, the bill will be removed.
  • Because of the ongoing costs associated with our wireless hotspots, they will still accrue overdue fines on a daily basis.

Library Book Bike

Burlington Public Library’s book bike is like a small library branch on wheels that gives us a new way to connect with our amazing community. It allows us to bring library materials and librarian expertise out to YOU at local events, markets, parks, schools, and organizations. You can check out materials, sign-up for a library card, get answers to reference questions, learn how to download digital content, hear about upcoming programs, and so much more.

Thank you to the Burlington Rotary Club for making this exciting service possible for BPL! Stay tuned for where you’ll be able to find the book bike next.

book bike

Holiday Closings

The regular hours of the Burlington Public Library are:

Monday – Thursday: 9am to 8pm
Friday: 9am to 6pm
Saturday: 9am to 4pm
Sunday: Noon to 4pm (closed on Sundays during the summer)

In addition, BPL is closed for the following holidays:

  • Sunday, December 31, 2023
  • Monday, January 1, 2024
  • Sunday, March 31, 2024
  • Monday, May 27, 2024
  • Thursday, July 4, 2024
  • Monday, September 2, 2024
  • Thursday, November 28, 2024
  • Tuesday, December 24, 2024
  • Wednesday, December 25, 2024
  • Tuesday, December 31, 2024
  • Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Check out Museum Passes!

The Museum Adventure Pass program provides free admission to unique cultural destinations throughout the Greater Chicago area to library card holders at over 140 public libraries, including the Burlington Public Library.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Check out a Museum Adventure Pass using your library card at your home library. Passes are issued at the Reference Desk. Libraries have a limited number of passes for each participating organization. Passes are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and can be reserved online or in person. We look forward to your library visit!
  2. One Museum Adventure pass may be checked out per family, per loan period. The loan period is seven days. Admission offers vary per museum. For some, two to four people may admitted free per pass. If admission is already free, another special discount will be available. Details can be found at http://www.museumadventure.org.
  3. Passes are limited to general admission. Each organization’s page at http://www.museumadventure.org gives specific dates when passes cannot be used, and other restrictions that may apply.
  4. Please bring a driver’s license or state ID with you when visiting a museum using an adventure pass, as well as the pass itself.

Participating museums and cultural institutions include:

For further information, please visit the Museum Adventure Pass program’s web site.

Hoopla – FREE On-Demand Digital Materials

Instantly borrow eBooks, audiobooks, comics, music, movies & TV – 24/7 and FREE on your phone or tablet using your library card. Six formats all in one app for a simple to use multimedia content experience! Your items return automatically and never garner late fees.

Website: hoopladigital.com

Content:

  • Movies
  • TV Shows
  • Music Albums
  • ebooks
  • Read Along ebooks – coming soon!
  • Audiobooks
  • Comic Books

Features:

  • Action View on comics
  • FULL album releases from the most popular artists
  • Apps available for AndroidiOS
  • Multiple playback speeds on audiobooks
  • More fonts, formatting options, themes, etc. on eBooks.
  • ALL content can be downloaded to enjoy offline and we now support downloading to an SD card.
  • Supported by Androidtv, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, Chromecast, Amazon Alexa
  • Chromecast (1st and 2nd generation) 

Don’t have a current Burlington Public Library card?  Sign up for a digital card now.