Smaller Space, but Plenty of Activity

Despite our smaller and more constrained temporary quarters, many favorite Library activities are still continuing, albeit with some adjustments.  Here are a few you won’t want to miss.

•  Friends of the Library Used Book Sales. The fall and spring big sales at Yanity Gym are on as usual, and book donations are welcome.  Just bring your books to the Library any time during open hours and ask for directions to the Friends acceptance area. And save the date for a special children’s book sale in the Library March 7-9. See www.ridgefieldlibrary.org for donation guidelines and sale schedules.
• Dr. Seuss’s Birthday is still March 2^nd, and we are still celebrating!  We can’t have quite as elaborate a party as in past years, but we will have a special Seuss drop-in storytime at 10:30, along with Seuss-themed crafts, giveaways and more from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
•  Museum passes are now to be found at the central Information Desk, promising fun family excursions at no charge or reduced rates.  For a limited time, we will be offering two free tickets per family to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Any other familiar offerings you are missing?  Just ask for an update.

What have You Read?

Over the years patrons often have asked if they could obtain a list of titles they had previously borrowed and returned, and they were disappointed when we answered no.  But now that has changed.

In our upgraded Ridgefield Library catalog, you can choose to keep a history of all items that you have checked out and/or titles you have placed on hold.  Here’s how it works.   Log onto your Ridgefield Library account, and click on the tab marked “Account Preferences.”  From the new selection of tabs that appears, choose “Search Preferences.”  You have the option to check the following boxes: “Keep History of Checked Out Items” and/or “Keep History of Holds.”   After you’ve made your selections, make sure to save your changes.  

 Now everything you check out or request going forward will appear in the “Check Out History” section of “Items Checked Out,” or in the “Holds History” section of “Holds.” Lists can also be downloaded and imported into the computer program of your choice.  To assure your privacy, only you will be able to access this information; the lists will not be accessible to our staff.

If you’d like more tips on how to be a power user of the Ridgefield Library catalog, just ask us!

Contributed by Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski

Librarian Oscars

While everyone knows about the Academy Awards, did you know that the Library world has its own Oscars? The American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards, given out last Monday, are as exciting to librarians as the Oscars are to filmmakers (though perhaps not quite as glamorous). The best known of these awards are the Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature, and the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year, the Newbery went to Katherine Applegate for “The One and Only Ivan,” about the friendship between a gorilla and an elephant. The Caldecott was awarded to Jon Klassen for his clever tale of a thieving fish who gets his comeuppance:  “This is Not My Hat.” The Ridgefield Library has these award winners as well as the winners of the rest of the Youth Media Awards: the Michael Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, Theodor Seuss Geisel Award and more. Much like the Academy Award for best cinematography or best sound editing, the non-Caldecott and non-Newbery awards may not get all the press, but they highlight wonderful works of art. Come check them out!

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

Take Your Child to the Library February 2nd

It’s happening in Ridgefield – and in 248 libraries in 34 states and 3 countries!  It’s the 2^nd annual Take Your Child to the Library Day on Saturday, February 2^nd.

Of course, we encourage parents to bring their children to the Ridgefield Library every day, but on this day we will be showcasing some of the great reasons to do so.

We’ll start at 10:30 AM with a special edition of our weekly Saturday morning drop-in storytime, with our friends from the Woodcock Nature Center presenting an entertaining program about hibernating animals.

While you are here, be sure to stop at the Information Desk to check out our books, magazines and other resources devoted to animals and many other topics. Ask for a guided tour of the Homework Help pages on our website so you’ll be ready when that research assignment comes up!

Naturally, animals are not the only thing we can help you with at the Library.  Interested in cars or stars, history or mystery – just ask.  We have dozens of booklists that will guide you to readalikes for favorite authors or to books to help cope with the trials and tribulations of growing up, from starting school to the death of a pet.

Focus on Financial Literacy

Financial literacy is our awareness and understanding of financial concepts for the purpose of better managing our money.  One of Ridgefield Library’s goals for the New Year is to promote financial literacy in our community.  

We’d like the Ridgefield Library website www.ridgefieldlibrary.org to be your starting point for trusted online financial information.  Click on Research & Reference and navigate to the Business & Finance webpage.  Databases to access include Reference USA which is a database of public and private companies.  You may search by company name, industry or location (try searching by zip code: 06877).  Business Insights: Essentials is our comprehensive business research database for business and industry news, company financials, investment reports, rankings, market share data, product information and court cases.  Value Line Investment Survey provides respected research on companies, stocks, funds and more.  Look for our recommended websites from government, educational and nonprofit organizations along with many respected commercial sites including Yahoo! Finance and Investopedia. 

Throughout the year we will be adding new information and resources.  We also have plenty of the best financial books and magazines.  Let’s work together to become more financially knowledgeable.  Sounds like a New Year’s resolution!

Contributed by Reference Librarian Christie Mitchell

Take our Community Survey and Tell Us What You Think

In anticipation of an early 2014 move into the New Ridgefield Library, the Library Board and staff are doing some strategic planning about the people, programs, collections and services that will fill this beautiful new space.  We want to know what is of most importance and interest to our users and the people of Ridgefield.   What do you value most highly about what we already do?  What new things would you like to see us add?

Tell us what you think by taking part in our Community Survey.  You can access this brief questionnaire online from any computer by following the link at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.  You can also take the survey on computers at the Library or ask for a print copy to complete.

The survey runs through January 31^st and may be completed by any interested person, regardless of age or town of residence.  Regular Library users and non-users are welcome.  Please encourage family members and friends to take part.

We will also be holding several focus groups later in the month to discuss some of the ideas in the survey in greater depth.  Contact me as below if you would like to be considered for possible participation in one of these sessions.

Thanks for your input!