A Little Summertime Hocus Pocus

If you weren’t ready for Christmas in July, what about Halloween in August? You may remember that last summer, Marblehead was overrun with ghosts, pumpkins, and cobwebs during the filming of the upcoming Netflix original, Hubie Halloween. To get back into that spooky spirit, here are some Halloween Items you can check out online or reserve for Curbside Pickup!

Another movie filmed in Marblehead and the surrounding areas, Hocus Pocus features a trio of evil witches who are brought back from the dead and wreak havoc on Salem, Massachusetts. You can enjoy the book version, Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel, as an ebook or audiobook on Overdrive or an ebook on hoopla. The book contains the original tale as well as a new adventure that takes place one generation later.

This year, Salem’s Haunted Happenings will be quite different. You can read about Salem and its Halloween happenings in J. W. Ocker’s A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts, which you can reserve  in print format for Curbside Pickup or read on Overdrive as an ebook. The book includes the occult enthusiast’s experiences visiting the attractions and historical sites, as well as black-and-white photos which give a glimpse into Witch City.

If you want to stay safe and healthy at home this October 31st, you can make your own Halloween celebration! Listen to Halloween music on hoopla to get in the groove and have a good motivational backdrop for crafting and making decorations and costumes. The Spirit Of Halloween – 62 Classic Halloween Songs has theme songs from Harry Potter, The Addams Family, Corpse Bride, GhostBusters, and more! Some of these as well and others can be found in Halloween Treats – 50 Spooky Songs And Tunes For The Spirit Of Halloween!. For music geared towards kids, try this trio of Kidz Bop Halloween or Drew’s Famous – The Very Best Halloween Songs For Kids, or even Mickey’s Monster Mash.

Creative Costumes & Halloween Decor: 50 Projects to Sew & Craft will give you ideas not only of costumes you can easily make, with designs for tabards, gowns, and full suits; but it will also give you ideas for how to decorate your house with common household items and popular craft materials such as papier mache, felt, craft foam, floral materials, and polymer clay. You can make it even more simple and decorate with origami from Origami for Halloween.

Some other ways to decorate are carving pumpkins, creating a haunted house, and making festive fall quilts. If you need more ideas, reserve some of these Halloween decorating items for Curbside Pickup, which include Martha’s Halloween Ideas (DVD), Halloween: The Best of Martha Stewart Living, Spooky & Bright : 101 Halloween Ideas, and Better Homes and Gardens Halloween : 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas.

If you don’t want to think about decorating for Halloween yet, get comfortable with a cozy like Halloween Murder: a Lucy Stone Mystery by Leslie Meier, which you can check out in ebook format on Overdrive/the Libby app or hoopla. The book includes two Halloween mysteries set in Tinker’s Cove, Maine. More books in the series can be found in print and ebook format, including a few more Halloween stories such as Trick or Treat Murder (in print and ebook format) and Wicked Witch Murder (also in print and ebook format – these two mysteries are the ones that make up Halloween Murder), as well as Candy Corn Murder (print and ebook), and Haunted House Murder (print and ebook).

Browse through all the Halloween print books, ebooks, audiobooks, music, movies, and more on the library catalog for Curbside Pickup, or online through Overdrive, hoopla, and IndieFlix!

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Updates to Curbside Pickup!

For the convenience of patrons, we are shifting our Saturday Curbside Pickup times to include morning hours, 9:00 am – Noon, and afternoon appointments will be scheduled from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Monday through Friday Curbside Service Hours will remain the same, from 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm.

We hope these revised Saturday hours will better fit with everyone’s busy weekend schedules. We are also planning to start offering online registration for pickup appointments, to make setting up a time to pick up your items faster and easier! 

Below are the full instructions for the Curbside Pickup Service. Please read them carefully, and if you have any questions, let us know at mar@noblenet.org or by calling 781-631-1481, Ext. 201 (Main Desk) or 217 (Children’s Room) during our service hours! 

CURBSIDE PICKUP HOURS

Mondays through Fridays

2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Saturdays

9:30 am – Noon
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Abbot Public Library staff will be available to help patrons online at mar@noblenet.org or via phone during Curbside Pickup Hours at 781-631-1481. 

Please note: the preferred method of communication is via email at mar@noblenet.org. The library will be working with a limited staff, due to social distancing protocols.

PROCESS FOR CURBSIDE PICKUP

Step One

Request items by placing holds through your online account through your online account. If you cannot access your account, call 781-631-1481 during the service hours listed above. If you do not have an account, you can register online here. 

Step Two

Staff will collect books available in Marblehead within 48 hours of request. Items from other libraries may take longer due to delays in the interlibrary delivery service.

Step Three

You will be notified when your holds come in, via text, email, or phone call, according to your preference. 

To change your notification setting, go to Account Preferences > Notification Preferences on your online account.

Step Four

Once you receive a notification that your requested items have come in, please call the library at (781) 631-1481 during service hours to schedule a pickup time. Soon, we will be offering online registration to make it easier to set up an appointment. 

Appointments can be scheduled Mondays through Fridays from 2:00 pm and 5:45 pm, and Saturdays from 9:30 am – Noon and 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. 

Please do not schedule a pickup until you have been notified that your items have come in. 

Step Five

At your appointment time, come to the back entrance, through the parking lot off of Maverick Street, to pick up your items.

Please wear a mask and follow social distancing protocols during pickup, as a safety measure to benefit all.

Items will be checked out in advance and placed in paper bags labelled with your last name. Please feel free to grab your bag and go! 

If you don’t see your bag, please wait until your appointment time. If it still isn’t there, call the library at 781-631-1481.

PLEASE NOTE: if you have any returns when you come to pick up your materials, we now have a black Library Return Bin located near the read entrance where you can place your returns. 

***Please return library materials only  – we are currently unable to accept donations.***

RETURNS

Returns will be collected on Mondays through Saturdays from the outside book returns located in front of the library, on Pleasant Street, as well as by the rear entrance. There will be no fines on late items!

If you have any items that do not fit in the library return, please call 781-631-1481 during service hours to schedule a return.

Please do not leave returns on the pickup cart.

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We appreciate your understanding and patience during this unprecedented time. With these safety measures, we hope to prevent the spread of the virus while offering appropriate services to our patrons!