Introducing Our New Teen Librarian

I am so pleased to be welcomed back to the Ridgefield Library. I have been working at the Ridgefield library on and off for the past four years, mostly in the Circulation Department. I have spent time at all the service desks and was most recently serving as the substitute Teen Librarian this summer.

I received a BA in Information and Library Science from Southern CT State University and earned my Master’s in Library and Information Science with a focus on School Media Library from Long Island University. I have always wanted to work with teens and look forward to getting to know more of the teens in this community.

As Teen Librarian I am excited to be able to work with teens and parents on programs and finding the right book. I love to read teen books and am always ready to talk about favorites. Stop in to the Ellis Family Teen Center the next time you come to the library to say hello. See some of the changes we are making and let me know what you would like to see in Teen Services.

Megan Klein is the Teen Librarian at the Ridgefield Library. She may be reached at 203-438-2282 x11004 or MEKlein@ridgefieldlibrary.org

Library Days Return to Books on the Common

If you are one of the almost 200 people who enjoyed Diana Nyad’s presentation last week, you understand the importance of the close partnership between Books on the Common and the Ridgefield Library. Together we bring Ridgefielders and other readers dozens of author and book events each year, an extraordinary treat for a town our size.  Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time for you to support both the bookstore and the Library to ensure that these wonderful opportunities continue.

The annual Library Days at Books on the Common will take place November 23rd, 24th and 25th.   Just show your Ridgefield Library card at the cash register, and 15% of the proceeds of your purchase will be donated by the bookstore to the Library. 

Please call 203-438-9100 for more information about the store, including hours and location.  For information about obtaining a library card, please call 203-438-2282. 

Your support of local businesses like Books on the Common, and the bookstore’s support of the Library,   help keep Ridgefield an exceptional place to live, at the holidays and year-round.

Celebrate Children’s Books in November

The Children’s Services Department at the Ridgefield Library offers a full schedule of programs and special events every month of the year.  Kids of all ages are welcome to learn, create, relax, and explore in the Library’s dedicated children’s area.  We are especially excited to share the love of books and reading with Ridgefield’s youngest residents.  On Saturday, November 10th, Gail Carson Levine, author of the beloved Newbery Honor Award-Winning Ella Enchanted, will be at the Library to discuss her new book, Ogre Enchanted.  Purchase books on-site by Books on the Common and stay for a book signing at the end of the event.

Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November.  Join us for “Children’s Books Merit Grown-Up Conversation,” a two-part discussion series for adults which will examine the picture book as visual literacy, art, and cultural fare.  The first session will be held November 27^th.

For more information and to register for programs, go to the events page of the Library’s website www.ridgefieldlibrary.org

Still Alive! 200 Years of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Signs of Halloween are everywhere in the Ridgefield Library, many with a Frankenstein-inspired theme.  We are celebrating the 200^th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s classic tale with an array of special programs and activities for all ages:  you can decorate and display a Franken-Pumpkin; learn the art of Monstrous Make-up;  join a Frankenstein book discussion;  attend a screening and lecture by Mark Edwards of Sacred Heart University on Frankenstein: Book to Movie; enjoy a very special presentation by Dr. Mark Schenker of Yale, Frankenstein’s Creature: A Monster for Its Time--and Ours; and spend Halloween at our drop-in Frankenstein movie marathon (fans of Mel Brooks will not be disappointed!).  For dates, times and locations, please go to ridgefieldlibrary.org to download our special Frankenstein brochure.

Thank you to the Friends of the Ridgefield Library for their generous support of Still Alive! 200 Years of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  For more information and to access the Library’s full calendar of events, please go to ridgefieldlibrary.org

Medical Information at Ridgefield Library

Looking for reliable medical information? The Ridgefield Library is pleased to announce our new Medical Reference collection located on the Upper Level. The collection consists of resources that have been recommended by the National Library of Medicine. Included are medical encyclopedias, a four-volume cancer encyclopedia, resources on mental health, laboratory and diagnostic tests, human anatomy, and a guide to prescription and non-prescription drugs.

