Electronic Mail

Can I send the Library e-mail to request things and ask questions?

Absolutely! You can ask us virtually any question by e-mail. Whether you want to renew your books, ask a reference question, reserve a book, or request an interlibrary loan, just send e-mail to email@wakefieldlibrary.org.

I don't have my own computer, but I want to send e-mail. Can I do that at the library?

The short answer is "yes and no". The Beebe Library does not provide e-mail accounts to the general public, but there are many places on the World Wide Web where you can sign up for a free e-mail account and use it to send or receive mail. With this type of "webmail" account you can send and read mail from any computer that has access to the World Wide Web portion of the Internet, including the computers here at the Library.

Where can I go to get one of these free accounts?

While the Library doesn't recommend any one site over another, we can show you how to find them. Here are a couple of the better known ones:

Hotmail
Yahoo Mail
Lycos Mail

You may also want to check the following address for a more comprehensive directory of free e-mail providers:

www.emailaddresses.com

How do I sign up with them?

Each e-mail provider will have its own procedures and format for signing up. In general, you will usually be asked to fill out a profile with information about yourself. Most sites will also clearly state their usage and security policies for you to read. If you feel uncomfortable about their policies, or about any of the information you're asked to provide, choose a different service. You will need to choose a login name or user name as well as a password so your account will be secure. Once you have submitted your signup information you will be informed whether it was successful and the site will confirm your user name and password, and tell you what your e-mail address will be. Be sure to remember your login information as well as the web address for the site where you got your account.

How do I get to my account when I come to the Library?

Go to any public computer and go to the Internet. In the "Address" box at the top of the screen type the address of the site where you got your account and hit the ENTER key. Once you are at the site you should see a place to type in your login name and password. Once you're logged in, just follow the site's instructions for sending and reading your mail.

Help! I don't know what I'm doing!

Each e-mail provider's software is going to be slightly different, but the general principles of e-mail are always the same. The Library staff won't know the details of each e-mail program but we can certainly help you get started and answer basic questions. We also have many books available on the Internet and how to do electronic mail. You may also want to sign up for one of our free classes on the Internet, which will give you a good basic introduction to the World Wide Web, and e-mail and how to use them.

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