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How Can We Help? | In the Library | Library Materials | eResources
Looking for information on a subject? Or the answer to a factual question? Head for the Information Desk in either of our branches (or call and ask for the librarian at the Info Desk) to find help from one of our professional reference librarians. Or, if your question involves local history and genealogy, ask about making an appointment for assistance with using the Maryland Room resources.
Not sure what to read next? Can't remember the title of that one book you loved so much? Want to find another book similar to what your favorite author writes? Our librarians at the information desk can help. If it's after library hours or you just want to try to find it yourself, give NoveList a try - it's available on our eResources and Databases page with your library card number.
Want to learn more about what the library offers? Having trouble locating a book on the shelf or requesting it from another library? Need help getting started with downloadable eBooks or another of the library's resources? Please don't hesitate to ask at the Information Desk.
Do you have a group that would like to learn more about TCFL's services? We can come to you! TCFL staff members regularly present story times at local schools and daycares and offer customized programs on library resources to groups large and small. TCFL also participates in community events like Easton's Multicultural Festival, Trappe's Trappe-toberfest and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Street Fair in St. Michaels. If you're interested in having the Library come to your event, please contact us.
Thanks to our tech-savvy volunteers, we're able to arrange one-on-one computer tutoring by appointment for those patrons looking to improve their computer skills. Ask at the Information Desk.
Talbot County Free Library has three public meeting rooms. When the meeting rooms are not in use for library activities, they may be reserved by local community groups and organizations on a first come, first served basis. More about Meeting Rooms.
Talbot County Free Library's Main Branch in Easton has two study rooms to enable individuals or small groups to meet or have a quiet space to work during regular library hours. More about Study Rooms.
The library offers a variety of fun and educational events and programs throughout the year for kids, teens, and adults. For an overview of what's happening this season, check out the quarterly library newsletter, or to see what's happening on a given date, visit our online calendar of events.
The library offers patrons in both branches access to a variety of technology, including WiFi, computer access, printing, photocopying, scanning to email, and the use of ADA Compatible Workstations featuring ClearView+ Speech, JAWS, and MAGic.. More about Computers & Technology [Link to Technology @ TCFL page]
Your Talbot County Free Library card gives you access to a variety of materials and services, including borrowing privileges at our branches in Easton and St. Michaels. Our collection includes books, large print books, audiobooks, movies, music, magazines, and more for all ages. We also offer Science Kits and Playaway Launchpads for the kids, as well as Spanish language and Maryland themed collections. To learn more, visit our web pages about Getting a Library Card and Borrowing materials.
Certain materials in our collection cannot be borrowed. Specifically, our General Reference and Maryland Room (local history & genealogy) collections are kept in the library to ensure they remain available for everyone's use. Please ask at the Information Desk or the Maryland Room Desk for help locating and using these reference materials.
If the Easton and St. Michaels branches of the Talbot County Free Library do not own a copy of the book or other item you are looking for, we may be able to borrow a copy for you free of charge from another public library within the state through the Marina ILL System. If the item is not available from these libraries, borrowing it from an out-of-state library may also be an option, if you agree to pay a $5 fee to help offset shipping and processing costs.
If an item we own is not currently on the shelf, or you can't make it in to the library to pick it up right away, you have the option of placing a request for it online, over the phone, or in person. When the item becomes available, we'll transfer it to your preferred pick-up branch, notify you that it's in, and hold it for you behind the circulation desk for up to seven days. To place a request, contact a staff member for assistance or search our online catalog for an item of interest and click “Place Request.” You'll need your library card number and password to complete the process.
With TCFL's downloadable content, eBooks, eAudiobooks, movies, music, magazines, and more are at your fingertips - and on your mobile devices! Access Downloadable Content.
The library offers in-branch Access to Ancestry Library Edition, as well as online access to several other genealogy databases including records, maps, periodicals, and ebook collections for researching family histories. Access Genealogy Resources.
This collection of databases offers How To and DIY information and videos on a wide variety of topics including auto repair, home improvement, and hobbies and crafts of all types. Access How To and DIY Resources.
Whether you'd like to learn a new language, fix a lawnmower engine, build a pond in your backyard, find out how to write a grant proposal, or prepare for a standardized test, TCFL's collection of eResources can help. Access Online Learning Resources.
TCFL's Homework Help is a collection of eResources and databases that have been specifically chosen to support the needs of our school aged patrons. Here you'll find traditional, subject specific databases as well as test prep and one on one tutoring resources. Access Homework Help.
Because not every resource falls neatly into a category, we couldn't mention everything here. In general terms, our eResources and databases give TCFL patrons access to information that may be copyrighted, licensed, or otherwise not freely available on the Internet. Access Our Full List of eResources.