The 5-Minute Clinical Consult 2019, for example, lists medical diseases and conditions alphabetically, and provides an overview, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care related to each condition. Additional resources cover general medicine, OB-GYN, and pediatrics. Periodicals include the Health & Nutrition Newsletter from Tufts University and Consumer Reports On Health. 

Who Can You Trust?: Finding Quality Health Information will be held at the Library on Monday, October 15, from 2-3:30 p.m. Please register at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org or call 203-438-2282 for more information.

Libraries are part of a healthy community. We aim to provide quality medical information to help everyone become better informed about their health.

Medical resources are for educational purposes and do not replace the advice of a medical professional. We encourage you to visit and share information with your doctor or health professional.   

*****

Christie Mitchell is Adult Services Librarian at the Ridgefield Library.  She may be reached at camitchell@ridgefieldlibrary.org or 203-438-2282 x12004

Arts Alive at the Library

Arts programming is alive at the Ridgefield Library this Fall. Opportunities abound for those who love to write, read, listen and create. The sixth annual Ridgefield Writers Conference happens September 21, and the Ridgefield Folk series kicks off on September 23rd. The Library’s many book groups are in full swing, offering lively and thought-provoking discussions every month. The Library’s STEAM corner is open and ready for all makers and creators.

On September 30th teens and parents are invited to attend Thriving Through the Arts: College and Beyond, a special program focusing on next steps for young musicians, actors, dancers, and visual artists.

Something else “fore” teens: Love Your Library mini golf on Friday, September 28 from 6:30-10:00pm. Middle and high school students can play the course for $10 per player. Food and refreshments will be served. Participants will be entered in a raffle for gift cards valued at $100, $75 and $50. This event sponsored by Woody and Suni Harford.

Go to ridgefieldlibrary.org to access the Library’s calendar of events and for more information.

Best New Things

Best new thing for your family game night: Ridgefield Library is now circulating board games and puzzles! Use your Library card to bring home a game. Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at 6pm for our teen and adult game meet-up: We Got Games! The Library has a collection of games from which to choose, or you can bring a game to play. All skill levels are welcome.

Best new thing for teens: the third annual LYL (Love Your Library) weekend includes a “teen only” mini-golf event on Friday, September 28 from 6:30-10:00pm. Middle and high school students will have the first shot at playing the course for $10 per player. Food and refreshments will be served. All participants will be entered in a raffle for gift cards valued at $100, $75 and $50. Teen Night is sponsored by Woody and Suni Harford.

Best thing for all Library lovers: Sunday hours resume on September 9. The Library is open from 1-5pm.

Go to ridgefieldlibrary.org to access the Library’s calendar of events and for more information.

Rock On, Readers!

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated in the 2018 Libraries Rock! Summer Reading Program.  Readers of all ages enjoyed games, programs, prizes, and special events with a rockin’ theme.  The Summer Reading Program is possible thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.  While the organized activities have ended, children through grade 6 can continue to log their reading and collect prizes until August 29^th. 

RidgeCon, the Library’s daylong celebration of pop culture and fandom held on August 18th, was preceded this year by an innovative Friday evening event for adults, Blackout: RidgeCon After Dark.  Blackout---part escape room, part mystery night, part scavenger hunt.  It was a great night, and we thank Ridgefield Academy for their support of Blackout, and the Friends of the Ridgefield Library for sponsoring another fun and successful RidgeCon.

A busy summer at the Library?  Yes!  And there’s so much more to come in September:  author events, jazz celebration, the launch of our STEAM corner, book discussions, programs for children and teens, and the annual Love Your Library weekend September 28^th and 29^th.  Go to ridgefieldlibrary.org to access the Library’s calendar of events and for more information.

