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.

Paccadolmi Honors Awarded

The 2016 Paccadolmi Awards were given out on December 4th during a special holiday gathering of Library supporters and friends. The awards are named in honor of Phyllis Paccadolmi, Miss P to the generations of Ridgefielders she knew during more than 5 decades with the Ridgefield Library. This year’s honorees are Ellen Burns and Darwin Ellis, owners of Books on the Common, and Theresa Miller and Julie Yaun.

Ellen and Darwin support our many author talks with book sales, promotion, and a true love of contemporary books and authors.  They have donated an untold number of gift certificates and Grand Prize Shopping Sprees for our Summer Reading Programs for all ages and have been active participants in several community-wide reading initiatives.  Since 2005 they have hosted Library Days at Books on the Common during Thanksgiving weekend, engaging local shoppers and library users in a campaign to earn donations from the store for the Ridgefield Library. 

For the 3 years since our first Great Expectations gala, Julie and Theresa have been the backbone of this major fundraising effort, gracefully yet firmly organizing a multitude of logistics, from table lay-out to valet parking. Thanks to Theresa and Julie and their committee, these events are uniquely entertaining, smooth running and financially successful.  

Students Vote for State Book Award at Ridgefield Library

It’s April, and that means it is time for the children of Connecticut to vote for the Nutmeg Book Award winners! The Nutmeg Book Award encourages children in grades 2-12 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of nominated titles.  The nominees are chosen by committees of public and school librarians from across the state. There are now four divisions: Elementary for grades 2-4 (new this year and the only division that includes nonfiction), Intermediate for grades 4-6, Teen for grades 7-8, and High School for grades 9-12. It is Connecticut’s own book award.  To help make voting easy, the Ridgefield Library has put Nutmeg Book Award ballots online. You can see a link to them if you stop by our Facebook page, or if you follow us on Twitter, or on the Library’s website. Students who are not voting at school are encouraged to vote online using our ballot. Please only vote once, either at school OR online. The winning books will be announced on May 15, and the new list of nominees will come out at that time as well. Spring is Nutmeg Book Award time!

Contributed by Teen Services Librarian Geri Diorio

November Is Picture Book Month

November is a time for thanksgiving!  So what better opportunity to give thanks for children’s picture books? November has been designated as Picture Book Month, and we are celebrating this special genre with a display of time honored contributors – Margaret Wise Brown, Eric Carle, Bernard Waber, and Dr. Seuss – to mention just a few!  The America Library Association defines a picture book as one which “provides the child with a visual experience” and has a “collective unity of story-line, theme or concept.”  Beatrix Potter’s “Tale of Peter Rabbit” from 1902 is one of the first picture books and is still popular today! Picture books are a unique balance between story and illustration – in the best ones the story line and the picture complement each other. Since 1938, the Caldecott Medal has been given annually to the artist of the “most distinguished American picture book for children published by an American publisher.” In the Lodewick Children’s Library, we keep the Caldecott winners together in one shelving location so they are easy to find. Please drop by and explore our Caldecott collection or visit our special picture book display and introduce your children to some of your old favorites!

Contributed by Acting Head of Children's Services Kathy Cherniavsky

Congratulations and Thanks to Paccadolmi Award Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2014 Paccadolmi Awards, given out at the Library’s dedication ceremony on May 9^th.  For generations of Ridgefielders, Phyllis Paccadolmi personified the Ridgefield Library, and this award honors those whose commitment to the Library exemplifies her spirit and dedication.  This year’s honorees are Philip & Christine Lodewick for leadership and the Friends of the Ridgefield Library for volunteer service.

Philip Lodewick, aided by his wife Christine, served as Chair of the Campaign for the New Ridgefield Library. He coined the slogan Do It Once, Do it Right, Do It Now, and then made it happen just that way.  It is due to his leadership that the Library was able to raise over $15 million privately and to secure bond funding of $5 million from the town at referendum.

The Friends of the Ridgefield Library's commitment of $100,000 in 2006 was virtually the first pledge received for the project, and their further commitment in 2013 was the gift that pushed us well along towards our fundraising goal.  Along the way, they helped out in every possible way.  With total giving of over $300,000 and countless hours of volunteer service, the Friends have been indispensable and inspirational.

