Library

The Bet Ha’am library’s mission is to provide a collection of information resources and programming relating to Jews, Judaism, and Israel, and to promote Jewish literacy.

The adult collection includes 3,000 volumes of Judaica, Hebrew texts, commentaries, histories, novels, how-to books, and an extensive reference collection. The library is open whenever the building is open. The library is committed to providing materials to enhance educational, religious, and social activities of the community. It also establishes, collects, and maintains the congregational archives.

The handsome library room serves as a welcoming gathering place for reading, studying, and contemplation for individuals, small classes and groups. Baskets of toys and books are available for use by small children during services. We also have a children’s library that is open whenever the building is–including during Religious School.

Library cards are issued to congregants who wish to borrow books. There are no fines. Call us to renew a book. Return books when you are finished.

We are pleased that we are now accepting phone or email requests to borrow books from our adult library.

Just email Chris Skidgel in the Bet Ha’am office (chris @ bethaam.org). Your message should include the following information:

  1. Your name
  2. Your phone number (preferably cell)
  3. Your email address
  4. Indicate if you are already a patron or if you need a library card
  5. Title of the book you wish to borrow
  6. Author
  7. Call Number ID

Please see the “View Our Online Catalog” tab below to find the title, author, and call number that you like and need.

We will process orders on a first-come, first-served basis. Once your order is ready, we will give you a call with a pick-up date. Pick-ups (and returns) will be on Fridays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Staff will put the books into plastic bags with your identifying information on them. They will put the books into a plastic tub in the courtyard. Pick up and return books from the tub.

If other patrons arrive ahead of you, please wait in your car until they have left. Wear a mask; use hand sanitizer. We will not be able to sanitize the tub between drop-offs and returns.

The library collection is maintained by a volunteer committee of congregants. Potential gifts of books must be reviewed by the Library Committee; not all donations will be added to the library. We apologize, but during the current pandemic we are not able to accept book donations.

You might also want to consider making a donation to the Library Fund when celebrating a simcha (happy occasion) or remembering a loved one’s yahrtzeit (anniversary of a death). Your contribution will be used to purchase new books for the collection. Or, buy a volume from our wish list of books on Amazon under the name “Bet Ha’am.”

To use our online catalog, follow these instructions:

  • At the top of the page, look for the grey bar. In it is a white box. Enter the author, title, or subject you are looking for.
  • Next to the white box is a light grey box that by default says “keyword.” You can use this for a broad search, but your results will be improved if you narrow the search. Look for the green box with a down arrow in it. Click the down arrow to find “author” or “title” or “subject.”
  • Click the orange button that says “search.” Your results will fill in on the page that appears.

Clicking the button below will take you to our online catalog, which is hosted by an external company. You can return to our website by clicking the “return to Bet Ha’am” link in the upper left of their site.