Manchester City Library

Manchester, NH's Online Library

Manchester City Library header image 1

Closed for Veterans Day

November 4th, 2024 · City Library, Events, Library Closings, Main Branch, Manchester West Branch Library

Both libraries will be closed on Monday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day. We will reopen at our normal times on Tuesday, and we look forward to seeing you then.  We wish you all a safe and happy holiday. Thank you, veterans, for your bravery, dedication and service.

→ No CommentsTags: ·······

MCL library director Denise van Zanten is the recipient of the 2024 Ann Geisel Award of Merit!

November 8th, 2024 · City Library, Events, Main Branch, Manchester West Branch Library, News

The Manchester City Library is thrilled to announce that our director, Denise van Zanten, was named the 2024 recipient of the Ann Geisel Award of Merit from the NH Library Association (NHLA) during their annual Fall Business Meeting & Conference on Wednesday, 11/6/24 in Plymouth, NH.

The award is named in memory of Ann Geisel (1947-1999), who provided distinguished service to the NH library community.  Recipients are individuals, groups or organizations that have made similar significant contributions to the NH library community, or to NHLA.  The award is granted on the vote of the NHLA Executive Committee, which is based upon recommendations by the Awards Committee. 

Mindy Atwood, Past President of NHLA, shared the following with attendees at the recent Fall Business Conference:

Following the legacy of Ann Geisel herself, Denise personifies distinguished service to the New Hampshire library community. Denise’s commitment to the Manchester City Library and the greater library community is beyond measure. Denise gives of herself and her time without reservation.

Denise has served in numerous roles within NHLA, including but not limited to President (2022) and Legislative Liaison, a role which she currently fills. In addition, she was recently elected to serve as the NHLA VP/President-Elect (again!).

Denise has also acted in a multitude of capacities within GMILCS, providing leadership to the largest public library consortium in the state. She has served as President (2013 – 2016); Vice-President (2010 – 2013); Past President (2017 – present); Treasurer (2002 – 2009, and again from 2017 – present).  She has of course done all this while “helming the ship” of the largest public library in New Hampshire through a period of extreme challenges – financial crises, pandemics, etc.

Denise has been a mentor to many new library directors throughout the state over the last twenty plus years. Denise never seeks accolades but quietly connects with new directors and librarians providing mentorship and support.

In her role as Legislative Liaison, she recently presided over an unprecedented term of bills, many of which were seemingly hostile to libraries and intellectual freedom. Denise navigated this session with skill and grace.


Her tireless advocacy for libraries and intellectual freedom as NHLA’s Legislative Liaison has been instrumental in securing significant victories for the library community, particularly during challenging times. Her unwavering defense of libraries and materials targeting intellectual freedom and the public’s right to access information has been nothing short of heroic.


In addition to her many accomplishments, we would also like to recognize Denise for her steadfast and competent leadership, care, and overall management of the Manchester City Library, while simultaneously providing diligent oversight of countless building repairs and renovation projects over the years.  Her talents extend far beyond the boundaries of librarianship, and we are extremely grateful to have her as our director.

Congratulations, Denise!!

→ No CommentsTags: ····

Flood repair update!

November 8th, 2024 · Books, City Library, Events, Main Branch, News

A burst pipe in a second-floor staff restroom over the Labor Day weekend led to a rainforest scenario in the stacks which holds our government documents and most of our non-fiction books. We are happy to report that the repair work has started.  Here is the list of what this project entails:

  • End panels and the caps that protected our books need to be removed so we can access all of the ceiling on the mezzanine level.
  • Electrical lines to the area had to be disconnected and will need upgrading since some of it is original to the building’s construction.
  • Lead paint abatement work needs to be done on the ceiling.
  • Ceiling needs to be re-plastered and repaired as we had to put some holes in it to help dry out the cavity above it.
  • Ceiling then needs to be repainted.
  • Everything in the area which includes two levels of shelving and library materials will be cleaned and tested before we can reopen it for use again.

Please continue to excuse our appearance as repair work takes place and completion is expected sometime in early 2025.

→ No CommentsTags: ···

Trick or Treat in Manchester tonight!

October 31st, 2024 · Children, City Library, Events, Manchester West Branch Library, Teens

Just a reminder that Trick-or-Treat is tonight from 6-8 pm here in Manchester. (We’ve been getting calls!) There’s still time to run out and grab that last minute bag of candy!

