New for the New Year @ the Library

Each new year brings changes, and here are a few of the most recent ones at the Ridgefield Library.

•   Dedicated, convenient location for new DVDs: Look near the new books for a special display and shelving area for the latest additions to our entertainment DVD collection.
• New borrowing period for non-fiction DVDs (documentaries, how-to, etc.):  now 14 days instead of 7
• New borrowing period for magazines: now 14 days instead of 21 (current issues still only for use in the Library)
• More downloadable eBooks: Children’s and young adult titles are been added to our OverDrive collection for use on Kindle, Nook, iPad and other devices
• Tax forms: not a new concept, but forms for 2011 are newly available
• New bench at the entrance, given by her family in memory of the late Jean Keller, a loyal and beloved Library patron. As the inscription reads (and as Jean would say), “Laugh, Love, Learn” -worthy words to contemplate as you wait for a ride or take a study break.

Happy New Year – see you at the Library!

Take your Library with You Wherever You Go

Are you the proud new owner of a tablet computer or smartphone?  Then you will want to know about apps and mobile resources that allow you to access Ridgefield Library resources on the go.  Some are available for Apple devices, some for the Android operating system, some for both.  This is just a taste of what is available, and more features are being introduced every month. For details and links, visit the Technology page on our website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

• Search over 1,000 periodicals plus numerous databases and reference works with EbscoHost Mobile and Gale AccessMy Library.  Novelist, the premier electronic reader’s advisory tool, is also now available in a mobile version – imagine how useful this could be at your next book club meeting!
• Put that time waiting in line to good use brushing up your high school Spanish or one of numerous other  courses available through Mango Languages Mobile.
• Download audiobooks and eBooks directly to your smartphone or tablet through the Library’s subscription to OverDrive.  Youngsters can enjoy also animated talking picture books from TumbleBook.
• Find out what’s new at the Library with the mobile version of our event calendar or our Twitter account and Facebook pages.

Getting Ready to Read @ the Ridgefield Library

Striving to meet the growing needs of our young patrons, the Ridgefield Library is adding a new class to our winter children’s programs. Designed for children ages three and older, Ready to Read is a drop in workshop for children and caregivers that will help to reinforce pre-reading skills through books and fun activities. Children will receive practice that encourages phonological awareness, letter recognition, narrative skills and vocabulary enrichment. Using literature and games that can also be played at home, children will talk, sing, manipulate and have guided reading experiences. Ways to use science and math to encourage dialog and critical thinking skills will be demonstrated. Ideas from the Every Child Ready to Read program developed by the Public Library Association will be used together with current research –based information on skills necessary for achievement in Kindergarten. The class will take place on seven Thursdays from Jan. 5 through Feb. 16, from 2:00 – 2:45PM in Children’s Services . Children who are ready to read will be ready to learn and the Library hopes to encourage them along their way to success! 

Contributed by Children's Programmer Diane Antezzo

Holiday Schedule Changes @ the Library

Please note the following changes to the Library schedule in observance of the holidays.  We will be closed on Saturday, December 24^th and Sunday the 25^ty. We will be closing early at 3:00 PM on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31^st and will be closed on Sunday the 1^st.  All other hours remain the same (check www.ridgefieldlibrary.org for details), and we welcome those looking for books and DVDs to keep the kids occupied during cold vacation days or self-help volumes to get a jump on those New Year’s resolutions! And don’t miss our family-friendly entry in the “What the Dickens!” series – a showing of the Mr. Magoo animated version of “A Christmas Carol” on Wednesday, December 28^th at 11:00 AM.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all the many people who have shown their support for the Library during the past year, through both the Annual Appeal and the Campaign for the New Ridgefield Library.  You truly make a difference. If you wish to participate in either initiative before the end of the tax year on December 31^st, stop by the Library or make your gift online at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.  Thanks, and best wishes for 2012!

The Changing Face of Library Science

It is a truism that our interactions with libraries are changing as we (and they) adapt to the evolving digital world.  To explore this theme, the Artspace gallery in New Haven is presenting an exhibition entitled “Library Science,” for which they invited 17 artists to contemplate our physical, intellectual and personal relationships with libraries.  The results include an intriguing mix of drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and Web-based art work, on display at Artspace through January 28^th. You can also explore the exhibition online at www.libraryscienceexhibition.org.

Concurrently, the gallery has teamed up with the Connecticut Library Consortium to host a statewide festival of films in which libraries play a central role.  At 7 PM on December 12^th the Ridgefield Library will be presenting the documentary “The Man Who Wanted to Classify the World,” a 2002 film about the Belgian visionary Paul Otlet, who in the 1930s created a classification system that foreshadowed the  hypertext that defines our navigation of the World Wide Web. Dr. Gayle Bogel, director of the Educational Technology Program at Fairfield University, will lead a post-screening discussion on the themes of the film and the exhibition.   Please join us to explore the present and future of Library Science in our lives.

Good Reads Now Easier to Find

Looking for a book to read to your child or something to recommend to your elementary school-age reader? We now have go-to shelves of distinguished books for just this purpose: our new Caldecott and Newbery Award Books Collection.

The Caldecott and Newbery Medals are awarded annually by the Association for Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association: the Caldecott to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children and the Newbery to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

The most current Caldecott winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee (2011), is a beautifully illustrated, wonderful story of friendship. The Caldecott has been awarded since 1938 and we’ve organized the collection chronologically, so readers can see how the picture book has changed over the years.

The Newbery has been awarded since 1922 and this collection is also shelved chronologically, with the most recent winner (2011) Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool first on the shelf.

Come see us here in Children’s Services and we’ll be happy to help you as you browse this collection of award winning books. P.S. Caldecott and Newbery books make great holiday gifts!

Contributed by Children's Librarian Mary Beth Rassulo