Elkins Public Library
🏢 New Hampshire State Library Network · Canterbury, New Hampshire
Elkins Public Library
Canterbury's community hub since its founding, the Elkins Public Library sits at 9 Center Road and calls itself 'The Canterbury Community Center' — offering everything from 18,000-plus circulating items to a Library of Things packed with camping tents, musical instruments, and a pressure washer, plus 24/7 outdoor Wi-Fi.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–7pm |
| Thursday | 9am–7pm |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday | 9am–12pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 9 Center Road, Canterbury, NH 03224
Phone: (603) 783-4386
Website: elkinspubliclibrary.org
Plus Code: 87MC8CQM+7X (Canterbury, NH)
📱 Scan for directions
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Elkins Public Library
The Elkins Public Library serves the small Merrimack County town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, from a welcoming building at 9 Center Road. Its collection of 18,942 items — books, audiobooks, DVDs, and magazines — circulates on three-week loan periods, and the library's Library of Things extends borrowing to outdoor gear, musical instruments, kitchen appliances, and technology tools. As an authorized FamilySearch Affiliate Library, patrons can access limited-access genealogy databases on-site, including Ancestry (funded by a gift from the Canterbury Historical Society). The library's children's wing runs weekly Story Time, Tunes Tales & Tumbles, and an Outdoor Story Time, and also reaches students through outreach visits to Canterbury Elementary, Dewey School, and the Canterbury Whole Child Center. Outdoor Wi-Fi is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, password-free — a practical amenity for a rural community where home connectivity can be inconsistent.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Collection of 18,942 items (books, audiobooks, DVDs, magazines) on three-week loan periods
- Library of Things includes camping tents, musical instruments, a pressure washer, sewing machine, thermal camera and more
- FamilySearch Affiliate Library with on-site Ancestry database access (funded by Canterbury Historical Society)
- Seed Library for gardening patrons, plus a children's wing with weekly Story Time and Tunes Tales & Tumbles
- 24/7 outdoor password-free Wi-Fi and weekly Tech Help drop-in appointments (Thursdays 4–6 pm)
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Elkins cardholders can borrow, stream, and research free through New Hampshire's statewide and local digital collections:
📚 Services
- Library of Things: tents, musical instruments, projector, sewing machine, outdoor gear, kitchen appliances & more
- Seed Library for gardening patrons
- FamilySearch Affiliate Library with Ancestry database (in-library use)
- Public computers, printing & free Wi-Fi (24/7 outdoor, password-free)
- Interlibrary loan through the NH State Library Network
- Tech Help drop-in appointments (Thursdays 4–6 pm)
- Outreach visits to Canterbury Elementary, Dewey School & Canterbury Whole Child Center
🎸 Programs
- Story Time — Tuesdays 10 am (birth through kindergarten: stories, songs & craft)
- Tunes, Tales & Tumbles — Thursdays 10 am (music, stretching & rhymes for babies through preschool)
- Outdoor Story Time — Thursdays 2 pm (nature-focused stories & play)
- LEGO Club — Tuesdays 3–4:15 pm
- Evening Book Group with Rose — 3rd Wednesday 6 pm
- The Old Man Boring Book Club (non-fiction) — 1st Thursday 6 pm
- Murder, Mayhem & Misadventure — 4th Tuesday 2 pm
- Pins & Needles knitting & crochet circle — Wednesdays 2 pm
- Puzzle Swap — ongoing community exchange
- 1000 Books Before Kindergarten — daily reading program with completion incentives
📍 Nearby Libraries in Central New Hampshire
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Canterbury · Browse all New Hampshire libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What can I borrow from the Elkins Library of Things?
The Library of Things is one of Elkins' most popular features. Items available for one-week free checkout include camping tents (10x20 and 10x10), a portable projector, a movie screen, a record player, musical instruments (banjo, guitar, keyboard), a sewing machine, canning set, metal detector, trail camera, thermal camera, pressure washer, and more. Call (603) 783-4386 to check current availability.
Is the library open on Fridays?
No — Elkins Public Library is closed on Fridays and Sundays. The library is open Monday and Tuesday 9 am–5 pm, Wednesday and Thursday 9 am–7 pm, and Saturday 9 am–noon. The late Wednesday and Thursday hours are useful for after-school and after-work visits.
Does Elkins Library have Ancestry and genealogy resources?
Yes. Elkins is an authorized FamilySearch Affiliate Library, giving patrons access to restricted FamilySearch databases at library computers. Full Ancestry is also available on library terminals, funded by a gift from the Canterbury Historical Society. Both resources are for in-library use only; bring a library card to log in.
Can I get Wi-Fi outside the library building?
Yes — the library provides 24/7 outdoor Wi-Fi access at no charge and with no password required. This is especially useful for Canterbury residents who need reliable connectivity after hours when the building is closed.
🧰 This library lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.
🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.
👶 This library runs story times for kids. See how library story times work — ages, what happens and that they are free — and find other libraries with story-time programs library story times by state.
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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.