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!

Digital Media Survey Underway

Do you use the Library's OverDrive downloadable audiobook and eBook service?  Have you come to one of our Tech Topics sessions on e-readers?  Do you stream music or video you find on the Internet? The environment for content creators and consumers is in a constant state of change, with new delivery systems and devices coming on the market almost daily. Here’s an opportunity for you to help shape the future of digital content at the Ridgefield Library.

We are fortunate to have been chosen as the site for a research project on digital media use in libraries, undertaken by graduate student Dawn Zimmerer, who is completing her Masters in Library Science at Southern Connecticut State University.  We invite you to participate in the brief survey she has put together and look forward to learning the responses of our patrons on this very timely topic.

Thank you for considering this request.  To participate, you may pick up a paper copy of the survey at the Library or take the survey online at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org. Average completion time is less than 15 minutes. The deadline is June 18th, so do it today. Thank you for your input.

Calling all Mystery Lovers

Do you like to read mysteries? Would you like to talk about them with fellow enthusiasts? Then the Ridgefield Library is the place for you. In response to patron demand, we are planning to launch a mystery book discussion group in the fall, and we would love to have your input about format, book selection process, frequency of meetings and all the other factors that contribute to a successful book group. We invite you to take our short Mystery Lovers’ Survey, either online at our webpage at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org or by picking up a paper copy at the Library.

We will be trying out some of these ideas on June 25th at 10:00 AM, when the AM Book Group will be discussing Agatha Christie’s “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” featuring iconic sleuth Hercule Poirot. Mystery lovers will also be in for a treat this summer, when author and scholar Joanne Dobson returns with more of her popular Brown Bag Lunch sessions. This year we will be looking at the contributions of Christie and Edgar Allan Poe to the creation of the mystery genre, as part of our celebration of the Summer Reading Program theme of “Be Creative @ your Library.” Join us!

Website Survey Underway

We’re re-designing our website, and we need your help! Whether you are a regular visitor or have not yet explored the Virtual Ridgefield Library, we invite you to come to www.ridgefieldlibrary.org, take a look around, and then complete a brief online survey by following the link on the main page.

For a list of online services currently offered by the Ridgefield Library, pick up one of our blue informational bookmarks. One side gives our hours and contact information; the other details many of the things you can do even when you can’t come to the Library in person, including:

• Check the event calendar for upcoming programs
• Search the catalog
• Reserve a book
• Check your account for a list of what you have checked out
• Renew most items
• Download an audiobook for listening on your computer or mp3 player
• Get reference help 24/7 from the InfoAnytime virtual reference desk
• Get ready for the SATs and other tests with Learn-a-Test and PrepMe
• Research almost any topic with dozens of authoritative databases from ProQuest, Ebsco and other respected publishers of reference materials
• Check stock prices with ValueLine or recent antique sales with Prices4Antiques
• Read Library Lines, BiblioEvents and other newsletters and publications
• Make a secure online donation to support the Library

What else would you like to see on the site? Podcasts of storytimes and other programs? Online event registration? A blog where you could post your own reviews of the books you’ve read? More information on a favorite research topic? RSS alerts when something new is added to the site? The survey will be open until December 15^th, so don’t miss this chance to let us know what you are looking for.

Cell phones – they are ubiquitous, they are obnoxious and, for some people, they are indispensable. What is a “quiet” place like the Library to do in the face of this explosion of constant communication?

Realizing that many people do need to be reachable for work or family purposes, we have designated two locations in the Library, one on each floor, where cell phone use will be permitted. These are the lobby on the second floor at the top of the stairs (between Children’s Services and the Fiction Room) and the lobby of the Dayton Program Room (when it is not being used for a program). And, of course, there is always the great outdoors, at least in good weather!

We ask that all cell phone users turn their phones off or to silent mode prior to entering the Library. This will avoid an unexpected ring tone disturbing those who are trying to concentrate. If you do receive a call, or need to make one, please restrict your conversation to the designated areas. Not only will this spare those around you from having to listen to the details of your personal life, it will protect your privacy as well.

With so much activity crammed every which way into our building, it is very difficult to separate loud and quiet activities. Seventy percent of respondents to our recent “Library Listens” survey agreed that better “zoning” for noise control would improve the library experience. This is just one of the issues the Library staff and Board are hoping to address as we continue work on the design of our proposed building expansion. In the meantime, please help us by following the new cell phone guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation!

Many thanks to all the Ridgefield residents who took the time to complete our recent “Library Listens” survey. Nearly 600 people responded, about one-third filling out paper surveys and the rest taking advantage of the online version on our webpage. We have begun the process of analyzing the data, and these results will provide important input to our ongoing process of planning for the Ridgefield Library of the future. Also very interesting but harder to quantify are the extensive comments that many people added. The Library board and staff will be reading these notes carefully as well, and we appreciate the time and thought that went into these detailed responses.