Tell Us What You Want

Hoping to read a new release but it is never on the shelf? We always encourage people to place a hold for a desired item rather than just wait to strike it lucky.  You can do this yourself online anytime or ask us to do it for you.  The more holds on a popular item, the more copies we will buy (our goal is to have at least 1 copy for every 4 names on the waiting list).

We now request registration for most adult programs and appreciate knowing if you plan to attend.  Some technology classes, for example, can accommodate only as many participants as we have available computers.  For larger gatherings, we want to make sure we have enough chairs set up and enough refreshments!  And, in winters like this one, it is helpful to be able to contact all expected attendees in the case of weather cancellations. We also ask that you cancel if you are unable to attend a program for which you have registered.  This allows us to offer a spot to someone on the waiting list and make sure we have a full house.  Registration (and cancellation) can be done online or by calling us.

Thanks for your help!

The Corrigan Connection

What do Maureen Corrigan, Pat Corrigan and Kelly Corrigan have in common?  As far as I know, these three extraordinary women have no family ties, but together they demonstrate the quality and range of the Library’s adult programming.

Maureen Corrigan, book reviewer for NPR’s Fresh Air, came to Ridgefield in 2014 to share the insights in her newly released book “So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures,” adding a fresh and timely element to our community-wide Big Read that fall of the Fitzgerald masterpiece. 

Pat Corrigan does not have the nationwide fan base Maureen enjoys as a radio celebrity, but she has a very loyal following among Ridgefield Library patrons. A retired high school art teacher from Pawling, NY, Pat teaches regular crafting and sewing programs that fill up as soon as they are announced. 

Acclaimed speaker, best-selling author and cancer survivor Kelly Corrigan will be appearing at the Ridgefield Playhouse on March 8^th as part of the Library’s Noreen L. Papa – Mothers: Live your Life health and wellness series. Admission is free but registration at the Library’s website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org is required for this inspirational presentation by our latest Corrigan connection.

Library Remedies for Cabin Fever

As I write, we don’t yet know what the groundhog will have to say about how much more winter to expect, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that flu season could last another 11-13 weeks and that the disease is especially virulent this year.  Along with schools and workplaces, public gathering places like our building can be hubs for flu germs, so we urge you to avoid the Library as well if family members are feeling under the weather.

Did you know that when you can’t come to the Library, the Library can come to you?  You can listen and read along to TumbleBooks online selection of illustrated children’s books.  More eBooks and downloadable audiobooks for all ages are available from OverDrive – take advantage of downtime to check out Libby, their new user-friendly app for reading/listening on your phone or tablet. Hoopla provides instant access with no waiting lists to streaming music, movies and TV shows as well as audiobooks and eBooks.  Chase away cabin fever with their great selection of your favorite comics!  There’s lots more, so stop by www.ridgefieldlibrary.org even if you can’t come to 472 Main Street.

Re-Designing our Virtual Branch – With your Help

Now that we are settled into our improved physical facility, it is time to turn our attention to our “virtual branch” – the Library’s website.  A lot has changed since this site was created back in 2010. To start, library offerings have expanded significantly, including the explosion of digital and downloadable content, new programming streams and many other new services. Equally impactful is the transformation of technology over the past 7 years.  When our website debuted, almost no one had a smartphone or other personal device.  Online research and communication happened solely on desktop or full-size laptop computers, often with dial-up Internet access.  In 2018, we need a site that accommodates mobile devices, faster loading of files that are many times larger, and an unprecedented level of interactivity and customization.

With the financial support of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library, we are embarking on a complete re-design, and one of our first steps is to get input from users of the current site.  Tell us what you do on the site, what you like and what you don’t, what new content or functionality you would like to see. Just go to ridgefieldlibrary.org and follow the link to take a very short survey.  Thanks for your input!

