The Most Valuable Card in Your Wallet
By Tina Sotis, Managing Editor
November 2026
It’s free, it fits in your pocket, and most people use only a fraction of what it can do. Your Otis Library card opens a lot more than the doors on North Main Road.
Right Here in Otis
Start with what’s down the road. The Otis Library lends passes for free or reduced admission to the Clark Art Institute, MASS MoCA, the Norman Rockwell Museum, Hancock Shaker Village, the Berkshire Museum, The Mount, the Springfield Museums, and many more more, plus a Massachusetts state parks pass and passes to more than 100 Trustees properties. Passes are first come, first served, so plan ahead for holidays and school vacations.
No internet at home? The library has public computers, a wireless printer that works with your own phone or laptop, and free Wi-Fi that stays on around the clock. There is also a steady lineup of programs, from Lego Club for kids to a cookbook club, author and local expert talks, painting workshops, and seasonal story walks, even a monthly guided meditation. Check the library’s Facebook page for what’s coming up.
A Regional Library at Your Fingertips
The Otis Library is part of CW MARS, a network of libraries that started with Western and Central Massachusetts but has expanded across most of Massachusetts. Search the shared catalog online, or ask one of your friendly librarians to do so for you, request a book, movie, or audiobook from any member library, and it will be delivered to Otis for pickup. If the title is out, place a hold and you’ll be notified when it arrives. Books are yours for 3 weeks, and then automatically renew for another 3 weeks. Late fees are a thing of the past unless you lose or destroy it, then you need to replace it.
Libby: Books and Magazines on Your Phone
Libby is a free app for borrowing e-books, audiobooks, and magazines. Download it to your phone or tablet, sign in with your CW MARS card number, and start browsing. You can read on the app, send books to Kindle, or listen to audiobooks in the car or on a hike. Titles return themselves when they’re due. Popular books often have a waiting list, but Libby will hold your place and let you know when it’s your turn.
Here’s a tip: add a second library to Libby. Massachusetts residents can get a free Boston Public Library eCard online at bpl.org/ecard, no trip to Boston required. Add it to Libby alongside your CW MARS card, and you’ll have two collections to borrow from and often shorter waits. If you need help with that your librarians can usually figure it out with you.
Kanopy: Free Movies at Home
That BPL eCard unlocks something else, too: Kanopy, a free streaming service for movies and documentaries. Think classic films, foreign films, independent movies, documentaries, and educational series such as The Great Courses, all without ads or a subscription. Download the Kanopy app or watch on a computer or smart TV and sign in with your BPL eCard. You get 12 tickets a month, and most movies use a few. Kanopy Kids is unlimited.
How to Get Started
If you don’t have an Otis Library card, stop by the library and the staff will set you up. They can also help you get started with Libby or the BPL eCard. If you have a card tucked in a drawer, dig it out. You may be surprised at what you’ve been missing.
Visit: Otis Library, 1 North Main Road.
Winter Hours: Tues. 2–5; Wed. and Thurs. 10–6; Fri. 11–5; Sat. 9–1
Call or email: (413) 269-0109, otislibrary@cwmars.org
Online: otislibraryma.org and bpl.org/ecard