The Library is open for limited hours and services due to the ongoing pandemic. For more information about our latest hours, please click here.

Check out our upcoming events calendar or sign up for the Library’s newsletter for the latest program and event announcements. You can also follow our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.

It’s easy! Simply visit the circulation desk with your valid photo ID and proof of address. An example of proof of address can be an envelope (recently postmarked) with your current local address, such as a utility bill.

Did you know you can also register for a digital library card for immediate access to our digital resources including e-books, downloadable audiobooks, streaming videos and digital magazines? Simply fill out our online form. You will receive an email with your library card number and temporary PIN to get started using the library right away.

Digital library cards expire within 30 days of creation if no proof of address is provided. Please visit the Library in person with your photo ID and proof of address within 30 days of setting up your digital library card to create a permanent account and receive a physical card that allows you to check out both physical items as well as digital resources.

To make sure your contact information remains up to date, library cards expire every three years. Renewing your account is easy. Simply stop by the circulation desk to confirm your contact information and current address.

Please stop by the Library’s circulation desk or call us for help with resetting your library card password.

If your library card is lost, please stop by the library’s circulation desk to get a new card.

You can log in to your library account here.

Library ELF is an Internet-based tool for keeping track of what’s due, overdue and ready for pickup. Families and individual patrons can keep track of one or more library accounts in one place and receive reminders via text or email. Reminders are sent when you want them — before items are due (up to seven days advance notice, weekly notice or everyday reminders). Sign up for an account here.

To sign up for text notifications from the Library:
Please note, Library staff cannot opt you into text messages from your library account.

• Login to your library account at search.midhudsonlibraries.org
• Click My Account in the top right of the Screen
• Click Edit Account
• Enter your mobile number as shown below and check the “opt in” box
• Scroll to the bottom of the window and click Submit
• Enter Mobile number and Opt in
• Your first text will ask you to reply “yes” to confirm that you want to be texted at this number.

To stop receiving text messages from the Library:
Replying to any message with STOP; QUIT; CANCEL; UNSUBSCRIBE; or STOP ALL, which will stop messages from all participating libraries
Texting STOP to either 35143 or 82453, which will stop all messages from all participating libraries

There is no limit on the number of items you can check out from the Library’s collection.

Loan periods vary depending on the item you are checking out:

• New Books – 2 weeks
• Books – 1 month
• Books on CD – 1 month
• DVD/BluRay – 1 week
• DVD/BluRay series or multi-disc set – 2 weeks
• Museum Passes – 3 days
• Library of Things – 2 weeks

Your default loan period on Overdrive eBooks and downloadable audiobooks is 14 days but you can extend it to 21 days under Account Settings.

Kanopy streaming videos can be checked out for 3 days at a time with the exception of Great Courses (5 days) and Children’s Videos (5 days).

• Log into your library account at
• search.midhudsonlibraries.org.
• Click on My Account on the upper right
• hand side of the screen.
• Click on Reading History.
• Click on Save Reading History.

As of January 2020, the Desmond-Fish Public Library no longer has overdue fines for items in our collection with the following exceptions: Museum Passes, Local History Ephemera, and Equipment or Library of Things items.

If an item is not renewed or returned within two weeks of its due date, it will be marked as lost and billed at the full replacement cost. If the item is returned, that replacement fee will be waived.

Patrons with over $10 in fees owed on their accounts will have their use of the library and access to checking out items restricted.

Fees may be paid at the library’s circulation desk or online through your library account:

• Log into your library account at search.midhudsonlibraries.org.
• Click on My Account on the upper right
• hand side of the screen.
• Click on Fines/Fees/Pay Online

Please call the library at 845-424-3020, email staff@desmondfishlibrary.org  or visit the circulation desk to inquire about replacement options for the lost or damaged item.

The Library has access to some titles in local academic and special library collections through our partnership with the Southeastern Access to Libraries consortium. Depending on the item, we may also be able to borrow from nationwide collections through the Mid-Hudson Library System.

To request an item that you cannot find in our catalog, please visit or contact the circulation desk at 845-424-3020 or email staff@desmondfishlibrary.org.

To recommend a title for the collection, please visit our Suggestion Box.

To view the Library’s Collection Development Policy, including selection standards please visit this link.

Visit the Innovation & Learning Center page for more information about the Library’s MakerLab equipment and Digital Literacy resources and programs.

Yes! We offer walk-in computer help Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm-3pm in the Innovation & Learning Center. If you would like help outside of those hours, you can visit this link to book an appointment for one-on-one computer help.

You can!

Fax services are available for $1 for the first page and $0.25 for additional pages.

The library provides a Konica printer/scanner/copier for public use.
You can scan pages for no charge.
Black and white copies are $0.10/page
Color copies for $0.15/page.

Yes! Simply visit desmondfishlibrary.org/print, where you will be prompted to upload a file for printing.