Make STEAM @ Home

Looking for fun and educational activities when the family is stuck inside during the winter weather? Now you can Make STEAM @ Home with the Ridgefield Library’s new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Kits for children ages 4-11. The Library is developing a series of fun, interactive, thematic learning kits about a variety of topics and skills that relate to STEAM and literacy.

Make science at home with Snap Circuits or Osmo. Learn coding with Bee-Bots or Dash & Dot. Engineer with K’Nex or dominos. Make art with a Spirograph or Cursive kits; make math with the Money Kit or the Telling-Time Kit. Drama, knitting and Ozobot kits will be coming in February.

Stop into the Lodewick Children’s Library to see the available kits and bring one home for seven days with the use of your Ridgefield Library Card. STEAM kits are only available for check out from the children’s information desk (and must be returned there) and cannot be reserved. One per family, please; late fees $2.00 per day, up to a maximum of $20. STEAM kits at the Ridgefield Library are made possible by the McGovern Family.

Contributed by Kristina Lareau, Head of Children's Services

Supporting your Library

Planning for 2018 at the Ridgefield Library is well underway, and we have some exciting activities on tap that will be announced soon. As the clock ticks down on 2017, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that everything you enjoy at the Library is only possible due to the generosity of our donors.  Here’s how you can help.

Tax-deductible donations to our Annual Appeal can still be made and counted in 2017. Checks can be postmarked or hand-delivered through Saturday the 30th, and online donations may be made through the 31^st. With the implications of the new tax bill still being unpacked, it may benefit donors to do their annual charitable giving before the end of this calendar year.

Escape Room Adventure tickets have been big sellers, but some spots are still available in sessions throughout January.  Give yourself a post-holiday treat and get yours today.

It’s not too late to purchase an upcoming release by your favorite author from our Wish List and earn the privilege of being the first to read it when it arrives.

More information about all these opportunities is available at ridgefieldlibrary.org or by calling 203-438-2282 x11029.  Thanks for your support!

Paccadolmi Honorees Announced

The Ridgefield Library is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Paccadolmi Awards for volunteer service, which were given out at a festive reception on December 3^rd.

Former Library Board member Lisbeth Kelly was honored for her service on the Board from 2009-2015, as well as her continuing dedication, as she has lent her significant skills to our ongoing work, notably as co-chair of the Search Committee tasked with hiring a new Library Director.  Still willing to contribute, she once again answered our call and has joined our Strategic Planning Committee which is currently developing long-range goals and priorities for the Library.

Also honored were the individuals who collectively have provided the backbone of our Homebound Delivery Service since its inception in 2008: Andrea Heap, Julia Bruce, Hannah Barber, Michele Brooks, Melissa Brady, Lynn Dinisi, Valerie Cosgrove and Tori Dinkel.  These dedicated individuals have delivered thousands of books, DVDs and other library materials to dozens of people who are housebound due to long-term or short-term illness or disability.  They truly provide a vital connection to the outside world for those unable to get to the Library on their own.

You can learn more about the Paccadolmi Awards and about the Homebound Delivery Service at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

Buy a Book for the Library

We are pleased to introduce a new way for library supporters to help us maintain an up-to-date and attractive collection for all ages – one book at a time! For a modest tax-deductible donation, you can select a specific title to add to our holdings.

Just go to our website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org and click on the Wish List link.  Select the Books tab and browse through the items our staff have picked out. These include fresh editions of classic picture books to replace copies that have been “loved to death,” missing titles in popular series for young readers and projected adult bestsellers due for publication in the next few months. Donate to purchase a new release, and you can be the first one to read it! The wish list includes fiction and nonfiction and even DVDs and audiobooks.

Books may be purchased to honor a special occasion (birthday, Christmas, terrific report card) or person (relative, teacher, favorite librarian!). When appropriate, a bookplate will be included in the item purchased, and a card will be sent notifying your honoree. This is a great alternative for those who don’t need any more “stuff” – or consider it a gift to the entire community that relies on the Library for reading choices.

