Looking Forward to Summer Reading

It’s only the first day of spring, but here at the Library we are already well into planning for Summer Reading.  Here are a few highlights you can look forward to.

In celebration of our new building, our Summer Reading theme will be “Discover...the Ridgefield Library.”  Local artist Paul Siegel is creating a special work of art for the poster, which will feature a “Where’s Waldo” style cut-away drawing of the new Children’s Library, and summer readers will be encouraged to go on a treasure hunt to find the many exciting things featured in the drawing.

For the first time, we will be offering a Summer Reading opportunity for youngsters aged two to five.  Parents will read with or to their pre-schoolers and fill out a game card to earn a prize.

To help children create accounts and track their books, hand out prizes and encourage more reading, the Library will be looking for approximately 50 middle and high school volunteers, each of whom can make a significant time commitment (16 to 20 hours between June 23 and August 9). For more information contact Geri Diorio at the Library or at gadiorio@ridgefieldlibrary.org. 

Take our Photo-A-Day Challenge

During the month of March, for those who are teens, or those who are teens at heart, the Ridgefield Library is offering a Photo-A-Day Challenge. On the New Ridgefield Library’s Facebook page, you’ll find a bright green photo offering daily “prompts” – ideas to inspire you. Take a photo of your interpretation of the suggestion and share your photo using social media.  You can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr, your own blog…the choice is up to you! But when you share your photo, please add the hashtag #ridgefieldlibpix so that the rest of us who are playing can follow along and see all the photos inspired by the prompt. Today’s prompt is “throwback,” will you photograph something that takes you back to good memories? Tomorrow’s is “upside down,” will you be literal or figurative with that one? Ringing in the month, the prompt was “lion or lamb” and one photo showed a rather adorable pet cat, definitely a lamb, not a tiny lion. Want to play along, but concerned about forgetting a day, or two, or twelve? No big deal, you can play catch up, or just start up again from today’s date. The idea is to inspire creativity and have some fun!

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

Get Ready, Get Set...

Normally in early March we would be accepting registrations for spring storytime sessions.  Looking ahead to the coming move back to 472 Main Street sometime in April, we have decided to forego our regular schedule of “classes” this spring.  Popular drop-in programs such as Monday and Saturday morning storytimes and Friday Flicks will continue, as will book groups (Junior and Middle School Critics, Bookworms, Harry Potter) that meet once or twice a month.  We will also have occasional family concerts and other special programs.

Adult programs will also be scaled back as we get ready for the move.  Ongoing monthly programs including book discussions and writers’ networking groups will continue, but we are not planning any other activities at this time for April and early May.

Details of what is on, and what is not, will be available on our website and in the weekly email newsletter.

The good news is that once we are in the New Ridgefield Library, we will be able to offer an expanded and more diverse menu of programs for all ages and interests.  Starting with Opening Weekend May 9-11, you can look forward to the return of your favorites, plus many new offerings.

Being Social @ the Library

Are you on social media?  So are we!  We have recently launched an effort to bring more timely information and a wider diversity of content to our Facebook (New Ridgefield Library) and Twitter (@ridgefieldlib) accounts. 

Facebook and Twitter are great places to get updates about what’s going on at the Library.  In recent weeks, this has meant, among other things, a lot of notifications about weather-related closings and schedule changes!  Our weekly e-newsletter and other e-mail program announcements are also posted to both sites.

Many of our staff are now actively involved in posting items and links we think our library users might enjoy – reviews of new books, author interviews, research studies and even silly photos and videos.  For example, a recent Facebook post about “The Goldfinch” prompted a lively dialogue among readers (and non-readers) of this weighty volume!  On Twitter watch for #FridayReads, where we, along with many other book people, post the books we are currently reading.

We would love to know what you think about the items we post.  We urge you to follow us, like us, comment, share, re-tweet or otherwise contribute to what we hope will be an ongoing conversation about libraries, books, our community and much more.

A Gathering of Librarians

As January drew to a close, over 12,000 librarians, library staff, administrators and professionals from all walks of life gathered in the Pennsylvania Convention Center for the 2014 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting.  I was fortunate to be among those in attendance at the four day meeting.  Attendees braved frigid temperatures and snow squalls as they made their way to the Convention Center, which covers four city blocks in the heart of Philadelphia.  The networking, professional development, lectures, author panels, camaraderie and free books made the atmosphere inside the Convention Center warm and energized. 

Never was this more apparent than on Monday morning as attendees gathered for the American Library Association’s version of the Oscars, the annual Youth Media Awards, honoring “books, videos and other outstanding materials for children and teens.”  The Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature went to Flora & Ulysses: the illuminated adventures by Kate DiCamillo and the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book for children went to Locomotive by Brian Floca.  The Michael L. Printz award for excellence in literature for young adults went to Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick.  All these titles are available at the Ridgefield Library.  Come check them out!

Contributed by Children's Librarian Mary Beth Rassulo