Keene State, Other USNH Institutions Now Offering Free Borrowing From Campus Libraries

NH residents can now access more than 3 million physical items

As of July 1, 2023, all University System of New Hampshire libraries — at the University of New Hampshire Durham and Manchester campuses, Keene State College and Plymouth State University — are offering free borrowing services to New Hampshire residents.

Free borrowing opens opportunities for research, education, and continued learning alongside resources already available through local public libraries and Interlibrary Loan services, said Celia Rabinowitz, director of Mason Library at Keene State, adding that, while NH patrons have always had access to campus library spaces such as reading rooms, and resources such as public computers, microfiche and microfilm machines, scanners, etc., free borrowing offers more flexibility to patrons using USNH library services.

“We are very pleased to be participating in making our collections available,” Rabinowitz said. “Mason Library, including our facilities and collections, is always open to visitors and now we are able to offer NH residents the ability to borrow from our physical collections. We look forward to welcoming new library users to our community.”

In addition to free borrowing services, USNH libraries give access to special collections and archives that are unique to the respective institutions, such as the internationally famous Betty and Barney Hill papers at Dimond Library at the UNH Durham campus, or the Charles and Judith Hildebrandt Collection at Mason Library, which supports the Holocaust and Genocide Studies academic program — the only undergraduate program in the US of its kind.

NH residents aged 18 or older can obtain library cards from the campuses with a valid ID and proof of residency. To access special and digital collections, archives, and research databases NH residents must be in person at their USNH library of choice.

• About Keene State College library

  Mason Library has more than 220,000 volumes including archives & special collections, curriculum, juvenile, music and audiobooks, online resources, periodicals, and videos. Mason Library is committed to supporting the mission of Keene State College by providing collections, spaces, and services that support our academic programs and meet the needs of our diverse student and faculty community. Learn more at: https://library.keene.edu/home

• About UNH library

  The UNH library, which consists of the main library Dimond, and the three science branch libraries — Physics, Chemistry, and EMCS (Engineering, Math & Computer Science) — has more than 2.8 million print and electronic items, approximately 105,850 print and electronic serial subscriptions, and more than 100,000 media titles. The UNH library shares resources with the campus library at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester and collaborates with the UNH School of Law library. Learn more at: https://libraryguides.unh.edu/remoteaccess/NHResidentBorrowers

• About UNH Manchester library

  The UNH Manchester library’s physical collection includes approximately 25,000 books and audiobooks (including award-winning fiction and graphic novels) and more than 5,000 films on DVD. Learn more at: https://libraryguides.unh.edu/remoteaccess/NHResidentBorrowers

• About Plymouth State University library

  Lamson Library provides information resources and services to more than 4,800 undergraduates, graduate students, staff, faculty, and townspeople. It is the largest publicly accessible library in central/northern New Hampshire, second largest after Dartmouth College. The library’s collections include more than 300,000 cataloged print books, 250,000 eBooks, 82,000 streaming media titles, and approximately 70,000 electronic journals. Learn more at https://library.plymouth.edu/about/policies

Note: The UNH Franklin Peirce Law Library is not a part of this initiative.