Library
Click below to visit our Free Library of Northampton Township:
https://www.northamptontownshiplibrary.org/
Overview
Free Library of Northampton Township (FLNT) is located at 25 Upper Holland Road in Richboro. In 2006, the library was expanded to 37,000 square feet. It is open 62 hours/week including Sundays. For the summer, the library is closed on Sundays from the end of the school year to the beginning of the following school year. The library currently serves more than 150,000 visitors each year.
FLNT is a full-service library with over 95,000 print and non-print items including books, magazines, audiobooks, DVDs and Blu-ray movies, music CDs, video games, board games, puzzles, and science kits for kids. Included in our collection is a wide variety of children’s fiction in Braille.
The library also offers a vast array of online e-resources including thousands of e-books, e-audiobooks, streaming music, e-magazines, digital newspapers, movies, TV shows, and graphic novels and reference materials for research at all grade levels. Easy-to-use apps provide access to this material using cloudLibrary, cloudLibrary NewsStand, ComicsPlus, hoopla, Flipster, Kanopy, and Libby. The Mango Languages app provides free access to learning new languages and creativebug provides tons of content, classes, and workshops for those who like to include crafting, stitching, and art activities as hobbies.
A county-wide network provides for additional access to print materials from the other 17 county libraries using a shared online catalog. Patrons can search the catalog and reserve materials 24/7/365 as well as renewing their current borrowed materials or paying off balances on their account.
In 2020, the library transitioned to RFID enabling staff to provide more efficient customer service. Items can be borrowed using one of two self-service kiosks. The process is simple – scan your library card bar code (or enter the number manually); input your PIN; stack the materials on the glass and they’ll be checked out in seconds. The kiosks also allow visitors to pay account balances using cash or credit card.
The library has wireless access to the internet throughout the building as well as public-use computers with internet access and the Microsoft Office suite of products.
Currently, the library features adult educational and entertainment programs on “Second Saturdays” from February through November. These programs are sponsored by Friends of the Free Library of Northampton Township. FLNT also holds Gold Star status for Pennsylvania Library Association’s 21st Century Literacies Initiative, PA Forward®. Libraries are the key to powering progress and elevating the quality of life in Pennsylvania by fueling the types of knowledge essential to success: Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic and Social Literacy, Health Literacy, and Financial Literacy. Using the library’s 12-seat computer lab, computer classes for the public are regularly scheduled. In addition, the library offers a Book A Librarian service where customers can receive 60-minute one-on-one tech training on their phones, mobile devices, or laptops.
Finally, the library and its Youth Services staff are dedicated to providing hundreds of programs annually that are both fun and educational to our younger visitors. Increasing the literacy of your children is our number one goal and we work tirelessly to provide the resources for parents to best enable their children to learn to love reading.
Check out the library’s website for a complete list of programs, services, and resources offered to our visitors.
https://www.northamptontownshiplibrary.org/
Stop in and visit YOUR library!
History
The Free Library of Northampton Township began as an idea in 1966 when the Northampton Woman's Club began investigating the possibility of a library to replace a once-a-week bookmobile visit. Three years later, the Township partnered with volunteers to transform a Nike base barracks into a library.
As the years went by, the use of the library grew beyond expectations. The library shared its facilities with the Council Rock Senior Center from 1985 until the Senior Center relocated to a new building in 2004. At the same time as the Senior Center's relocation, construction began on an expansion project for the library to triple its size to 37,000 square feet. Construction was completed in the fall of 2006, making the library a true landmark in the community.
Township Archives
If you are interested in researching or learning about the history of Northampton, we encourage you to stop by the Township Archives located next to the large conference room at the rear of the library. The Archives, which is administered by the Historical Commission, houses many different maps and photographs, which highlight the many changes that the township has gone through since it was established. There is also information about historic homes and farms located within the township. If you'd like to donate or share items related to Northampton, contact the Archives!
The Archives is open to the public:
Monday 4:00 – 7:00 PM
Wednesday 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM – Noon (alternating Saturdays)
Or by Appointment
Archivist: Kristi Chase
Phone: 215.357.3050, ext. 114
Email: archivist@nhtwp.org
Additional information and the Township Archives database can be found https://www.NorthamptonTownshipLibrary.org/archives/