A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Attention social media mavens!  The Ridgefield Library now has a presence on Instagram at ridgefieldlibrary.  With Instagram’s emphasis on visuals, you won’t find a lot of words here.  What you will see in the coming months will be pictures of crafts completed in children’s and teen programs, objects printed on our 3D printer, cover art from book group selections and award winners and much more.  Our account was activated just in time to capture the action at last weekend’s Comic Con, including a parade of superheroes (and a few villains). 

If you are not familiar with Instagram, watch for notice of introductory sessions offered periodically in our Tech Topics program series.

If you like your social media with more words, look for our Facebook page, where you can find interesting articles about the future of books and libraries, event announcements and even the weekly Library Lines column.  This is a great way to share news about Library activities with friends and neighbors who might be interested.  And we welcome your comments.

For fast updates, follow us on Twitter at ridgefieldlib. This is where we post breaking news and reminders about weather closings, program schedules and more.

Last Chance to Be Part of the Community Mural at the Ridgefield Library

The Community Mural is an original artwork on the wall of the Gallery on the Lower Level of the new Ridgefield Library where you can commemorate your family name, your business or organization, an honoree, a favorite book or other personal message. Many Ridgefielders have already participated in this great opportunity, and at this time the mural is almost completely full!  The artist, Marcia Simha, has created a new section between bookends on top of the current bookcases.  Book spines or silhouettes for this new section are now available … but only until Labor Day.  After that time, the mural will be complete.
If you would still like to participate in this beautiful mural, you have a few more weeks to do so!  Donation levels starting at $150 receive legacy recognition on personalized book spines or silhouette images with nameplate - or both. If you are interested in the new section of the Community Mural, please call Laureen Bubniak at 203-438-2282 Ext. 11029; visit www.thenewridgefieldlibrary.org/make_donations/Communitymural or stop into the Library to pick up a mural form and return it by September 7th.  

Contributed by Director of Development Laureen Bubniak

Summer Reading Is Not Just for Children

As of this writing (on July 9^th), we are nearly halfway through the 2015 Summer Reading Program, and the numbers are adding up.  So far, 1157 school-aged children, 330 teens and 86 adults are registered in our online logging program and recording their reading and reviews.  Readers can sign up anytime and continue to participate through August 8^th, so go to www.ridgefieldlibrary.org today and get started.

We particularly urge adults to take part, to help demonstrate to younger readers the lifelong joy and value of reading. To make it easy, all of our monthly book discussions (except the poetry group) meet through the summer.  We know you are reading, so make it count!  At the Ridgefield schools, teachers and staff have issued a challenge to their students, with the results to be compared and celebrated when school starts in the fall. You can do the same with the children (or grandchildren) in your life. 

Some families have readers participating at the children’s, teen and adult levels.  If yours is one, come in together and let us take your picture for our gallery of superheroes.  After all, Every Hero Has a Story – let us share yours!

What We Learned @ the Library

For five weeks this spring we worked at the Ridgefield Library as part of the Ridgefield High School senior internship program. During our time there we have discovered a multitude of things about the Library, the most surprising of which was the extensive amount of programs offered at the Library. Currently the Library provides over 300 different programs for the public; so there is truly a program for everyone. Furthermore, while we often take the opportunities offered at the Library for granted, the sheer amount of effort that goes into running a library is outstanding. Each book is individually cared for and placed on the shelf; each program necessitates the time and attention of several different people in order to make it a success.  Moreover, the Library makes a significant effort to reach out to the public and provide Ridgefielders with experiences that enrich and enhance their understanding of the arts as well as literature. To illustrate, we were surprised to learn that the Library provides a forum for musicians and artists to showcase their work for free. The Library stands as an institution for the community to gather and delve into the arts and sciences. 

Contributed by Isabel Stoddard and Sophia Davis are 2015 graduates of Ridgefield High School and recent interns at the Ridgefield Library.

Heroes Come in Many Shapes and Sizes

There will be plenty of superheroes flying around the Library this summer as we present our first ever Comic Con on July 25^th.  We’ll have cartoon exhibits, face painting, costume pageants, panel discussions and much more, all celebrating pop culture graphic novels, films, games and science fiction and fantasy literature.  There will be something for all ages, so check out the details at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org and plan to join us – all free, and no registration required.

But, with a Summer Reading theme of “Every Hero Has a Story,” we are also celebrating hometown heroes, who do good and help others without the assistance of super powers like x-ray vision and shapeshifting. At 2:00 PM each Wednesday in July, youngsters aged 5 and older are invited to meet some special heroes and hear their stories.  We will welcome Police Chief John Roche on July 1^st and Fire Chief Kevin Tappe on the 15^th. Mike Principi, the “hot dog guy,” will visit on July 22nd to tell about the wonderful work he does building playgrounds for orphans around the world during the winter months. And on July 8^th we’ll hear about the adventures of “wonder dog” Bacon, a therapy dog from ROAR.