Library Systems Will Be Offline Briefly for Maintenance

PLEASE NOTE:  This work was originally announced to take place on September 29th but has been postponed one week.

The Ridgefield Library catalog and circulation system will be unavailable from 5 PM on Saturday, October 6 through Monday, Octobe8, due to scheduled systems maintenance by Bibliomation, our automation network. We expect everything to be up and running early on Monday.  Here’s what this means for our patrons.

·         The Library will be open its regular hours, including 1:00 to 5:00 PM on Sunday, but you must have your library card with you to check anything out.

·         We will not be able to issue or renew library cards, process holds or accept payment of fines or lost item charges.

·         The catalog will not be available at the Library, so ask at the Information Desk for assistance in finding items you seek. Staff can also help with reserve requests.

·         You will not be able to access the catalog or the “My Account” feature via the Internet, so you will not be able to place reserves or renewals online.

·         Some online resources such as reference databases that require log-in using your library card number may not be accessible remotely but should be available on computers at the Library. The OverDrive downloadable eBook and audiobook service will function as usual.

Summer Reading Was a Success

We started Summer Reading late and moved some activities offsite as we prepared for our re-location.  Still, Ridgefield young people didn’t miss the opportunity to “Dream Big!  Read.”

The number of readers going into K-grade 5 stayed about the same as last year at 1,150, as did the number of books they read (42,005), with the average number of books read by each child reaching an astonishing 36.53 books.  When was the last time YOU read that many books in just 6 weeks? Thanks to Deborah Anne’s, The Toy Chest and the Friends of the Library for supplying the 3,158 prizes at various reading levels earned by these eager readers.

Once again teen readers (going into grades 6-12) proved they really love our online reading log program.  Teen participation was up 25%, to 327 readers, and the number of books they read was up by nearly 50%, to 9,108.  That’s a lot of incentives claimed, courtesy of Piccolo Pizza, Deborah Anne’s and Books on the Common.

Special thanks to the Friends of the Library for their major support of Summer Reading and to Ridgefield’s Parks and Recreation Center, which hosted and co-sponsored our special programs.

Summer is over, but keep dreaming and reading!

Visit Us in our New Location – During our New Hours

It’s not just our address that is changing in the move to our temporary home.  We will also be changing our hours of operation, to provide a more consistent schedule.  Starting September 4^th, the Library will be open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Friday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Sunday hours from 1:00 to 5:00 PM will also return for the school year on September 9th.

Patrons will gain additional evening hours two days a week, as well as the early morning opening much demanded by parents of small children and others.  This schedule will actually add several hours to our weekly total and is designed to minimize evening event conflicts with our new neighbors at The Prospector when we return to Main Street.  We will continue to offer many of our popular evening programs such as book groups, author talks and lectures, but they will now be “after hours” events.

When we are closed, patrons can continue to return items to the outside book drop (now at Governor Street) and to access many library services 24/7 at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.