Transforming the Lodewick Children's Library

The Library staff is always seeking better ways to help our patrons find what they need, whether it is a satisfying leisure read or information to fulfill a homework assignment. In the Children’s Library, for example, collections are divided into separate sections for different ages, reading levels or purposes, such as the Holiday collection and the Early Reader section, further divided into 3 subgroups to correspond to level ranking used in the schools.

Over the summer, we have been making a number of additional changes. When complete, one of the most noticeable will be the creation of a separate location for “Chapter Books,” previously mixed in Juvenile Fiction right next to the huge volumes by J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan.  These are books geared to those just moving beyond Early Readers, such as the Magic Tree House and other popular series.

To help folks become familiar with where things are now located in the Lodewick Children’s Library, we are hosting a Back-to-School Scavenger Hunt the week after Labor Day. Kids in Kindergarten through Grade 5 are invited to drop in any time the Library is open on September 5-9 and pick up a scavenger hunt form.  All who complete the hunt will receive a small prize.

Saving Time with the Library

Tempting as it might be, we don’t always have the time to come to the Library and settle in for the afternoon.  Here are a few ways we can help you cope on busy days.

Use one of the “express” check-out stations in the Bossidy Commons and on the Upper Level.  As long as you have your library card with you, you can check out most items without coming to the desk or standing in line. 

Pick a reading recommendation from one of our many thematic displays.  Topics range from seasonal holidays to favorite subjects and genres.  These hand-picked samplings, along with dozens of printed reading lists, provide a quick and convenient introduction to the myriad possibilities of our 100,000+ items. Specially shelved collections such as Book Club Corner and New & Now also help you zero in quickly on what you need.

Search our catalog or check your account online before you come, to see whether we have what you want and to check what items are due.  In many cases, you can renew an item once online if you can’t get here in person.

Sign up to receive updates on programs, schedule changes and more via e-newsletters, Facebook and Twitter, most with quick links to further information or registration forms.

Finding your Next Read

Our librarians are always looking for ways to enhance our readers’ advisory services.  The Ridgefield Library online catalog now draws from NoveList, a trusted source of expert recommendations for help in finding that next good read.   

Click on the entry for any title to find read-alikes with an explanation of why the match has been chosen.  Find suggestions for other authors based on your reading interests.  Want to know the order of books in a favorite series?  Click on the entry for any series’ title, and all the books will be displayed in the proper order.   Do you like James Patterson novels because of their fast-paced quality or Paula McClain’s character-driven writing style?  You’ll find lists of other authors who capture these elements in their books.  This enhanced catalog content is available for children’s, teen, and adult fiction and non-fiction, as well as for audiobooks.

To explore the full content of NoveList, visit the Readers’ Resources page on our website. Here you’ll find book suggestions for all interests and all ages along with lists of award winners and discussion guides.

Finally, don’t hesitate to ask our staff for reading recommendations.  It’s what we love to do.

Contributed by Head of Adult Services Dorothy Pawlowski

Books Can Help - and Heal

Bibliotherapy is a fancy word for turning to literature to help people, especially children, cope with difficult situations. Words and pictures can help make an intimidating experience like moving to a new town or starting a new school less scary.  They can help a child struggling with the loss of a pet or the illness of a family member feel less overwhelmed.  They reassure youngsters that they are not alone in experiencing these situations and having the feelings they do.  They can help a parent find the language to talk about tough topics.

At the Ridgefield Library, we have many resources to help you find the right books to address the difficult situations that arise in many lives.  Our Children’s Services staff draw on their personal knowledge of our collections as well as reference books prepared by teachers, mental health professionals, doctors and other experts.  They are happy to work with caregivers one-on-one to locate just the right book or to share some of the booklists we have created on bullying, divorce, coping with loss and other topics (many of these are also available on our website).  Our most recent includes recommended reading on kindness, empathy and caring, in response to anxieties fostered by the recent election season.

