Registering for a library card is one of the most rewarding things you can do for you and your family! As a member of Middletown Thrall Library, you become part of an exciting and ever-growing community of readers and researchers empowered with the latest reading materials and research services! It is our honor to serve your informational needs and interests!
A Thrall library card affords you many benefits in and beyond our library! Enjoy streaming music and movies through OverDrive, Hoopla, and Kanopy. Access databases, newspapers, encyclopedias, special reference works and collections, including government information and local history.
You can also...
Please consider registering today or sometime soon!
Qualified applicants (persons who live within the service areas of Thrall Public Library District of Middletown and Wallkill) may request applications for library cards at the Circulation Desk, which is located near the entrance of the library, to the left as you enter.
You can apply for a library card at our Circulation Department. When applying, please provide...
...to receive a library card.
Children from ages 3 to 17 must have a parent sign the application before a card can be issued. A parent must be present and provide ID.
After you apply for a library card, it will be mailed home to you. New cardholders will be allowed to check out one library item until they receive their cards in the mail. Please consider this if you need to do research and borrow books by a certain date, giving yourself ample time to receive your card well before you need to borrow items for school assignments or personal studies.
While waiting for your card to arrive, you are welcome to explore materials in the library and to make use of our computers, photocopiers, and more. Our librarians will be happy to help you find something!
Applicants who do not live within the library's district may be able to obtain cards from their own local libraries. If those local libraries are members of the Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS), library cards from those libraries can be used at Middletown Thrall Library, and vice versa!
For more information about the RCLS library system, please click here.
When you check out items from Middletown Thrall Library you will receive a date due slip listing both the items you checked out and when they are due to be returned to the library. Keep date due slips until you have returned all library items listed on them.
Failure to return items by their designated due dates will result in your library card being charged for each day according to the fine associated with each late item. Different items (new/older books, CDs, DVDs) have different loan periods as well as different fines for late returns. Please refer to our list of overdue fees for more information.
If for whatever reason you cannot return an item on or before its designated due date you can attempt to extend your loan period by bringing the item to the Circulation Desk and requesting a renewal. For more information please see the section concering Loan Periods & Renewals for Items.
Middletown Thrall Library uses a state-of-the-art computerized catalog system to help you locate materials within the library and the larger Ramapo Catskill Library System we function within. The catalog, known as Enterprise, is available on dedicated computers within the library as well as at home or from anywhere outside of the library.
As you search our catalog you will usually see results representing matches within the entire Ramapo Catskill Library System. To reduce the list of matches to items owned by Middletown Thrall Library you will need to use the "Library" limit on the Enterprise search screen.
If you have not used the catalog before or simply want some help locating information, please:
Fines may be paid at the Circulation Desk. We will accept cash, checks, or a major credit card. Address checks to Middletown Thrall Library.
Please note: Because we are part of a larger library system you should be aware that items requested from other libraries may carry with them fines higher or lower than those established by Thrall. If you keep any items past their designated due dates you will be responsible for any fees accrued until they have been returned to the library.
Also note: items borrowed from other libraries may be returned at Middletown Thrall Library. Such items will be checked in immediately and will be delivered through the Ramapo Catskill Library System to their respective libraries.
If you have lost an item your library account will be charged the full value of that item. You will be unable to check out any books until you have resolved these and any other fines you may have on your account if they exceed $10. Report lost items immediately by coming to the Circulation Desk.
For more assistance concerning any late or lost fees you may have on your account please request to speak with someone from our Overdue Department or call 1-845-341-5459.
Most publications (works of fiction and nonfiction, audio books, magazines) owned by Middletown Thrall Library can be borrowed for up to 21 days. Newer titles may be borrowed for up to 14 days.
You may request renewals for borrowed library items in person at
the library, over the telephone by calling 1-845-341-5454, or through the
online library catalog
by logging into Your Library Account,
checking the items you wish to renew, and clicking the Renew button.
If there are no pending patron requests for a particular book,
it usually can be renewed for one additional loan period.
You are limited to one renewal per item. If, for any reason,
you are unable to renew an item, please be aware of possible
overdue fines that item might generate if it is not returned
on or before its due date.
You can request to be placed on a waiting list to receive a book currently not available at the library. Audio CDs (music, audio books on CD) may be borrowed for Videos (VHS tapes) and DVDs may be borrowed for up to seven days.
Items available within the Reference area are not available for borrowing; this is also true of some items available within our Government Documents area. Most of these non-circulating items are marked with a "R" or "Reference" sticker. If in doubt of what can or cannot be borrowed, bring your items to the Circulation Desk and a staff member, upon checking your items out, will inform you if a particular item cannot be borrowed from the library.
