The Library

 

The Shaar Shalom library is a multi-purpose space, from meetings and social gatherings like Book Club, to Hebrew School and small lectures, or of course, just curling up with a good book! The library houses thousands of books, including books donated by family and friends to the Laura Herschorn Memorial Library, the Sylvia Herschorn Collection, the Leonia Falk Yiddish Collection, and Hebrew language books donated by the Atlantic Jewish Council.  All books have been coded, labelled, and scanned into a digital catalogue which can be used by both Shaar members and Library members to browse and check out books.

 

Shaar Shalom Library

 

Library Hours:

The Library is open during office hours.

Using the Library

The Shaar uses a library card registry. Library users will use printed library cards.

Fees and Registration:

Use of the library is free for members, and $50 annually per non-member family, $36 per non-member individual.

Non-members seeking a library card will submit a registration form and pay for the card in advance.

Members

All members will automatically be entered into the registry and can use the library free of charge as part of their membership. Their library card will be kept in the library for them to pick up the first time they use it.

Non-members:

Non-members will be added to the registry and permitted to borrow books from the library after paying the Registration Fee.

Borrowing Books

You borrow books via TinyCat. Using the TinyCat is easy! Just log in to our digital catalogue using your library card number, search for the book you want, and check it out!

 

BOOK DONATIONS

As we continue our work to make the Shaar Library as valuable to the Congregation as possible, we are adjusting the way we accept and incorporate donated books into our collection.

For the time being, WE ARE UNABLE TO ACCEPT BOOK DONATIONS, until we have the chance to further cull the collection to make room for new donations – we are at maximum capacity. If timing is an issue for you, please contact Linda Law to discuss the books you want to donate, and she and Madelyn Herb will let you know if they are duplicates of anything we already possess. Thanks for your understanding.

Donations require considerable time on behalf of staff and volunteers to screen, organize, catalogue, or, in the event they don’t make it into the collection, pass on in one of several ways. We hope the guidelines below will streamline the procedure and help you shape your decisions about what to donate.

BEFORE DONATION

Familiarize yourself with our mission statement and the existing collection via the digital catalogue. It will only take a few moments. You can also check in with someone from the library committee to discuss items you plan to donate.

CONDITION OF DONATIONS
Please only donate items in good condition. Remember that paperback books in poor condition can be recycled as is, and hardcover books can similarly be recycled once the covers have been removed.

THE COLLECTION
Please only donate books that will strengthen and enhance our collection and further our Jewish mission (see Donation Guidelines below). For good quality books outside the scope of our collection, consider donating to another local organization, such as Mission Mart or Value Village. For more ideas, check out the suggestions from the Halifax Public Libraries: (https://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/support/donate/donate-books-and-other-items/).

DONATION
Please do not bring books for donation without prior approval from Linda Law or Madelyn Herb.

AFTER DONATION
We trust you understand that we cannot keep all volumes that come our way. Any books that do not meet our collection guidelines will be passed along in various ways, including donation to Mission Mart, placement on our ‘free to take’ shelf, or sale to another entity, with proceeds going to the Library Fund.

DONATION GUIDELINES

Items we are seeking include, but are not limited to:

  • New children and young adult literature with Jewish themes (including PJ Library/PJ Our Way)
  • New publications, both fiction and nonfiction
  • Contemporary Hebrew books for any age reader
  • Classical Jewish texts, both in their original languages and in translation

We are not accepting:

  • Items that are not in keeping with our library’s mission statement (See Mission Statement).
  • Items that are duplicate copies of volumes we already have (See Collection).
  • Items in poor condition that cannot reasonably be lent out.
  • Any items we see fit to pass on, at our discretion.

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE TEXTBOOKS, ENCYCLOPEDIAS, CALENDARS, PHONEBOOKS, MAGAZINES, OR ANY OTHER SIMILAR ITEMS.