Turn to BookPage

Trying to keep abreast of new books?  Stop by the Adult Services Desk and take home the latest copy of BookPage, a selection guide to the best new titles released each month.

Bookpage’s mission is "to connect every book lover with their next great read."   Reviews encompass a wide range of new books from literary fiction, history and biography to popular genres such as mystery and romance, with sections dedicated to recently published titles for children and teens.  In addition, each issue includes author interviews and special features. In May’s BookPage, Chris Cleave talks about his new novel “Everyone Brave is Forgiven,” and Pulitzer-prize winner Richard Russo explains why twenty years after the publication of “Nobody's Fool,” he decided to revisit the residents of North Bath, New York in “Everybody's Fool.”  The May issue also spotlights new books for planning a road trip and historical fiction focusing on Jewish history.

Not to be outdone, our librarians use their unique perspectives to create two monthly publications, Fiction News and Non-Fiction News that highlight new books chosen for their relevance to the diverse reading interests of our patrons.  Pick up copies at the library or view them on the Reader's Resources section of our website.  

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services

BookSizzle!

With thousands of new books being published each year, deciding what to read next can be daunting.  The Ridgefield Library provides many ways to help in this selection process.   The newest tool is an electronic newsletter called BookSizzle.

Once you sign up to receive BookSizzle, it will appear weekly in your email inbox.  This online newsletter features the Library’s latest acquisitions including new fiction, non-fiction, mystery, business, science, children’s chapter books, and more.  In addition, you’ll find lists of the current bestsellers and recommended titles on themed topics and current events as well as in-depth features on popular authors.   Book suggestions link directly to the Library’s catalog where you can check for availability or place a reserve.  Each week our staff will also highlight items and events of special interest to Ridgefield Library users.  To sign up for BookSizzle, visit our website or fill out a form at any of the Library’s service desks. 

     

While BookSizzle is a great resource for remote access to reading recommendations, we hope you’ll utilize our in-person readers’ advisory services when you visit the Library.  Our staff is always ready to offer personalized suggestions based on your unique interests. 

Contributed by Adult Services Head Dorothy Pawlowski

What Did You Read in 2015?

The list makers have done their work, and the Best Books of 2015 have been announced by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time magazine, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, the editors at Amazon, and even the mighty Oprah, among others.  Among the perennial top vote-getters you’ll find here are Anne Tyler, Geraldine Brooks, Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, Jon Meachem, Erik Larsen and David McCullough.  But there are also some sleeper hits that have attracted critical and reader attention, such as Lauren Groff’s novel “Fates and Furies” and the National Book Award-winning meditation “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  There are the latest installments to long-running series and surprising debut efforts.

How many have you read?  How do you decide which to put at the top of your “To Be Read” pile? Library staff have compiled the most influential rankings into handy brochures complete with annotations and library shelf locations, one for fiction, one for non-fiction and one for mysteries and thrillers.  You can pick up copies in Adult Services at the Library or find them in printable form on the Reader’s Lists page on our website (look under “Reader’s Resources”).  Here’s to great reading in the New Year!

Improving Access for Readers

We are always looking for ways to make the many facets of our collections more visible and accessible.  Here are a few of the latest improvements we have made.

• ·  Our extensive collection of opera recordings on CD has moved up to the Ruggles Fine Arts Reading Room on the Upper Level, convenient to books on the performing arts.
• ·         New large print books are now on display at the beginning of the large print shelves in the Bossidy Commons.  If you’re partial to this format, start your browsing there to see the latest acquisitions.
• ·         In the Ellis Family Teen Center, biographies have been separated from non-fiction materials and are highlighted in a more visible location near the new teen books.
• ·         Newly and recently returned DVDs are stored on a small cart near the Circulation Desk for easy browsing of the latest and most popular items.  Also look for the nearby list of our newest DVD acquisitions.  We are happy to put you on the waiting list for a particular favorite.
• ·         In addition to thematic book displays around the building, look for featured items showcased at the ends of the aisles in the adult fiction and nonfiction stacks on the Upper Level to tempt you!