Please note: Because we are part of a larger library system you should be aware that items requested from other libraries will be checked out to you according to the borrowing periods those libraries have established. Consult your date due slip to determine when each item is due to be returned to the library.
See also the sections concerning fees and date due slips.
If you lose your card or it is stolen, notify the Circulation Department immediately so that we can place a stop on that card. If you do not have any items out we will cancel the card. You must reapply upon your next visit. If you have items out or fees on your card, it will not be replaced until all items are returned and fees are cleared. Replacement cards cost $3.00. Please be prepared to provide identification with your name and current address when you are ready to reapply for a card.
Middletown Thrall Library is part of the ANSER network which connects over fifty libraries with the the Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS). Through this network, you, as a good-standing member of our library, may have access to hundreds of thousands of items available both in our library and within the other libraries we are connected to through the ANSER network. By "good-standing" it is meant that you have no overdue items or fees on your account.
Our library catalog permits you to search the entire library system for items. If you locate an item not owned by Middletown Thrall Library, you may attempt to request it. For assistance on requesting items from other libraries, please visit the Reference Department at Thrall or call our librarians at 1-845-341-5461. You may also use our Ask a Librarian service to contact our librarians over the Internet.
All library card users, by default, receive overdue and reserve item notices by telephone. A computer will call the telephone number you most recently provided us on your library account and attempt to notify you when an items you requested has arrived at the library.
If you have an e-mail account and would prefer to be notified of overdue fees and items available for pickup by e-mail, you may register for our free E-mail Alerts service.
When you borrow items from any library within the Ramapo Catskill Library System you may return items to any one of the RCLS member libraries. For example, if you borrowed an item from Goshen Public Library, you may return it at Thrall, and vice versa. If you have requested an item that has been delivered to Thrall from another library, such as Newburgh Free Library, you may return it at Thrall.
If any item you return is overdue, your account will be charged according to the fees established by the library that owns the item in question. For more information concerning our fees please click here.
There is a continuous delivery system within RCLS. Materials requested or returned from members of different libraries are delivered back and forth as required on a daily basis. This delivery service physically enables Thrall to carry out its interlibrary loan (ILL) service. This benefit of this service is also that you have access to hundreds of thousands of items within our larger library system.
For your convenience, a book drop is available when the library is closed. It is located to the left of the main entrance to the library. You are not permitted to use the book drop to return CDs, DVDs, audio tapes, or any other items marked with sticker indicating items should not be placed in the book drop. If you do place such items in the book drop, you may be fined for any damage those items might sustain. The book drop is only open when the library is closed. If the library is open, please return your items at the Circulation Desk.
A book drop is also available in the Town of Wallkill, in the parking lot by the Town Hall building located on Tower Drive. Items returned there should be returned a few days in advance of their actual due dates since that bookdrop is only emptied once per week.
When you register for a library card at Middletown Thrall Library, or any library within the Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS), an electronic account is established in your name. This account is used to maintain a list of items currently checked out to you as well as any applicable fees that may be charged to your account.
If you have been placed on a waiting list for a book, or if you have requested an item from another library within RCLS, your request will be maintained on your account until that request has been filled or until the reserve naturally expires if left unfilled for an extended period of time. Once an item you have requested has arrived, you will be notified.
To ensure a problem-free account, you must do two things:
Failure to return items on time will result in your account being charged fees based on the type of items overdue and how long you have kept them past their respective due dates. Fines are to be paid immediately, as you may not be able to borrow materials until your fines have been resolved.
You can access your library account at home or wherever Internet access is available by going to our website (www.Thrall.org) and clicking on the Library Catalog button. This will lead you to the library catalog screen, which allows you to access your account as well as to search for items with the library system.
To access your account online (at home or on the library's catalog computers) click the My Account link at the top of the screen. You will be asked to enter the number from your library card as well as your PIN (Personal Identification Number). By default, your PIN is the last four digits of your telephone number until you change it.
If you experience a login error while attempting to access your library account, please notify our Reference Department in person, by telephone (1-845-341-5461), or via our online Ask a Librarian service.
Once you successfully log into your account you will see a menu with several options: Personal Information, Checkouts, Holds, Fines:
If you have any questions concerning the Middletown Thrall Library's Circulation Department or Interlibrary Loan Department policies or simply wish to speak with the Circulation/ILL Supervisor, you may:
If you have any concerns involving late fees or fees of any other kind, please first return the items in question as soon as possible and then speak with staff members at the Circulation Desk, who will inform you of whatever fees you may owe. If you have lost an item borrowed from the library, please contact our Overdue Department immediately at 1-845-341-5459. For more information on our fees please click here