Yes! We have six public use computers that are free to access without needing a library card. Should you want to check out a laptop for home use, however, you will need a valid Desmond-Fish Public Library card.

A small number of Windows 10 laptops are available for Philipstown library card holders to check out for home use. They may be kept for fourteen days, with renewals subject to availability, and must be checked out and returned only to the circulation desk. Borrowers will need to complete the Library of Things Loan Agreement and return the laptops in good working order.

WiFi hotspots, which are able to emit a secured wireless internet network over a small area, are available for Philipstown library card holders to check out for home use. They may be kept for fourteen days, with renewals subject to availability, and must be checked out and returned only to the circulation desk. Borrowers will need to complete the Library of Things Loan Agreement and return the hotspots in good working order.

The Library offers two digital platforms for eBooks and downloadable audiobooks: Libby/Overdrive and, starting in December 2020, Hoopla!

Libby/Overdrive

Access the Library’s Overdrive eBook and downloadable Audiobook collections here or by downloading the Libby app on your smartphone or tablet.

For help getting started with and troubleshooting the Libby app, please click here.

For help getting started with and troubleshooting Overdrive, including device specific instructions for Kindles and other e-Readers, please click here.

Hoopla

Philipstown library card holders can check out up to 5 titles a month from Hoopla’s collection of more than 950,000 eBooks, audiobooks, comics, movies, music, or television titles.

Sign up for hoopla with your library card at hoopladigital.com and download the hoopla app from the app store.

For help getting started with and troubleshooting Hoopla, including device specific instructions for Kindle and other mobile platforms, please click here for the Hoopla User Guide

Starting in January 2020, the library’s digital magazine collection can be accessed by downloading the Libby app on your smartphone or tablet.

For help getting started with and troubleshooting the Libby app, please click here.

Access over 3,000 titles through the Mid-Hudson Library System’s collection of popular digital magazines includes both new and backlist titles with no holds through the Overdrive Libby App.

The Library currently offers two digital platforms for streaming movies, documentaries, and television shows: Kanopy and Hoopla.

Kanopy

Philipstown library card holders can check out up to 8 streaming videos a month by signing up for the Library’s Kanopy collection.

Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast or Roku. Check out period ranges from 3 days for the majority of titles to 5 days for Great Courses and children’s films.

The collection includes more than 30,000 of the world’s best films, including award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie and classic films, and world cinema with collections from Criterion, Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Samuel Goldwyn, The Orchard, The Great Courses, PBS, and thousands of independent filmmakers.

Hoopla

Philipstown library card holders can check out up to 5 titles a month from Hoopla’s collection of more than 950,000 eBooks, audiobooks, comics, movies, music, or television titles.

Sign up for hoopla with your library card at hoopladigital.com and download the hoopla app from the app store.

For help getting started with and troubleshooting Hoopla, including device specific instructions for Kindle and other mobile platforms, please click here for the Hoopla User Guide

The Library currently offers several digital platforms for online classes including:

Universal Class

CreativeBug Crafting and Art Classes

Mango Languages

Great Courses in Kanopy

Plus career building courses available for free through the New York State Department of Labor and Gale Testing and Education Resource Center.

For more information, visit our Learning Resources page.

Please visit our Research & Learn pages for links to all available databases.

Please email Library Staff to reserve a meeting space for your group at staff@desmondfishlibrary.org.

Please read our guidelines and fill out the Exhibit Space Application form here.

Yes! You can visit our Staff Picks page for current favorites chosen by the Library staff, or sign up for a curated bi-monthly newsletter with recommendations by genre. You can also Ask a Librarian.

Philipstown residents can check out museum passes from the Library’s circulation desk for three days at a time. We ask that they be returned to the desk in person and not through the outside book drop.

Boscobel Museum Pass – Good for free admission for one adult and three guests of any age. (Additional children 12 and under are also free.) Free admission to the gardens and grounds, woodland trail, a house tour and special exhibitions (during regular business hours) Plus a 10% discount in the Gift Shop. See the Boscobel website for hours and directions.

Storm King Art Center Pass – Good for free admission for two adults and up to four children under the age of 18 living in the same household. See the Storm King website for hours and directions.

Brought to you by the generous support of Ann Beddingfield and Bill Burback.

The Library currently offers a variety of “Things” for Philipstown residents to check out in addition to our traditional print and media collections. The majority of items in the Library of Things can be checked out for two weeks at a time and are eligible for up to two renewals if another patron is not waiting on the item. Items in this collection are subject to overdue fines of .50/day and a replacement fee if the item is not returned within two weeks of its due date. A Loan Agreement must be signed on check out and return in person at the Library’s circulation desk. Items may not be returned through the outside book drop.

Our current Library of Things includes:
T-Mobile Hotspots
HP Laptops
Bose Microphone
Digital Video Camera
Kindle e-Readers
Kill-A-Watt Power Meter

Please click here to email us and report the issue.