The Inside Scoop on New Books for the Fall

Recently, I had the good fortune to attend Book Expo America, an annual event where publishers and authors promote their upcoming titles to booksellers and librarians. Here is a preview of some of the fall’s most anticipated books.

Watch out for new titles by popular authors Adriana Trigiani, Gregory Maguire, Lee Child, Geraldine Brooks, and Jane Smiley.  Coming in September, Jonathan Franzen’s “Purity” is being touted as his best to date and a literary feat.  For fans of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series, a new author continues Lisbeth Salander’s exploits in “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.”

By all accounts, the fall fiction debut to watch out for is “City on Fire” by Garth Risk Hallberg.  At a whopping 944 pages, this novel set in 1970s New York City is purportedly impossible to put down and triggered a bidding war among publishers.  The most talked about upcoming non-fiction includes “The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory” by Julie Checkoway and Dan Marshall’s comic memoir “Home Is Burning.”

One thing is certain. With hundreds of new titles on the horizon, readers have a lot to look forward to this fall.

Contributed by Dorothy Pawlowski, Head of Adult Services

What Have I Read?

At the Ridgefield Library Circulation Desk, it’s pretty common for us to hear, “Can you tell me if I took this item out before?”  Unfortunately, we have to say that we don’t have that information, as our Integrated Library System does not maintain details of older transactions.  The good news is that you can now keep track of this information yourself, and the details are private and not accessible to anyone else, even Library staff.

Each patron can keep track of previously checked out items and items that they have previously put on hold.  Simply log into your account online at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org, go to the Account Preferences Tab, click on Search and History Preferences and check the little box after Keep History of Checked Out Items and/or Keep History of Holds.  Then click the Save button, and you are done.

You can access this information at any time by clicking on the Items Checked Out tab and then clicking on the Check Out History tab or clicking on the Holds tab and then the Holds History tab.  The information is at your fingertips.  It’s as simple as that.

If you have any questions, come to the Circulation Desk and we will be happy to work with you one-on-one.

Contributed by Circulation Clerk Mary Louise Cardosa

What’s New for the New Year @ the Library

New names:

• The Foundation Center Cooperating Collection hosted by the Library is now the Funding Information Network and still offers great resources for grantseekers. 
•  Books for readers in grades 6-12 now are designated in the catalog and on the spine as “Teen” material, not Young Adult or YA.

New resources:

•   “Best of” lists for 2013 are now available online and in print.  
• Recommended reading lists for children on many topics are now also available online.
• The monthly Nonfiction News is now available online and in print to assist readers of biography, history, memoir and other non-fiction subjects. 

New procedures: 

•  Print and time management for public access computers is now being done on an honor system until the move to the new library.  
• Easy Reader series with multiple volumes are now packaged in neat and convenient sets for borrowing.

Back by Popular Demand: 

•  Drop-in Musical Storytime with Ann for ages 2 and up has returned to Fridays at 11:00 AM. 
•  The Donofrio Inspiring Girls (and Others) in Science series returns with creative computer programming workshops in February and March;  sign up online. 
•  Monthly adult book discussions have new reading lists for the winter and spring; see details online.

New Year’s Resolutions

It’s the time of year for New Year’s resolutions.  If yours is to make more time for reading, here are some suggestions:

  For some, deciding what to read is the biggest obstacle.  Whether you’re looking for a light or a literary read or something in between, our staff is here to help you find the perfect book for your reading enjoyment and edification.

Listen to an audiobook.  Finding the time to read is often a challenge, and audiobooks provide a great way to enjoy the content of a book while driving, exercising, or multi-tasking at home.  The library offers a large selection of audiobooks on CDS and in downloadable formats that are compatible with most computers, tablets, and smartphones.  

