Teen Trivia Comes to the Library

Do you know who the Lt. Governor of Connecticut is? Or what the boiling point of water is?

If you are (or know) a teen aged 13+ who knows the answers to these questions, then sign up now at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org for our first ever Teen Trivia Contest. The date is Saturday, December 13^th, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM at the Library. Field your own team of 3 to 5 people or register individually to be placed on a team. Questions will be general interest, so it helps to put together a team of people who have varied interests and knowledge.  There will be snacks and drinks and the chance to win prizes such as NY Yankees tickets and gift cards for area restaurants and shops.  There is no charge to enter, thanks to local businesses and others who are sponsoring the teams (contact Laureen Bubniak at lmbubniak@ridgefieldlibrary.org or 203-438-2282 x1029 if you would like to sponsor a team). Older and younger family members and friends – come along to cheer on your teen – and maybe learn a little something!

Shop Local and Support your Library at the Same Time

You can be part of the effort to Shop Small by shopping locally with the annual Ridgefield Library Days at Books on the Common during the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Just show your Ridgefield Library card at the register, and 15% of the proceeds of your purchase will be donated to the Library. To make your holiday shopping even easier, the bookstore will be open Friday the 28^th from 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Saturday the 29^th from 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM and Sunday the 30th from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM.

The 29^th is also Small Business Saturday, when shoppers get a rebate on purchases made with an American Express card at participating small retailers including Books on the Common. As a special incentive that day, the bookstore will be participating in IndiesFirst, a program in which authors take a turn at being booksellers at their local independent bookstore – drop by and Lauren Tarshis, Roz Chast, Peter Spiegelman and Mark Slouka will be on hand to serve you!

The Library will be closed on Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th, so be sure to come in before then if you don’t have a card. Stop by the Circulation Desk today; all you need is proof of Ridgefield residence. 

November Is Picture Book Month

November is a time for thanksgiving!  So what better opportunity to give thanks for children’s picture books? November has been designated as Picture Book Month, and we are celebrating this special genre with a display of time honored contributors – Margaret Wise Brown, Eric Carle, Bernard Waber, and Dr. Seuss – to mention just a few!  The America Library Association defines a picture book as one which “provides the child with a visual experience” and has a “collective unity of story-line, theme or concept.”  Beatrix Potter’s “Tale of Peter Rabbit” from 1902 is one of the first picture books and is still popular today! Picture books are a unique balance between story and illustration – in the best ones the story line and the picture complement each other. Since 1938, the Caldecott Medal has been given annually to the artist of the “most distinguished American picture book for children published by an American publisher.” In the Lodewick Children’s Library, we keep the Caldecott winners together in one shelving location so they are easy to find. Please drop by and explore our Caldecott collection or visit our special picture book display and introduce your children to some of your old favorites!

Contributed by Acting Head of Children's Services Kathy Cherniavsky

New Partnership Serves Businesses

The Ridgefield Library, in partnership with the Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce and the Western Connecticut chapter of SCORE, is pleased to announce a new initiative to help small businesses, home-based professionals and entrepreneurs not only survive but thrive.

Under the heading of “Skillsbox: Tools for Business Success,” the centerpiece of the effort will be a series of programs on a wide range of practical topics, from social media to writing a business plan.  Regular offerings will feature the expertise of our reference librarians, experienced trainers from SCORE and talented practitioners from the Chamber membership. Formal training sessions will be supplemented by networking opportunities galore, with refreshments provided by sponsors such as Fairfield County Bank.

The initiative will take advantage of the hands-on training capabilities of the Library’s new Donofrio Family Technology Center as well as its meeting and program facilities. Library print and digital resources for businesses will be highlighted, including our new Small Business Reference Center database from EBSCO, along with the many other ways the Library can support business creation and development.  Find out more at ridgefieldlibrary.org or ridgefieldchamber.org.  We welcome suggestions for trainings, presentations and other activities to help your business thrive.