Also, here’s a list of times for other towns in New Hampshire.

https://www.wmur.com/…/new-hampshire-trick-or…/62452783

Happy Halloween!

→ No CommentsTags: ·····

Election Day

October 29th, 2024 · City Library, Events, Library Closings, Library Displays, Main Branch, News

The Manchester City Library and the Manchester West Branch Library will be closed on Tuesday, November 5th, in observance of Election Day.  If you need to locate information regarding voter registration or for questions about where to vote in Tuesday’s State General Election here in Manchester please follow these links to the City of Manchester’s website.  If you have any questions regarding voting or sample ballots, please feel free to call the Information Desk at 624-6550 ext. 7620.

We will re-open on Wednesday at our normal times.

See you at the polls!

→ No CommentsTags: ·······

DEA Prescription Drug Takeback Day

October 23rd, 2024 · City Library, Events, Main Branch, Manchester West Branch Library, News

Do you have any expired or unused prescription medications in your homes that are in need of disposal? Consider bringing them into one of the many DEA Takeback Sites in New Hampshire on October 26th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. A full list of sites is listed in the attached flyer. Manchester sites include the Manchester Police Department, the Manchester VA Hospital and the Elliot Pharmacy at Rivers Edge.

→ No CommentsTags: ·······

The library catalog is now available!

October 23rd, 2024 · Books, Children, City Library, Events, Main Branch, Manchester West Branch Library, News, Teens

We are very pleased to welcome the Leach Library in Londonderry to our GMICS consortium. Library card renewals and library card application services are also available now. For questions or assistance locating materials please contact us at (603) 624-6550 x 7620 or email us at [email protected].

Thank you for your patience as we endeavor to improve and expand library services for you.

→ No CommentsTags: ········

A Tour of Irish Castles at the Time of the Tudors

October 23rd, 2024 · Books, City Library, Events, News

How many of us are fascinated by the Tudor Dynasty, from the saga of Henry VIII’s six wives to the renaissance of the Elizabethan Era? A lesser-known story is how the Tudors colonized Ireland during their time on the throne, attempting to take control of land that had been in the hands of the Irish kings and people for centuries.  Join us for a tour of that land through its castles and sacred spaces while learning about the conflicts that transpired between the English crown and the Celtic clans.

Presenter Debra LeClair is a psychologist, author, and English/Celtic history enthusiast.  It wasn’t until she unearthed that that her own Irish ancestors tangled with the Tudors that the grip Queen Elizabeth I had on her psyche made sense. She wrote The Common Hours, a time travel tale, from a need to explore the story as it resides in her DNA.

Copies of The Common Hours will be available to purchase at the event.

For questions, call Caitlin at 603-624-6550 x7620 or email [email protected]

Signup for this program is not required, but if you’d like a reminder email, you can sign up through our library calendar! Visit www.manchesterlibrary.org and click on “Upcoming Events” to view the library calendar. Click here to be taken directly to the event, or copy and paste the link below into your browser.

https://www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/xp_newpopevent.cfm?zeeOrg=MANCHCITY&EventID=7592790

→ No CommentsTags: ·······

Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime that Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England

October 21st, 2024 · Book Group, Books, City Library, Events, Main Branch

For October our Brown Bag Book Club will be reading and discussing Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime that Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England by Avree Kelly Clark. In 1874, a schoolteacher is discovered mutilated in the woods in the village of St. Albans, Vermont. A year later, news arrives of a similar crime committed in peaceful Pembroke, New Hampshire.

As an extra bonus, author Avree Kelly Clark will attend to discuss her theory of the events that occurred with the group. See you at the book discussion.

→ No CommentsTags: ········

Hoopla Music!

October 18th, 2024 · Audiobooks, Children, City Library, E-Books, Main Branch, News, Streaming Movies & Music, Technology, Teens

Listen to free music with your library card. Stream your favorite albums online or download and listen on the go with our mobile app. Discover our most popular albums from genres like pop, country, Christian, live albums, 80s music, classical, and more!

Music available to you includes (but not limited to) Michael Bublé, Bilie Eilsih, Taylor Swift, KidzBop 2024, George Strait, rap classics and of course classical and jazz music. Free with your valid Manchester City Library card. For help with hoopla or for more information please call the Information Desk at 603-624-6550 ext. 7620.

→ No CommentsTags: ·······