How do I...
The library is located at 240 Monument Street, Groton, CT, 06340. We are in the historic Groton Bank section of the city of Groton, overlooking the Thames River, next to Fort Griswold and the Groton Monument.
From New London:
Take I-95 North, go over the Gold Star Bridge and take exit 85, which is the first right exit over the bridge. Follow signs to Downtown Groton, Rte. 1, Thames Street. This exit splits; take the first right turn, then stay straight towards the traffic light on Bridge Street. Go through the light and up the hill one block (this is North Street) to the next light. Turn right on Broad Street, the second left is Monument Street. Turn left, go almost to the end. The library is located on the left just before the Groton Monument. We are a small, stately granite building. The parking lot is behind the library—follow the sidewalk to the main entrance at the front of the building.
From Hartford:
Take Route 2 to Route 11 to Route 82 in Salem. Take a right onto Route 85 until you hit I-95. Take I-95 North and follow the directions above.
From Rhode Island, Stonington, and Mystic:
Take I-95 South to exit 87; this is a left-hand exit which puts you onto the Clarence B. Sharpe Highway. Go to the traffic light and take a right onto Meridian Street. You will pass a municipal building and a park on your left, arriving at a traffic light. Go straight through the light. At the stop sign take aleft onto Monument Street. At the next stop sign go straight (warning: traffic coming from the right at this intersection does not have a stop sign). The library is a small, stately granite building on the left with the driveway to the parking lot before the building.
Residents from the town and city of Groton, CT are eligible for a free library card from the Bill Memorial Library. To register for a card, please visit the Library and provide photo identification and proof of your Groton address. Proof of address can be your photo identification or a piece of mail, your lease, or a utility bill on your phone. It needs to display your name next to your current address.
You can sign up for a library card online by filling out our online form. You should receive a communication back from us no earlier than 24 hours after submission, with a temporary card number. To extend the expiration date of your card, please visit with a photo ID and proof of residence in Groton.
If you have a library card from Groton Public Library, Mystic & Noank Library, or Waterford Library, you may use your card with no registration necessary. If you are a resident of any other town in Connecticut, we will accept a valid library card from your home town. You need only present your library card with a photo ID and fill out our short registration form, and you will be included in our patron database.
Temporary residents may obtain a card with a $25 deposit, refundable when the card is surrendered, providing there are no outstanding fees or materials. This card is valid only for the Bill Memorial Library.
The Bill houses 4 reference computers for adult use, 2 computers in the young adult room, 1 catalog-only computer, and 1 computer specifically for children or their caregivers in the children’s room, and 2 early literacy learning stations. All of our patron computers are Internet-connected (except for the 2 learning stations) and are available for use during library hours. All of our computers offer access to online research databases, Microsoft Office programs, and the library’s catalog. You do not need a library card to use the computers. We also offer free Wi-Fi, but printing through the Wi-Fi is not available.
All patron computers are connected to a laser printer. We also have a copier and a fax machine available for patron use with assistance. If you need to receive a fax at the library, the sender must call the library at 860-445-0392 before sending. See the fee schedule below for these services. Please note we do not offer international faxing, including to international territories.
Faxing:
- Within Connecticut: $1/page, not including cover page
- Within the United States: $2/first page, then $1/page for following pages (no cost for cover page)
Copying and printing:
- Black & white: $.10/page
- Color, minimal to 1/4 page: $.25/page
- Color, 1/2 page: $.50/page
- Color, full page: $1/page
Payments may be made by cash or credit card, or through PayPal. (To pay by PayPal, please click the “PayPal Payment” button at the right.)
The catalog that Bill Memorial shares with Groton Public, Waterford Public, and Mystic & Noank can be located here. There are many search functions available depending upon your information needs. The search options will allow you to search by keyword, author, title, subject, or series in any or all of the individual libraries. Using the Advanced Search option will allow you to search for more than one variable or search for materials in specific formats, from certain years or in specific languages.
If you have never setup a PIN for your library account before, you may do so on the library’s catalog page here.
- To log in to the catalog, click on “log in” at the top of the page. Type your library barcode number and the PIN, changeme, in the pop-up box—do not include spaces or punctuation.
- Click on “My Account” located at the top of the page.
- Click on “Personal Information” tab below the navy blue banner, then select “Change PIN.”
- In CURRENT PIN box type in changeme.
- Enter a new PIN in the next box down, and reenter it in the space below that. Your PIN should be at least 4 characters long and may be either letters, numbers, or a combination thereof. No special characters are permitted. Retype your PIN in the box “*Confirm New PIN.”
- Click on “Update.”
- If you have done this correctly, you should get a message that says “PIN has been changed.”
- If you have failed to do this correctly, you may receive a message that says “Validation errors.” Please contact the library for assistance at (860) 445-0392.
We have automatic renewals of eligible items. If you have an email address in our system, you will receive an email saying which items were renewed and until when, and which items were not renewable.
Books, magazines, and audiobooks that are not reserved by another patron may renewed once for an additional 3 weeks, and DVDs for an additional week. Museum passes may not be renewed.
To manually renew items, you can call the library or come in any time we are open. If you would like to renew your books online, you may do so by accessing your account from the library catalog. Once you have logged in by entering your library barcode number and PIN in the top right corner, a list of materials you currently have checked out will appear on the screen. Simply check the boxes for the items you wish to renew and click “Renew Selected Items.”
Holds may be placed on books, audiobooks, and DVDs. We will hold materials for 1 week at the circulation desk. Holds cannot be placed on museum passes. You may place a hold by calling the library, or by accessing the library’s online catalog, signing in to your account, and searching for the material in which you are interested. In the item’s online record, click the link to Place a Hold located under the item’s picture. Use the drop-down menu to designate the Bill Memorial Library as the location at which you will pick up the material. We will contact you when the book arrives.
New books at the Bill (those published in the last six months) can only be picked up here at the Bill. If you would like a new book that belongs to the Groton Public Library, Waterford Public Library, or the Mystic & Noank Library, please call them to request a hold be placed on the item (to be picked up at the owning library). If the book in which you are interested is available at the other area libraries and is not designated as “new book,” you may request it online and it will be sent to the Bill Memorial Library for pick-up.
Groton Public Library: (860) 441-6750
Mystic & Noank Library: (860) 536-7721
Waterford Public Library: (860) 444-5805
Patrons with a valid library card may place a request for an interlibrary loan for material that is not our collection nor available through our consortium with Groton Public Library, Mystic & Noank Library and the Waterford Public Library (SIRSI). ILL requests typically take 1-2 weeks to arrive. If you have an item you are looking for that we do not own or can’t be requested through SIRSI, please contact the staff for assistance or Suggest a Purchase.
We have a number of circulating park and museum passes that offer free or discounted admission to area attractions. Passes circulate for 2 days. Please visit our Museum Passes page here.
The BML currently does not have an online system for reserving park or museum passes. Please call the library at (860) 445-0392 to find out if a pass is available, and we will set it aside for you. We will hold the pass for one hour.
There is something for everyone at Bill Memorial! Stay up-to-date by checking our calendar, liking us on Facebook, and signing up for our email notifications. Most events are free and open to the public.
The Bill Memorial Library has voter registration cards available on request. Once legibly completed, we will forward the registration card to the appropriate Registrar of Voters free of charge. You will be given a receipt at the library, and if you don’t receive approval from your Registrar of Voters within three weeks, you are advised to follow up with them.
Notary Services are available at the Bill Memorial Library on Monday 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. and Thursday 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Please call the Library to reserve an appointment, or for the Saturday schedule.
