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01/03/2025 - 2:06pm

Did you know the Mechanics’ Institute Library offers a generous Purchase Suggestion program? This is a fantastic opportunity to directly influence our collection and ensure the library has materials that interest you and other members.

Our librarians are passionate about acquiring resources that reflect our membership’s interests and information needs, and they’re highly receptive to purchase requests. In general, the library prioritizes ordering recently published...

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12/20/2024 - 4:51pm

Well, two places. 

First, at the beginning of 2024, we moved the travel section on the 2nd floor to another location on the 2nd floor—to the aisle where we previously housed the Children's section. We now have all our new fiction books in the corner "nook" facing Post Street on the 2nd floor. 

Second, while reviewing our travel collection, we found many changes in the travel book industry during the pandemic. Two publishers no longer pub...

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11/27/2024 - 2:29pm

PRINT BOOKS

FICTION

Adam Oyebanji A quiet teacher Fic Oyebanji
Yuri Herrera Season of the swamp : a novel Fic Herrera
Mirinae Lee 8 lives of a century-old trickster : a novel Fic Lee
Bruna Dantas Lobato ...

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11/27/2024 - 12:58pm

PRINT BOOKS

Non-Fiction

Applied Sciences
Niobe Way Rebels with a cause : reimagining boys, ourselves, and our culture 649.132 W357

Arts, Architecture & Crafts

Tamara de Lempicka Tamara de Lempicka 709 L545
William Blake...

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11/26/2024 - 6:02pm

Chess Openings Reclassified

-Michael Loebs - Library Intern

As you may know, the Mechanics' Institute Library has the second-largest collection of chess materials in the United States. While a great resource, the sheer size of the collection can sometimes make it difficult for players to find exactly what they want. To help our chess-playing patrons, the library rec...

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11/22/2024 - 5:35pm

In partnership with the Chess Room staff, we have started a pilot project to have chess eBooks available through Libby.

Libby is a mobile app and website that provides Mechanics Institute members with access to thousands of eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines.

After holding an informal poll, Christian Brickhouse, our new Scholastic Program Coordinator, let us know that the chess players...

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11/21/2024 - 7:30pm

E-AUDIOBOOKS

Octavia E Butler Parable of the talents
Colson Whitehead The intuitionist
Umberto Eco Baudolino
Octavia E Butler Parable of the sower
Daniel Handler...

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11/15/2024 - 3:39pm

From the Archives: Mechanics' Institute Member, John McLaren (1846-1943)

- Archives and Special Collections volunteer Adrienne Parker Meyers

 ...

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11/08/2024 - 5:02pm

Mechanics’ Institute Library has re-instituted our maximum item limit and members can now have more items checked out at once! The Library allows up to 25 items to be on a member's account at any one time. This can be any combination of materials: books, DVDs, magazines, etc. (e-materials do not count towards this number), but there are limits for specific item types like travel guides and new books. In addition, while most items have a 4-week loan period, print...

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