Summer Is Definitely for Reading in Ridgefield!

The numbers are in, and we are proud to announce that a record number of people took part in Summer Reading this year at the Ridgefield Library.  What started as an activity for 180 children in 1988 engaged 1,807 children, teens and adults in 2013, 6% higher than the previous record set in 2011 and nearly 150 people more than last year.

These readers devoured 51,117 books, an average of 28.3 each, in just seven weeks.  Our “Fiction of Relationship” online course or MOOC, with its 10 classic works in 10 weeks, certainly contributed to these totals, but most of this can be attributed to good old-fashioned hunger for knowledge and adventure on the part of readers of all ages. Children going into grades K-5 recorded 41,634 books using our online reading log program; teens (grades 6-12) listed 8,972 items, and adults contributed 511 entries.

Many thanks to the Friends of the Library for their ongoing generous support of Summer Reading; to Deborah Ann’s Sweet Shop, Piccolo Pizza, The Toy Chest, Books on the Common and Parks and Recreation for providing prizes;  and to library staffers Carole Clark and Kathy Cherniavsky for creating incredible raffle baskets for Adult Summer Reading.

Changes Coming to Children’s Storytime Offerings

Registration for fall storytime sessions begins September 1^st and runs through the end of the month.  Many programs are currently offered on a drop-in basis, and sign-up when required is now done online (check www.ridgefieldlibrary.org/children/ for details).

When fall programs start on September 30^th, there will be a number of changes to the line-up.

Mother Goose (for birth-2) remains a drop-in program but will move to an earlier time on Tuesdays, with sessions at 9:30 or 10:30 AM starting in October.

After decades of showing book-based short films, the venerable Friday Flicks will be replaced this fall by Musical Storytime with Ann on Fridays at 11:00 AM.  This drop-in program for ages 2 and up will feature songs and stories from Ann Victor.  Ann has a BA in Music and is completing her Masters in Library Science this fall.  She is responsible for ordering and preparing our children’s materials and adding them to the catalog, and she looks forward to spending time with the youngsters who enjoy the end product of this work.

Also new this fall will be yoga classes for grades K-2 in October and grades 3-5 in November. And of course, there are plenty of special programs and old favorites on tap as well.

Dates & Deadlines!

Here are a few milestone dates that are coming up at the Library.  More information about all of these activities is available at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org. 

August 21 – Celebration of our new wishing well. Children ages 2-8 are invited for games, crafts and wishes for the New Library.  Bring your spare change!

August 21 – The final session of our “Fiction of Relationship” online course meet-up.

August 27 – The first day of school and the last day to log your summer reading and earn prizes.  Don’t forget to print out your list to take to your teacher.

September 2 – Library closed for the Labor Day holiday.

September 3 – The new deadline for submissions to our Library Card Design Competition.  Get your artwork in by 5:00 PM, and your design may be made into a library card!

September 8 – One for the Books: a record setting event hosted by Ancona's Wines & Liquors, Ancona's Market, and Tusk & Cup. Mitch Ancona will attempt to beat the world record for most bottles of Champagne opened with a sabre in one minute. Proceeds will benefit The Ridgefield Library.

September 8 – Sunday hours 1:00 to 5:00 PM resume at the Library.

A Streamlined Way to Download eBooks

Recently, OverDrive, the company through which the Ridgefield Library offers eBooks to our Library cardholders, made upgrades to simplify the process of downloading titles.  As part of this change, OverDrive added a new option for getting eBooks called “READ”.

Simply put, READ allows eBook access from any device with web browser capabilities and offers a one-step download process that OverDrive describes as “see book, read book.”  If you have a computer, tablet or phone that supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 10, you can download and read an eBook that you’ve checked out with a one-click process.  READ offers offline access to the title when you’re not connected to the internet and includes many options for customizing how the book is displayed, along with the ability to take notes and highlight passages. 

 For more information on this new feature visit our website or contact Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski.    Or join us for the upcoming Tech Fridays program on August 23rd in the Library Program Room.  Drop in anytime from 1 to 3 PM with all your questions about downloading eBooks or audiobooks from the Ridgefield Library website.  We hope to see you there.

Contributed by Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski

Read Before You Watch

Here at the Ridgefield Library we feel that the book is always better than the movie. But the sheer number of adaptations out there means the odds are against you having read the book before being exposed to the cinematic or televised version. Of course you were aware that The Hobbit and The Great Gatsby are based on books; but did you know that World War Z was? Max Brooks is the author. Or that Divergent is based on a very popular YA book series by Veronica Roth? Sequels like The Sea of Monsters and Catching Fire are probably on your book-to-film radar, but you may not know that The Mortal Instruments and Austenland are based on novels by Cassandra Clare and Shannon Hale respectively.  

Television is also rife with adaptations. Game of Thrones (books by George R.R. Martin) and Under the Dome (Stephen King) get a lot of press, but if you like Justified, you may want to read the Elmore Leonard books on which it’s based.

Come to the Library to read before you watch, or to read after you watch, or even to read and then write a script yourself before anyone else gets the idea! In addition to novels, we also have books on screenwriting. 

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