Arm Chair Travel or Morsels to Whet Your Travel Appetite

The world is getting smaller with technology enabling us to link to each other around the world close to instantaneously.  We can chat to people around the globe, see them as they live their daily lives and be impressed with the similiarities and differences among people. For some of us this translates into a deep curiousity and need to experience different worlds while we imagine ourselves “being there” or actually physically going and experiencing something other than what we understand.  Spring is typically a time where people start to travel for a variety of reasons. Perhaps to be with family around holidays, to explore college campuses, or to seek out the wonderful heat of other climes.

 Travel books, audiobooks, and DVD’s are some of the most popular library materials in Fairfield.  We are constantly updating, reviewing and purchasing new travel materials.  Here are six new books that are sure to fascinate. The Elephant’s Secret Sense. The Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa by Caitlin O’Connell (599.64 O); Francisco’s Italy. A person journey through Italian culture - past and present by Franciso Da Mosto (945 D - Francisco appears on the Travel Channel narrating his travels and love for his native Italy.); Imagining Egypt. A Living Portrait of the Time of the Pharoahs written and illustrated by Mark Millmore (932 M); Jobs for Travel Lovers. Opportunities at Home and Abroad, 5th ed.  by Ron and Caryl Krannich (331-702 on the Rotary shelf); Sandy Berger’s Great Age Guide to Online Travel (910.4 B); and Soaring with Fidel. An Osprey Odyssey from Cape Cod to Cuba and Beyond by David Gessner (598.93 G).  They are all ready for you in the new books section!  Place a hold from home or office. Come in and browse!

Self check-out coming new week!

Next week we hope to enter a new era in library service.  Come in and try our brand new self check-out stations. Also expect to see our staff ready to help you use this new technology.  Ask us to show you how to use the machines. Just think - less time standing in line waiting to have your items checked out!

Please note we will be retrieving your books on hold as we have always done. We will also be checking out some materials that are not tagged such as magazines, music CD’s, playaways and children’s materials! And know we are always check-out your materials if you prefer. 

Please recognize that we are also learning this new technology alongside you. We will make mistakes and we will not always know the answers but we will do our best to help! 

Try these two new books about technology: Totally Wired. What teens and tweens are really doing online by Anastasie Goodstein (305.235 G) and Boys and their Toys by Bill Adler, Jr. (155.332 A). 

Happenings at the Library!

Wondering about those sleek machines sitting in wait to the side of the Circulation Desk? These two new self check-out stations will be ready for public use in April! We will let you know when this new service is ready for you.  This will mean less waiting time in check-out lines and more personal service when you really need it!

The very best thing about being a librarian is being able to assist someone find what they are looking for. We love sharing our thrill of finding a great read. But we can assist you well beyond the hottest bestseller. We can help you find a classic movie or an old favorite song. We can point you to programs for learning or leisure. In fact, this Wednesday our fabulous Teen Librarian will offer hands-on help for students in grade 6 through 12 to develop effective research skills. Students are invited to these 1/2 hour sessions in the Teen Room starting at 6 pm.   Just click on the library website in the box to the right and sign up.  Teens are also invited to join the the new Between Books - Between Readers Book Club at the Main Library from 3:30 - 4:30 pm.  Why not try 2 new great Teen books - To Dance by Siena Cherson Siegel - a great graphic novel that is a memoir of the ups and downs of a dancer’s life. Mystery writer China Meiville tries her hand at young adult writing with Un Lun Dun and succeeds.  This is a great choice for teens patiently waiting for the final Harry Potter book. 

Drop by the Fairfield Woods Branch on Friday at 3 pm and play a board game with your friends. Students from grades 1 to 6 are welcome to participate. No need to register. Just come and enjoy! 

Our last Soundwaves Concert - Straviganza with guest artist Margaret Kampmeier -will complete the series this Sunday March 25 at 3 pm. 

Let us know how we can better serve you! Send us a comment and we will respond.

Providing new materials for you continuously!