Join a book group.   The structure of a book group can provide the impetus to make time for reading.   The Ridgefield Library offers a variety of ongoing book groups, and their monthly selections offer something for almost every interest.  No membership is required, and new readers are always welcome.  Stop by the library or check our website for more information. 

On our side, our resolution is to continue to provide the best resources for readers in 2014.

Contributed by Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski.

Read Before You Watch

Here at the Ridgefield Library we feel that the book is always better than the movie. But the sheer number of adaptations out there means the odds are against you having read the book before being exposed to the cinematic or televised version. Of course you were aware that The Hobbit and The Great Gatsby are based on books; but did you know that World War Z was? Max Brooks is the author. Or that Divergent is based on a very popular YA book series by Veronica Roth? Sequels like The Sea of Monsters and Catching Fire are probably on your book-to-film radar, but you may not know that The Mortal Instruments and Austenland are based on novels by Cassandra Clare and Shannon Hale respectively.  

Television is also rife with adaptations. Game of Thrones (books by George R.R. Martin) and Under the Dome (Stephen King) get a lot of press, but if you like Justified, you may want to read the Elmore Leonard books on which it’s based.

Come to the Library to read before you watch, or to read after you watch, or even to read and then write a script yourself before anyone else gets the idea! In addition to novels, we also have books on screenwriting. 

Contributed by Geri Diorio, Teen Services Librarian and Head of Children's Services

What Should I Read this Summer?

Headed to the beach or on vacation and need some reading recommendations?  Here are a couple of ways the Ridgefield Library can help. You can find these and more on the Reader’s Resources section at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org. 

• Subscribe to our “Reading on our Radar” blog for regular news of the hot new titles, plus some less well-known “sleepers” that are worth a look.
• Check out the Staff Picks list on the “Finding a Good Book” page on the website, where you will also find information on new releases, bestsellers, award winners and dozens of thematic reading lists, including the perennial favorite “Beach Books with Brains and Bite.”
• Sign up to receive periodic BookLetters email newsletters that feature new and recommended books in various genres.  Register on our website.
• Attend the monthly Books & Breakfast gathering (2^nd Monday of each month at 10:30 AM, currently at Keeler Tavern Museum), where staff and library patrons share what they have been reading – along with coffee and snacks. 
• Follow us on Twitter @ridgefieldlib and watch for our Friday postings of what our staff is reading.

And, of course, we are always happy to make suggestions in person – just ask!

Ridgefield Readers' Summer Favorites

What are you reading this summer?  Here are the top picks of participants in our 2010 Summer Reading programs.

Series books rule for kids.  Rick Riordan is the runaway favorite author for younger readers, with his “The Red Pyramid” (first of The Kane Chronicles series) and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (which began with “The Lightning Thief,” also a recent movie release).

Teens crave futuristic and fantastical settings, alternate dimensions of time and space, and action-packed adventure, such as they find in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, James Patterson’s Maximum Ride books and the Pendragon series by D.J. McHale.

For the second year in a row, Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help,” a Civil Rights era story about black servants and the white families they serve, has been a top choice of adult Summer Readers. Also popular has been “A Reliable Wife,” a gothic tale from first-time novelist Robert Goolrick. Finally, Ridgefielders are as enthralled as the rest of the world with the runaway thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson.

Mystery Book Discussion Group to Launch in November

Murder by the Book – that’s the name of the Library’s newest book discussion group, set to launch next month.  Responding to popular demand, it will be dedicated exclusively to the enjoyment and exploration of the mystery genre.

Meeting on the first Thursday of each month, the group will alternate between traditional book discussions and other mystery-related programs, such as film screenings, author talks and more. Library Assistant Director Mary Rindfleisch will serve as facilitator.

The first session will be on Thursday, November 5^th at 1:00 PM in the Library’s Dayton Program Room, when we will discuss “Shroud for a Nightingale” by P.D. James. This title was selected for our inaugural meeting because of the author’s unique position in the transition between Golden Age writers like Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh and the more contemporary sensibility of Sue Grafton, Elizabeth George and others.