Library Days Returns to Books on the Common

If you are one of the more than 200 people who enjoyed Roz Chast’s presentation last week, you know exactly how precious is the partnership between Books on the Common and the Ridgefield Library. Together we bring Ridgefielders and other readers dozens of author and book events each year, an extraordinary treat for a town our size. Now the time is nigh for you to support both the bookstore and the Library to ensure that these wonderful opportunities continue.

The annual Library Days at Books on the Common will take place Thanksgiving weekend.   Just show your Ridgefield Library card at the cash register, and 15% of the proceeds of your purchase will be donated by the bookstore to the Library. 

Store hours are Friday 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM and Sunday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; call 203-438-9100 for more information about the store.  Ridgefield residents who do not have one may register for a library card at the Circulation Desk; all that is needed is proof of residence. 

Your support of local businesses like Books on the Common, and the bookstore’s support of the Library,   help keep Ridgefield an exceptional place to live, at the holidays and year-round.

Computer System Upgrade Coming November 9-10

Our circulation and catalog system, known as Evergreen, will be offline from 9:00 PM on Thursday, November 9 through 9 PM on Friday the 10^th  for a major upgrade.

• Checkout will be possible only upon presentation of your library card (look-ups will not be possible). We will not be able to accept fines or lost item payments, check items in or issue new cards or card renewals. Self-checkout machines will not be functioning.

• Library catalog and account features will be unavailable both remotely and at the Library, so you

will not be able to search our catalog, place a hold or renew items you have out. No notices of

overdues or holds ready for pick‐up will be sent.

• Print and time management for the Library’s computer workstations will not be able to recognize library card barcodes, so please ask at the desk for a guest pass.

• Remote and onsite connection to some databases and downloadable and streaming content that requires your library card number for log‐in may be affected.

Staff will be happy to offer alternative resources and to assist in locating items in the Library. We also look forward to sharing with you the resulting improvements to catalog searching and other functions once the upgrade is complete!

Friends in Need

As the old saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed.  Multiply that by dozens of dedicated volunteers, and you get our wonderful Friends of the Ridgefield Library.  With a mission of “serving and supporting” the Library, the Friends are truly a good friend to everyone who enjoys and benefits from our many programs and services. Essential partners in the capital campaign to build our new facility, they remain committed to helping us add new services like 3D printers and technology instruction while maintaining many well-loved programs such as Book Club Corner selections and Summer Reading Programs. If you enjoy free or discounted museum passes, Ridgefield Folk concerts or intensive literary series like our current Jane Austen programs, then you have the Friends to thank.  These and so many other offerings are only possible because of their generous financial and volunteer support.  So, we are pleased to thank and applaud them publicly during this year’s National Friends of Libraries Week (October 15-21).

You can support the Friends, and through them the Library, by shopping at their big fall used book sale this weekend (through Monday), visiting their online store at amazon.com/shops/forl or becoming a member (forms available at the Library Circulation Desk).

Learning at the Library

School has started, and our young people are embarked on an exciting journey of exploration and discovery. Don’t let them have all the fun of gaining new knowledge and mastering new skills.  The Ridgefield Library is your center for lifelong learning.  Here are a few ways you can take advantage of this resource.

Learn a language.  Our new online language learning program Pronunciator makes it easy for you to go from beginner to advanced proficiency in over 80 languages, from Italian to Icelandic.

Learn at your own speed.  Lynda.com offers thousands of online video tutorials covering business and computer skill topics.  Take a full course or just search for the answer to a specific question about how to do something in Excel or WordPress.

Learn from the best.  Our Great Courses collection includes audio (and some video) lecture series by highly rated professors who are experts and excellent educators on everything from astronomy to French literature.

Learn from each other. Book discussions, our Adult Maker Group and other interactive programs offer wonderful opportunities for participants to share their own insights and knowledge, enriching the learning experience for the whole group.