Who's the Cutest Kid?

Everyone thinks their kid is the cutest in the world, and the families of 18 children are about to ask the rest of us to help them prove it!  In collaboration with Nina Pomeroy Photography, the Ridgefield Library is launching its first “Cutest Kid Portrait Contest.”  Posted at the Library and on our website at www.thenewridgefieldlibrary.org are portraits of some very cute kids taken by Pomeroy at a special “shoot” earlier this month.

Through July 16^th, you can vote for which kid you think is cutest by making a dedicated, tax-deductible  donation to the Campaign for the New Ridgefield Library.  Each vote costs $1.00, and you may cast as many votes as you wish for your favorite (or even for multiple kids if you can’t decide!).  Voting may be done by cash, check or credit card at the Library’s circulation desk. Votes may also be cast securely online by credit card. 

The child getting the most votes will receive a Library tote bag full of goodies, along with a Celebrity READ poster featuring their photo.  Prizes will also be awarded for first and second runners-up. 

Special thanks to the families of our contestants and to Nina Pomeroy for suggesting such a fun way for all of us to participate in making a new Ridgefield Library a reality.

June Is Audiobook Month @ the Library

June is Audiobook Month, and we hope you’ll “Get Caught Listening.”   What better way to pass the time while at home, in the garden or on the go!

The Ridgefield Library offers audiobooks in a variety of convenient formats, including over 1,600 books on CD ranging from the classics to current bestsellers.   Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Library, lifelong learners can also select from our growing collection of college courses on CD that cover a wide range of topics from history to music.  

Playaways offer another convenient format for listening.    These self-contained units, which include an entire audiobook, weigh only a few ounces and can easily fit into a shirt or pants pocket.  Using a Playaway is as simple as hitting the play button and adjusting the volume.

Finally, our downloadable audiobook service, OverDrive, offers the option to access audiobooks on your computer and on most portable MP3 players and smartphones.   Your Ridgefield Library card barcode and an Internet connection are all you need to download an audiobook anytime of the day or night.

So treat yourself to hours of enjoyment by listening to a good book.

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services

New Computer System Provides Added User Security

Our new BibliOak computer system is online!  Thank you for your patience during the longer-than-anticipated transition period. We invite you to join us in getting to know BibliOak’s many new features.

The first of these that most library users encounter is the need to change the log-in information for the “My Account” feature in order to renew items, place holds or check your account.  You may do this online from home (see the link on our homepage at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org), or we will be happy to assist you at the Library. Use your library card number as your user name and the last four digits of your phone number as your password to get started, and you will then be prompted to change this information to meet industry security standards.

Once you have successfully updated your password, we ask that you log in to “My Account” and click on the “Account Preferences” tab.  Then select a "Default Hold Notification Method" and save your preference changes. We encourage people to choose "Use Email Only" for the fastest and most efficient notification.

This new log-in protocol will provide more convenience (no need to remember that long barcode number) as well as enhanced security (through the addition of a personal password only you know). 

Be Ridgefield Library’s “Friend” on Facebook

About four years ago, members of the Library’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG) announced to me that there was no way I would ever keep in touch with them via email.  Unless I texted them or used Facebook, they would remain unreachable. To this end, three of the teens sat down and created a Facebook profile for me and immediately “friended” me.  Soon all the teens in TAG, and others as well, were my Facebook friends.  Since then, this first profile changed into the Ridgefield Library Teen Services Facebook Page.  Currently there are 81 people who “like” this page, and who use it to get the latest news of note for teens.  I post about upcoming teen programs, what new materials are available for checkout, remind people of adult programs that have teen appeal, and muse on popular culture items of interest (like the latest casting news for “The Hunger Games” movie, a film based on the hugely popular teen book series by Suzanne Collins). 

There is also now a Facebook page for the New Ridgefield Library. If you are on Facebook, won’t you please “like” one or both of these pages?  Then we can be friends!

Contributed by Geri Diorio, Teen Services Librarian and Head of Children's Services

New Summer Reading Volunteer Program

The Ridgefield Library is pleased to announce the institution of a new online reading log application, which will change the way people log and report their progress during the Summer Reading Program starting at the end of this month. This means there will be changes to our volunteer program as well. Instead of having hundreds of volunteers each work a small number of hours, the Library will be looking for approximately 40 volunteers, each of whom can make a significant time commitment (16 to 20 hours between June 27 and August 6). Volunteers must be going into 6^th grade in the fall or older (adults welcome too!). Applicants must complete an application (go to www.ridgefieldlibary.org to download and print), sign and return it to Geri Diorio in Children’s Services by June 10.  Personal interviews will be scheduled during the week of June 13. Questions should be directed to Geri at 203-438-2282 x1024 or gadiorio@ridgefieldlibrary.org.

We hope to offer a different group community service project sometime during the summer for those not able to make this commitment or not chosen for the limited number of spots available. Stay tuned for details.