Banned Books Week

Throughout the country, teachers are sending out their lists of required readings, and parents are beginning to gather books. In some cases, classics like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "The Catcher in the Rye," and "To Kill a Mocking Bird," may not be included in curriculum or available in the school library due to challenges made against them.

Since 1990, the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom has recorded more than 10,000 book challenges. A challenge is a formal, written complaint requesting a book be removed from library shelves or school curriculum. The most challenged and/or restricted reading materials have been books for children.  Challenges are not simply an expression of a point of view, they are an attempt to remove materials from public use, thereby restricting the access of others. For children, decisions about what books to read should be made by the people who know them best—their parents!

In support of the right to choose books freely for ourselves, the ALA and the Ridgefield Library are recognizing Banned Books Week this week. It is an annual celebration of our right to access books without censorship. Why not take part? Read an old favorite or a new banned book this week. Stop by the Ridgefield Library to learn more and check out a banned book!

Contributed by Teen Services Librarian Geri Diorio

Get “Outside the Lines” with the Ridgefield Library

“Outside the Lines” is a national initiative taking place September 14-20 to get people thinking – and talking - about libraries in a whole new way.  In recent years, libraries have changed into dynamic centers for engagement to accommodate the growing needs of their local communities.  Nowhere is this more true than here in Ridgefield.

To start with, we have our marvelous new building.  But that is only the beginning.  Throughout the week we will be highlighting on site and online the many ways the Ridgefield Library contributes to creativity, culture and curiosity in Ridgefield.

We’ll go “outside the lines” of traditional print with International eBook Day and Teen Tech Thursdays.  We’ll explore the creative arts with a Ridgefield Folk concert and an opening reception for the new watercolor exhibit in The Gallery. We’ll go around the world with Fulbright scholar Eva Lee’s account of her research in Tibet and travel in time as author Todd Brewster talks about his new book on Abraham Lincoln. We’ll create common ground locally with Project Resilience, the Ridgefield Playhouse, RVNA and other partners.

Stop by or tune in on social media to go “outside the lines” with us, this week and throughout the year.

Celebrating eBooks

Thursday, September 18^th has been designated the first International Read an eBook Day.  According to Pew Research, the popularity of eBooks is increasing, and in 2013, 28 percent of adults 18 and older read at least one.  

   

In recognition of this celebration, the Library will be hosting an open house in the Donofrio Family Technology Center to help Ridgefield Library cardholders get started with OverDrive, the Library’s eBook platform.   Whether you’ve never tried downloading an eBook or haven’t done so in a while, drop-in anytime between 1 and 4 PM when staff members will be waiting to answer your questions and offer assistance.

OverDrive eBooks can be accessed and read on a computer and on most smartphones, eReaders and tablets.  OverDrive has added many new user friendly features including OverDrive Read offering the option to easily download and save an eBook in a browser or “see book, read book.”   The Kids Collection and Teens Collections enable easy searching for age appropriate selections for every member of the family.   And, as more publishers make their eBooks available, the selection of titles continues to grow. 

If you can’t make it on September 18^th, our staff is always ready to answer your eBook questions.

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services

Passport to Connecticut Libraries

From September 2^nd through September 30^th, the Ridgefield Library will be participating in the first Passport to Connecticut Libraries program.  Sponsored by the Connecticut Library Association in support of Library Card Sign Up Month, the program is modeled on the state’s popular Wine Trail Passport Program.

Here’s how it works.  Anytime, on or after September 2, ask for a passport at one of the Library’s service desks.  You’ll also receive a list of the over 80 participating libraries.  Visit any one and show a valid library card to have your passport stamped and to receive a small gift.   At the end of the month, hand in your passport at any participating library to be entered in two drawings, one for Most Libraries Visited and a Random Drawing for all participants.   The drawings will be for two adult prizes of $150.00 and two children’s prizes (for those under 18) of $100.00.

Your Ridgefield Library card can be used to check out items in any of these libraries, plus you’ll have a chance to explore the unique treasures each has to offer.  Any items checked out at another library can be returned to the Ridgefield Library.   For more information visit Facebook.com/passporttoctlibraries. Happy exploring!

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services