We buy new materials for you continuously. Providing new materials for Fairfield is one of core business activities. We are always reading reviews from diverse sources, talking to each other about new releases, and listening to you while you share what you like to read for leisure and information purposes.  We have quite a responsibility to develop collections for particular populations. We provide 40 different types of materials for children (e.g., books, music CD’s, books on CD, parenting information, etc.) We provide  22 different types of materials for adults (e.g., DVDs, magazines, electronic databases, large type books, etc.). We continue to develop our teen collections purchasing 11 different types of materials (e.g., manga, graphic novels, etc.)

At any given time you can see shiny new materials on our shelves just waiting for you to discover them. This week we have several works by first-time novelists:  Spellman Files  by Lisa Lutz, Edge of Midnight  by Charlene Weir, and King of Colored Town  by Danny Wimberley. We have informative non-fiction books such as: Best-ever Wheat and Gluten-free Baking  by Mary Ann Wenniger, Becoming Chicago  by Gail Levin, and Mommy Millionaire by Kim Lane.  Just go to the library’s online catalog to the right of this message and place a hold on any of these materials.

Most people tell us they still enjoy browsing our shelves and discovering a new author, an interesting new movie or a delightful children’s book with magical illustrations. You can always browse online too and see what new materials we have for you!  Just click onto the online catalog and view the new titles!

Fairfield Library bustles with activities!

Winter tends to be one of our busiest times in the Library!  Last week proved that to be true with so many people attending our programs. Over 70 literature enthusiasts flooded the Rotary Room to soak up  the first program in the 4-part  Imagined Women   series led by tour de force Dr.  Mark Schenker.  Local Fairfield hot music group “Tristate” released their first CD  “Have fun at your desk!” to 120+ exuberant fans on Saturday night.  On Sunday we hosted two very popular programs - Les Srager hosted Fairfield Plays Hollywwood attracting over 50 people who enjoyed the classic movie “Laura.” Fiddlefest, the second concert in the 3-part Soundwaves concert series,  thrilled 60 music lovers.  

This week is packed full of activities. The Teen Advisory Group meets on Tuesday at the Main Library from 7-8 pm.  Teens (or thereabouts) from grades 6-12 are welcome. Storytimes continue at the Main and Fairfield Woods Library.  At the Branch there are openings for the Book Voyagers on Wednesday at 6:30. Children from 6-10 years are welcome.  Visit the Branch on Friday at 3 pm and play board games with other elementary school children. Drop in to Saturday storytimes at the Main or the Branch at 10 am. Children ages 3 and up (with their grownups) please join us! 

The Art Committee of the Friends of the Fairfield Library will host an artist reception this coming Saturday from 5-7 pm.  Be moved by the photos of Jerome Nalewajk in the Bruce S. Kershner Art Gallery at the Main Library. 

Have you noticed the great new changes to the lobby at the Main Library? Check out the lovely plants and paintings on the wall.  Patrons have commented these additions have warmed up this area! 

Send us your thoughts and comments about the Library!  

Open to Serve You!

Both the Main Library and the Fairfield Woods Library are open to serve you today.  The Pajama Storytime will be held as planned at 6:30 pm today. All those children 2 to 6  years of age who pre-registered are welcome to attend.  This week is a busy week with Bob Smith’s Shakespeare 8-week series continuing on Wednesday at 7 pm.   There are still openings for this program presented by the Friends of the Library for a fee of $60 for members and $100 for non memhers.  Please come to the Circulation Desk to register and pay for the program. Talking about Books: Imagined Women led by Yale scholar Mark Schenker starts this Thursday March 1 at 7 pm.  There is still room in this program.  At 2 pm on Sunday you can enjoy the great classic movie “Laura” in the Rotary Room. Get your name on the waiting list for the Soundwaves Concert: Dueling Violins for this Sunday at 3 pm.  Some spaces may come available.  You can call the 256-3160 to register or you can register online at www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org. Click on the “Calendar of Events” link. Friends of the Fairfield Library — look for the newsletter coming to you this week!  Please send me with your comments or suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you.

No rest for the Library as we welcome you during school vacation week!

This week started off with a bang when we remained open at the Main Library for President’s Day from 9 -5 pm. Visitors told us they loved having their library open on this holiday.  Patrons filled the computer lab, asked for reference help in adult and children’s services all day, kids played in the little farm, and people checked out items all day long.