As with all Library book groups, copies of the selection are available at the Circulation Desk, or check Books on the Common to purchase at a 15% book club discount.

If you are a mystery fan, join us in November to help choose forthcoming selections and programs!

Share your Desert Island Picks

Here's a request from Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what books would you want to have with you? We’d like to know your all-time favorite titles, fiction or non-fiction books that have had a lasting impact on you. To date, submitted titles include a range from A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm, and Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.

In April, we will be featuring the books selected in displays throughout the Library. In addition, a printed list of recommended titles will be available. We’ll also be discussing “The Best Books You’ve Ever Read” at the Library’s Books & Breakfast meeting on Monday, April 13th. Books and Breakfast is a monthly informal book chat, a forum for library staff and library patrons to share their favorite reads. The April meeting will take place in the Library’s Dayton Program Room at 10:30 AM, and refreshments will be served. We hope you’ll join us.

“Best Books” survey forms are available at any service desk in the Library, or you can e-mail the titles of your favorite books to FictionRoom@RidgefieldLibrary.org.

New Fiction Now Circulates for 14 Days

Good news for fiction fans! New fiction may now be borrowed for 14 days, instead of the previous 7-day loan period. You will find the latest selection of new mysteries, romance, science fiction, fantasy, historical novels, literary fiction, chick lit and much more on a special display unit conveniently located by the Circulation Desk. Now you will have twice as long to savor the latest installment in a favorite series or check out that recommended new author. New fiction can be renewed for an additional 2 weeks as long as there is no waiting list. And no need to worry – we are committed to buying enough copies to ensure that the wait for in-demand titles is not increased by this change.

As always, new books that are 500+ pages in length circulate for 28 days, so you can take your time to enjoy a good read.

New selections appear in our catalog as soon as they are ordered, so you can make your reservation even before the books have been released. You can put your name on the list through our online catalog or by asking a staff member to assist you. Indicating your interest is the best way to help us make sure we have enough copies to meet demand.

If you don’t have time to come to the Library and peruse the New Fiction shelves in person, you can still “browse” new and forthcoming titles by subscribing to BookLetters e-mail newsletters. There are editions for bestselling fiction and non-fiction; new mysteries, romance, science fiction and fantasy; business, lifestyles and science titles; and even several categories of children’s and teen books. Along with descriptions, reviews, author interviews and more, each entry links directly to our catalog so you can check availability and place a hold quickly and easily.

National Reading Group Month Celebrated

Here's some news from Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski.

The wealth of active book discussion groups in Ridgefield shows that proclamations about the demise of reading are greatly exaggerated, at least as they apply to our town. October has been designated National Reading Group Month by the Women’s National Book Association, and we’d like to recognize the Ridgefield Library’s long-running book groups, as well applaud those who have formed their own discussion groups in town.

The Library offers three reading groups for adults each month. The A.M. Book Group, which meets the 4^th Wednesday of each month at 10 AM, and the Critics’ Circle Book Group, which meets on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM, both focus mainly on fiction titles. Their selections run the gamut from new contemporary works to the classics. The Tuesday Evening NonFictioneers meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month, and their choices reflect the breadth of topics and titles available in this genre. Become a regular participant or pick and choose from the groups based on your reading interests and schedule. It’s a great way to meet a wonderful group of people who share a love of reading, and drop-ins are always welcome.

The Library is also committed to supporting community reading groups. Three years ago, with the support of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library, the Book Club Corner began offering resources for book groups and multiple copies of popular book discussion selections. We’re happy to provide the books needed for a discussion either from the Book Club Corner or through inter-library loan. We do ask that you allow at least two weeks to fulfill requests, and please be aware that, regrettably, we can not supply multiple copies of brand new bestsellers. Contact Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski for more information about this service.