Frequently Asked Questions

Library cards are free to any MA resident! Bring a form of identification and an item to confirm current address (like a utility bill or something with your name and address shown together).

The Stoneham Public Library offers a variety of passes to museums and other sites, which allow patrons admittance at a discounted rate. See our list of museums to see which passes we have available. Some are digital and will be emailed to you, while others will be print passes that need to be picked up at the circulation desk, usually within two days of the pass date.

See our Calendar to see our current and upcoming events! You can sign up for events that require it by clicking on the event and filling out the required information in the registration form.

You can head to our catalog here and search in the search bar by author, key term, or title! Note that the catalog is specific, so spelling and punctuation may impact your searches! Need an item that Stoneham doesn’t own? Make sure the library bar is set to NOBLE to search the other libraries in our consortium. If you have trouble locating an item, contact Maureen in Reference at (781)438-1324 / [email protected] for adult materials, or Katie in Youth Services at (781)438-1325 / [email protected] for youth and teen materials.

This depends on the item’s location and status. If it is currently available, your request can be filled as soon as the same day you requested it. Items loaned by other libraries will take longer to arrive.

Common Terms

Refers to an item that we borrow from another library. These items typically take a few days to arrive. When the item has arrived, you will be notified by the method that you prefer (e.g., text, email, phone call).The delivery process is likely to be prolonged in cases where an item has holds from multiple patrons, or if the item is from a library in another consortium. Interlibrary Loans (ILL) are free for you to borrow and you can pick them up at the library.

Hold is a term that is used for an item that you have requested. If you go to our catalog or call us, we will put a hold on the item you’d like

Consortium or “network” is a word that means ‘group of libraries’. Libraries in a consortium share their collections with one another, so that if one library has an item that another library’s patron needs, the other library can request it. Our consortium is NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange. You can see the libraries in our network here. If you are visiting from a library outside of NOBLE, we can add your card to our system. Just bring your library card and some form of identification.