The Temple Shalom Library is open whenever the building is open. Our professional librarian, Melanie Ullman, staffs the library during religious school hours, and at other times, books can be located by using the computerized catalog and checked out.

The library collection consists of:

• Books: Over 5,000 volumes, including 1,500 added in the last five years. The adult collection includes reference, fiction, biography, and non-fiction, with special concentrations on spirituality, Israel/Middle East, parenting, and women’s studies. The children’s collection includes materials for pre-schoolers to young adults about Torah, holidays, values, Jewish life, Israel, folktales, and history. The Torah Resource Center includes an extensive collection of commentaries for everyone from scholars to novices – of special interest are recent commentaries for each Torah portion for use in preparation of divrei Torah for Bar and Bat Mitzvah talks.
  
• Periodicals: The collection includes the Jewish Advocate, Moment, Reform Judaism, Midstream, and The Jerusalem Report.
  
• Videos, DVD’s, and Books on Tape: Over 400 titles, from classic to contemporary, for children and adults. Topics include history, Israel, American experience, comedy, international Jewry, and religious identity.

• Religious school classes visit the library for book check-out, story time or research, depending on their age. Nursery school classes also visit the library each month.
  
• The librarian conducts monthly mother/daughter and parent/son book groups for students in grades 5 through 7.
  
• The librarian recommends books for life cycle events, holiday preparation, reference questions, life challenges; etc., whenever Temple Shalom members have questions, and also does book talks at family education programs.
  
• Students may donate new books to the library via the Birthday Book Program. Parents send a check to the library and the child selects a new book from the special birthday box. A personalized bookplate is inserted and the book is presented at a family service. The child has the honor of being the first person to check out the book, and at the same time the children’s collection grows!
  
• New books arrive often, and are listed in the “Library Lines” column of the monthly Temple Shalom Bulletin. The library welcomes requests from staff, teachers, and temple members.
  
• The library accepts donations of books and videos in good condition, as space permits.