Classes & Programs

The Reference Department offers COMPUTER CLASSES

The department also offers a variety of other programs. All take place either in the Meeting Room or the Small Meeting Room and, except where noted, last one hour. For more information or to register, call the Reference Department at 721-7171 ext. 20, or register online at our Calendar of Events.

The Topaz Desktop Magnifier

The Winchester Public Library is proud to announce the arrival of the full-color TOPAZ, a digital video magnifier.  A gift of Winchester Rotary, the TOPAZ is an easy to use, true color magnifier to enlarge print or photographs.  The TOPAZ offers 30 high contract text color modes for those with macular degeneration or other vision impairments.  Stop by the library and a librarian will be pleased to introduce you to the new TOPAZ.

Legal Resources Reference Guide -- New Resource

Created by the Newton Free Library, this guide is intended to serve as a starting point for finding legal information on a topic, legal forms, and where to find further legal assistance, primarily in Massachusetts, intended for the public library user and nonlaw librarians. more

Reference Services

Reference librarians are on duty during all the hours the library is open to assist with:

• Locating information
• Reader's advisory
• Use of the Internet
• Research projects

You may call us with a question during library hours or e-mail your question at any time. Teachers and community leaders are encouraged to contact the Head of the Reference Department to arrange for tours, visits and other activities.

“Book a Librarian” a new service offered by the library’s reference department offers 30 minute sessions with one of our librarians to help you make

the most of our library’s resources. Do you need help getting started with research? Would you like to set up a free e-mail account or just learn more about searching the web? Please contact the reference desk in person or by phone (781-721-7171 ext 20) to set up an appointment.

Reference Collection

The Library's reference collection covers a broad array of subject areas including business information, consumer information, encyclopedias, college reference books, job search resources, legal information, literary criticism, maps and atlases, consumer health information and income tax forms and publications. Our electronic resources feature online databases on a wide variety of topics. Resources are always being added and updated. Contact a reference librarian for the most up to date resources on your subject.

Reserving Materials

To place a request for an item in our collection that is currently charged out, ask a reference librarian and we can place the request for you or assist in placing the request yourself online. There is no charge for requests.

Interlibrary (ILL) Loans

When an item is not available at the Winchester Public Library, through the Minuteman Library Network, or the Massachusetts Virtual Catalog, we can request it for you from other libraries across the United States. Interlibrary loan requests can take up to six weeks.

Magazine, Journal and Newspaper Articles

Check the list of the periodicals currently available in the Library. In addtiona, the Library provides online databases with full-text articles. And, the Library's fax service enables us to obtain articles from magazines and journals not owned by the Library in print or online format. There is a small fee for faxes.

Local History and Genealogy Resources

The Local History Room contains older town documents and reports, town directories, books on the history of Winchester and surrounding communities, genealogy resources and handbooks, and other material of local interest. Please ask about the use of this room at the Reference Desk. If you live outside the Winchester area and need assistance finding information on local history of genealogy, please contact us by phone or email.

To further pursue an interest in local history, you can contact Archival Center located in Town Hall and the Winchester Historical Society.

Computers, Wireless, Scanner, Fax Machine

Computers. There are 17 computers in the Reference Room which provide access to the Internet, specialized databases, and some commonly used programs including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint (version XP). Uploading and downloading to floppy disks and USB flash drives may be done on the computers.

To share use of these computers fairly, we have time management software installed. You must have your library card with you to use a computer. Visitors may request a guest card.

Wireless Internet Access. In addition, free Wireless Internet Access is available in the Library on the Main and Upper Floors. Read the pdf (Adobe Acrobat) document that explains more using the wireless connection.

Scanner. There is a scanner in the Reference Room that may be used at no charge.

Fax Machine. The Reference Department offers fax service as follows: $1 per page, 10-page limit, faxes to the continental U.S. only. This is a "send only" service. A librarian will assist you in sending your fax. Ask at the Reference Desk. The proceeds from this service benefit the Friends of the Winchester Library.

Did You Know…

that you can “Book a Librarian”? This service is offered by the Reference Librarians to help you make the most of library and Internet resources. Contact the Reference desk in person or at 781-721-7171 x20 to set up a 30-minute appointment.

 

 

 

New! You can download OverDrive eBooks to a Kindle and also to a Kindle app on your computer, iPad, iPhone, some Blackberries and more. Learn more

---

Winchester's History

Thomas J. Michalak has compiled an extensive document to help with the study of local history. It is titled "Resources for the Study of Winchester's History."

Chase Map Collection

Winchester resident Ernest Dudley Chase was described by Bruce Winchester Stone in The History of Winchester (1975) as a “sketcher and greeting-card entrepreneur.” Chase is more generally described as a graphic artist.  He published The Romance of Greeting Cards (1926), the first complete history of the greeting card industry. The collection of maps by Chase owned by the Winchester Public Library consists of 24 maps, some full color, some signed.  His highly decorative maps include historical references, decorative borders, and architectural embellishments. Access to the collection is by prior arrangement. Please contactNoreen O'Gara, Head of Circulation Services to set up an appointment: 781-721-7171 x16 and nogara@minlib.net List of maps

Citing Sources in a Bibliography

How to Cite Sources was compiled by a former Library Media Specialist at the McCall Middle School. easybib and

easybib (listed on the Winchester High School Library's ikeepbookmarks.com page) and citationmachine and bibme are automatic bibliography makers.

The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides examples of how to cite works in a reference paper using MLA format.

OWL at Purdue Materials for Grades 7-12 offers a variety of aids related to writing including citation information.