Spring Is Nutmeg Book Award Time

It’s April, and that means it is time for the children of Connecticut to vote for the Nutmeg Book Award winners! Connecticut’s own book award encourages children in grades 4-12 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of nominated titles.  Traditionally the Ridgefield Library invites Ridgefield students to stop in at the Library and vote for their favorite Nutmeg nominee. But since we will be closing down for several weeks to move into our new building, and we don’t want students to miss the opportunity to vote, we have a new way for you to participate. The Ridgefield Library has put Nutmeg Award ballots online. You can see a link to them on our webpage, if you stop by our Facebook page, or if you follow us on Twitter.  Students who are not voting at school are encouraged to vote online using our ballot. Please only vote once, either at school OR online. The winning books will be announced on May 15. Also happening in mid-May will be the introduction of a new Nutmeg Book Award level. The Elementary level offers books for the youngest readers, students in grades 2 through 4. Spring is Nutmeg Book Award time!

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

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

Nutmeg News

Drumroll, please!  The 2013 Nutmeg Book Award winners have been announced.  31,157 students in Connecticut read and voted on their favorite books from twenty nominated titles. The Intermediate Level Award (grades four to six) winner is “Because of Mr. Terupt” by Rob Buyea.  In this book, seven students weigh in on Mr. Terupt’s first year as a fifth grade teacher. The students tell their own stories, from the new kid to the bully, about their year together.  The Teen Level Award (grades 6 to 9) winner is Jonathan Mayberry’s “Rot & Ruin”, a thrillingly scary zombie tale about two brothers, both working as zombie killers. Announcing the winners also signals that it is time to announce the new nominees. There are now three levels to the Nutmeg Book Awards: Intermediate, Teen, and the new High School level. The Nutmeg Book Awards titles are high quality books, recommended by a panel of teachers, librarians, and student readers from across Connecticut. Students are encouraged to read as many of the titles as they like, then vote for their favorites each April. Ten books are nominated for each level, and the Ridgefield Library has copies of all thirty nominees for your elementary, middle and high school age children to come check out.

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

Connecticut’s Own Book Awards

Children have been stopping in at the Ridgefield Library for a couple of months now, asking “When can I vote for my favorite Nutmeg book?” and we can finally answer:  “Now!”  The Nutmeg Book Awards are Connecticut’s homegrown book awards for children. Each year, committees of librarians, teachers, and students choose lists of ten novels that become Nutmeg nominees. There are award levels for students in grades 4 to 6 (the Intermediate nominees), and students in grades 7 to 9 (the Teen nominees).  Students can read as many nominees as they are able to, then vote for their favorite. Many students vote at their school libraries, but the Ridgefield Library offers a designated voting spot in our juvenile fiction section, so if our younger patrons don’t get a chance to vote at school, they can cast their ballot here at the Library. The winners will be announced on May 15, and a few weeks ahead of that, on May 1, the 2014 batch of nominees will be announced. Voting in April with announcements happening in May is new for the Nutmegs. The schedule has been changed to better align with the school calendar. So if your child has read some Nutmeg nominees, please bring them in to vote before the end of the month!

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

And the Oscar Goes to: A Book

The Academy Awards took place Sunday.  The nominees were particularly literary this year. Six of the nine best picture nominees were based on books: The Descendants, The Help, Moneyball, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Hugo and War Horse.  Hugo, the film with the most nominations (11), was based on a children’s book, Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Even comics got their due: The Adventures of Tin Tin was based on Herge’s classic graphic novels and was nominated for Best Musical Score.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 even had three nominations: for Art Direction, Make-up and Visual Effects.  Three of the five best actors nominated gave performances based on characters in a book - George Clooney for The Descendants, Brad Pitt for Moneyball and Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – as did all five of the best actress nominees – Viola Davis for The Help, Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs, Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady, Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn and Rooney Mara for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The Ridgefield Library has or can get all these books.  Why not experience these Oscar nominated tales in their original, print form?  You can even eat popcorn while reading them!

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

It’s Time to Vote…..for your favorite Nutmeg book!

Voted on by young readers across the state, the Nutmeg Book Awards are Connecticut's premiere honor for outstanding children's literature. Each year, youngsters choose their favorite from a list of ten nominated titles in two categories: children in Grades 4-6 participate in the Intermediate category, and readers in Grades 7 and 8 select from a list of Teen nominations.

To be nominated for the award, books must be well-written works of fiction which are copyrighted in the U.S., first published no more than five years ago and now available in paperback. 

Students are NOT required to read all ten books to vote, but here at the Ridgefield Library we offer a number of programs to encourage the reading of the nominated titles, including Nutmeg Nibblers and Nutmeg Teen book discussions, as well as author talks.  We also make sure we have plenty of copies, so there are always enough to go around.  

Students can vote once either at their school library or at their public library.  We have ballots and a voting box in Children’s Services should students choose to cast their vote here at the Ridgefield Library.  Voting closes January 31^st, with the winners to be announced on February 14^th.  

Contributed by Children's Librarian Mary Beth Rassulo