Did you know you can check out museum and park passes from your local library? I’m seriously asking, as checkouts on these passes were down 89% from the previous fiscal year. That’s a pretty dismal number, even factoring in the whole COVID thing, as overall checkouts for library materials only dropped by about 9% during the same time period. Of course, the COVID thing accounts for museums being closed longer than we were and New York State offering free access to their parks, making our Empire Pass a bit unnecessary… But still, 89%? That’s bad! So let’s review:
What museum passes does the Hamilton Public Library have available at this time?
The Everson Museum of Art, Onondaga County Parks (covering Beaver Lake Nature Center, Highland Forest, Jamesville Beach Park, Oneida Shores Park, Pratt’s Falls, and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo), the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, New York State Parks (with the aforementioned Empire Pass), and the Fenimore Art Museum & Farmer’s Museum.
How do I access these passes?
With your library card!
How did you choose these parks/museums?
Most parks and museums are approached by a representative from the MidYork Library System and offer us a ‘Library Rate’ which each library can purchase. If you don’t see a park listed here, there’s a good chance they were asked to participate in this initiative and chose to opt out for a variety of reasons. Some parks provide library passes, but only give patrons discounted access. The Friends of the Library, who provide these passes to our patrons, decided to only purchase passes that grant full access for multiple members of a household to avoid confusion and so that all of our patrons have the ability to access the same parks, regardless of price. Thanks, Friends!
Anything else?
Always! Our passes check out for a week. Make sure to look at the pass before you use it, as each has different rules (number of patrons per pass, etc.). And be sure to check the museum or park websites prior to your visit to 1) make sure they are open and 2) you follow any social distancing/mask-wearing guidelines they may have in place. Before you make any plans, make sure to contact the library first to ensure a pass is available. We have a limited number and hopefully they will be quite popular after the publication of this very popular press release!
For more information, stop in or visit hamiltonlibrary.org/museum-passes/
