The Ventress Memorial Library is closed from December 16th, 2022 to February 13th, 2023 to get our carpets replaced. We'll use this page to address common patron questions and concerns. If you have additional questions that aren't covered here, please feel free to contact us.
Please note that this page is a work in progress and subject to change.
While the carpet replacement will cause a disruption in service, it is a necessary update that has been put off for some time. The current carpets are more than 20 years old and in addition to being old, faded, and stained, the tears in the carpeting, and the rugs laid overtop, are safety hazards, especially for seniors and people with mobility issues. We are excited to get the work done, and we will be working hard with hired contractors to move everything out of the carpeted area, including the fish. This process will take time, especially the process of moving and storing the equipment and the collection. Furthermore, once the library is packed up, there will be a three-week period where the trace amounts of asbestos are fully and safely removed. During that time, no one can be in the building. Once the library is safe for entry, the carpeting will be laid down and only then will staff be able to work with our moving company to return furniture, the collection, equipment, and all other things (including the fish!) back to where they belong. This is a laborious process but one that will improve library safety and overall environment. We appreciate your support, and we are doing everything we can to make this process as smooth as possible for everyone. Thank you!
If you have any questions about your library account, specific Marshfield items, or museum passes, please email macirc@ocln.org. If you have questions about a specific item from another library, including bills on that item, please contact the library that owns that item. For all other questions, please email maref@ocln.org. To email a specific staff member, please see our staff directory for more information. We also welcome you to stay in touch over social media - feel free to message us on Facebook or Instagram and we will reply at our earliest convenience.
If you need to speak to a library staff member by phone, please call the Duxbury Free Library at 781-934-2721.
We have been posting photos on Facebook and Instagram. You can also view photos of the renovations here.
Yes! You can use your Marshfield library card at any library in the Old Colony Library Network. Please note that many OCLN libraries require you to present a physical library card in order to check out items. If you have an account but don’t have a physical library card, you may need to present a photo ID and pay a small replacement fee to get a new library card from another OCLN library.
If you need a new physical Marshfield library card, please email macirc@ocln.org and we may be able to mail you a replacement at the address listed on your account once we've confirmed your information.
You can also visit the Clift Rodgers Free Public Library, an independent library in Marshfield Hills, but please note that Clift Rodgers is not part of OCLN - you will not be able to use your Ventress library card, pick up OCLN items, or return OCLN items there.
Now that we've closed, you can still register for an ecard, which will allow you to use our digital services. If you’d like to convert an ecard into a physical card after the closure, please email macirc@ocln.org, and we may be able to mail you a physical library card at the address listed on your account once we've confirmed some of your information. You can also register for a library card at another OCLN library, but you may not have access to all of our digital services.
Our book drop is once again open! Any OCLN items may be returned in our book drop in front of the library front doors.
All items that belong to the Ventress Memorial Library have had their due dates extended until we reopen in February. We would appreciate it if you hold onto any Ventress items you have checked out until we reopen, as all our shelves will be packed away in storage and we will have limited space to store returned items. However, Ventress returns will still be accepted any other OCLN library during the closure.
If you're returning a Ventress item that has a label saying it must be returned directly to the Ventress circulation desk, please return that item directly to the circulation desk at the Duxbury Free Library during the closure.
If you receive a notification that a Marshfield item is overdue, please email macirc@ocln.org and we will renew the item for you. Please include your library card number and the title or barcode number of the item.
If you have a smartphone, tablet, or computer, you can use Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla to check out ebooks, e-audiobooks, and e-magazines with your library card. You can also stream movies and TV shows with Hoopla and Kanopy. These services can be used through a browser, or through apps on Android and Apple devices.
If you’d like assistance setting up or learning how to use any of these services, please visit us with your device before we close and one of the reference staff would be happy to give you a one-on-one tutorial session.
You can also visit the Clift Rodgers Free Public Library, an independent library in Marshfield Hills, but please note that Clift Rodgers is not part of OCLN - you will not be able to use your Ventress library card, pick up OCLN items, or return OCLN items there.
Marshfield is no longer available as a hold pickup location. When you place a hold in the online catalog, you'll need to select a pickup library from the dropdown menu. You can change your default pickup location in your account settings in the online catalog. Please contact library staff if you need assistance changing your default pickup location.
Our entire collection is packed away in storage and inaccessible to library staff. If the item is owned by any other OCLN library, you can place a hold and have it sent to Duxbury or another OCLN library. If the Ventress Library owns the only copy of the item, you will not be able to place a hold on it until we reopen.
We will not be able to provide curbside pickup or locker pickup at the Ventress Library during the closure. Curbside pickup is available at the following OCLN libraries:
The Turner Free Library in Randolph offers locker pickup. When you place your hold, select “Randolph Hold Locker” as the pickup location, or ask a library staff member to place the hold for you.
Marshfield patrons cannot place Commonwealth Catalog holds themselves during the closure. However, OCLN library staff can still place holds on these items for you. If you're looking for an item from the Commonwealth Catalog, please email maill@ocln.org or contact the library where you'd like to pick up the item.
Marshfield patrons can still request out-of-state ILL items for pickup at another OCLN library. Please contact the library where you would like to pick up the item to place your request.
Anyone can access the Town of Marshfield public wifi on their own device from the parking lot between the Ventress Library and the playground or in front of Town Hall. Connect to the public-wireless network with the password marshfield.
You can also access the internet on your own device or on the public computers at any other OCLN library. Additionally, the following libraries will allow any OCLN cardholder to check out wireless hotspots for internet use at home, though they must be checked out and returned directly to the owning library:
The following businesses near the Ventress Memorial Library provide printing, copying, scanning and faxing services for a fee:
You can also use the public computers, printing, copying, and related services at any other OCLN library.
You can email maref@ocln.org for reference or technology assistance. If you'd like assistance in person or over the phone, please contact the Duxbury Free Library or any other OCLN library.
We will not be holding any in-person events. There may be a few virtual events for teens and adults. Marshfield patrons are welcome to attend most programs at other OCLN libraries.
While our meeting rooms are all be unavailable as they will be either renovated or used as storage during the closure, you can book similar meeting rooms at the Duxbury Free Library. Learn more about booking a meeting room at Duxbury here.
You can still borrow our digital museum passes during the closure. We will not be able to distribute any physical museum passes. The following OCLN libraries allow any OCLN cardholders to reserve and borrow their museum passes. Click on a library to visit their museum pass reservation page.
Additionally, the following OCLN libraries allow OCLN cardholders from other towns to borrow museum passes on the day of use if they are available (but not reserve passes in advance):
If you need assistance reserving a Ventress museum pass during the closure, please email macirc@ocln.org. If you have any questions about museum passes at other libraries, please contact the library in question.
We cannot accept donations to the library collection or library book sale during the closure. Please hold onto your donations until we reopen, or you may put them in the 3rd party book donation bins around the side of the library building (note that items placed in these bins do not go to the library). You can also donate books to our neighbors in Library Plaza, Ocean Village Bookstore, which supports Road to Responsibility.
Updated 2/8/2023
