Libraries Transform during National Library Week

In the words of the American Library Association’s theme for National Library Week 2017 (April 9-15), “Libraries Transform.”  While not as easy to quantify as numbers of items borrowed or attendance at programs, individual transformative experiences are at the heart of what libraries today do. And while many of these interactions take place between staff and patrons, libraries are also places where we can all come together to share with and learn from each other. Here are just a few examples observed recently at the Ridgefield Library.

·         An elderly gentleman living alone breaks into a big grin when he encounters an enthusiastic 4-year-old passing through the Bossidy Commons on his way to storytime.

·         Two young mothers, both new to Ridgefield and to parenthood, linger after Baby & Me to exchange contact information and tips about kid-friendly restaurants, shopping bargains and other resources.

·         An experienced computer user at the Library’s Public Access Computers offers timely advice to a nearby neophyte struggling with formatting a business letter in Word.

·         A line forms at the Circulation Desk after Books & Breakfast, as attendees seek out the books their fellow readers have recommended at this popular monthly sharing of what people have been reading.