Hope you have noticed that connecting to the Library and searching our website is faster now with the increased bandwidth.

You may have noticed our new trendy security gates are now installed at the Main Library. You may have also noticed they are beeping as you enter the building. Please be patient as we tweak them so they become silent gatekeepers of our new materials. 

We have two teen programs this week - a cool craft program at 3 pm Wednesday and a movie on Thursday at 3 pm. Children are invited to a movie on Wednesday playing at 3 and a program on Thursday “So you want to be president” at 1 pm. There are still openings so register online or give us a call.

The Friends of the Library present acclaimed author and lecturer Bob Smith in this new 8-week Shakespeare Series starting Wednesday night at 7 pm. This is a subscription-only program. Friends of the Library fee $60; others $100.  

Look for upcoming information on new programs: Colloquy: The Art of Conversation starting in April and Writers Workshops.

Please send up your comments and ideas about how best to serve you.

Hot news in Cold Spell in Fairfield

Another week is upon us and we are staying warm with all the activity at the Library. Next week we will be installing our security gates at the Main Library entrances. There will be some noise but hopefully little inconvenience for all of our visitors. Even better news - we should have our Internet connection speed enhanced significantly this weekend so communicating online with us should be far faster very soon! This coming weekend we host our first Soundwaves Concert on Sunday, 3pm in the Memorial Room. Right now there are some seats available so register now if you are going to join us. Most children’s programs are full but we have drop-in programs on Saturdays. Over 30 teens join Nicole, our Teen Librarian, on Thursdays from 3-5 pm at the Fairfield Woods Branch.

Monday Morning Musings!

We are very excited to be offering so many great services for our patrons.

Children’s Services is offering Spanish Storytime programs and there is still room for the 8-9 year-olds. Register online or give us a call.

Teens Services just received their brand new DDR pads so people will be using them during the next DDR program on Feb. 20 at 6 pm at the Main Library.  On March 4 the Library will be co-sponsoring local band “Tri-state.”  In May look for a Wizard Rock band to be playing at the Library too!

Our winter/spring Tech Topics series started this Saturday.  This session was fully subscribed. If you would like some hands-on very personable assistance managing the mouse why not register for the Tech Topics session “Mousing Around,” on Feb. 9 at 9:30 at the Fairfield Woods Branch.

Sunday Feb. 11 at 3 pm is our first Soundwaves concert “Tango Time.” Come and hear world class musicians in our world class Main Library. The program is filling up so register online or call 256-3160 as soon as possible.

We will be purchasing more of the popular new Playaways for the Branch Library and for children.  They are so easy to use. Just hang them around your neck and go for a walk. Finish your walk. Bookmark your place and pick up where you left off on your next walk.

Please send us your thoughts and suggestions.

Greetings!

Our mission for this blog is to create another way for the Library to develop bonds with the community. We have the physical plant, we have the phone, we have email and the website and now we hope to communicate with the community using this ”Blog.”  Perhaps we can extend our relationship so we can better understand and serve your needs. This will be our vehicle to provide tidbits of information about the Fairfield Library to keep you as well informed as possible.  And perhaps we will both develop new and wonderful ways to provide even better library service.  Naturally we hope this is a fun way to interact with each other.

For starters the work on the Main Library entrances is complete.  We have a bit of work to do later on but both entrances will remain open.

Fairfielders have responded enthusiastically to the Playaways and we hope to purchase more soon. Look for them at the Branch too in the near future.

Soundwaves - our new innovative Music Series - begins Sunday February 11, at 3 pm in the Memorial Room. Call 256-3160 to register soon as there is limited seating.

Call to register or register via the events calendar for our popular Tech Topics series and look for more literary programming soon.

Teen programming continues as Nicole the Teen Librarian conjures up exciting programs including DDR tournaments, Write a Better Research Paper on Jan. 30, decorate a Valentine’s cake on Feb. 13 at the Main and Branch Libraries, and a possible CD release party in March.

Childrens’ programs are filling up fast. Each time we visit that department it is a joy to see so many parents chatting as their children have their very first library experience in the Little Farm.

Please drop a line when you have some time.