Welcome to fall, everyone. While some have strong feelings about summer and winter, surely we can all agree that fall is great. It is also when all the best books come out, so let me make this quick so I can get back to reading A Night Without Stars.

  • Magazines now circulate for 14 days instead of 7. This is something I have wanted to do ever since we extended DVD loan times. Magazines were the only things left that only went out for a week, and it didn't make sense to me to require y'all to make special trips to the library or online catalog halfway through your other loans. We couldn't do it without changing a consortium policy in C/W MARS that explicitly outlined magazines as circulating for "7 days" instead of "at least 7 days," though. At Users Council this past Tuesday, though, we did that. The new policy was approved and now you can keep magazines for as long as you keep DVDs: 2 weeks. Hopefully that makes life a little bit easier.
     
  • Contrary to some popular opinions,
    reading and sports are not mutually exclusive (Being a multi-faceted person is OK). One of the most reliable supporters of summer reading programs in Massachusetts is the Boston Bruins. One of our very own summer readers was the lucky winner of a jersey signed by the entire team. It even has a certificate of authenticity and all that jazz! Thanks, Bruins!
  • Our library is entering the Overdrive Advantage program, which will allow us to purchase e-content on the platform that will be available exclusively to our patrons for the first year and to the entire CW/MARS consortium after that. Right now, we only contribute $890 a year to the Overdrive collection out of our annual membership assessment, and many of our sister libraries have been doing likewise. Those funds are used by a consortial purchasing committee to buy titles that are shared throughout the entire network. A recent report, however, showed that we are simply not anywhere close to keeping up with demand. There are currently 787 titles that have holds ratios above 8 patrons per copy. When it comes our physical collections, we consider anything above 4 to be absolutely unacceptable. I am hoping to augment our increasingly-used electronic collections to offer a) more variety and b) shorter waiting times on popular titles.This also means that you should let me know when you can't find an e-book you want in Overdrive, because I might be able to obtain a license.
 
Thank you,

Justin Snook
Octoberfest!
 (now with llamas and goat poop)


The first of October is rapidly approaching, and we have had some interesting additions to the repertoire of things happening at the library.

  • The Friends of the Library will hold their book sale on the front walkway, flanked by the Slovak Catholic Sokol's legendary golumpkis on the west side of the lawn and llamas on the east.
  • The back yard will be taken over by a petting zoo. Baa! Moo! In addition, don't miss your chance to guess where the pebbles will fall as squares are drawn on the back lawn and populated with a well-fed herd. Octoberfest's first goat poop bingo game is a go.
  • Professor Jerry Williams will be once again taking on any and all upstarts who want to challenge him to a game of chess. From 9:15 to 12:30, anyone who can beat him wins a free pizza.
  • We will also be joined by special guest Pat Jackman Altomare, author of Not Just a Recipe: Celebrating People, Places, & Food. A master of "kitchen chat," Pat aims to link strong recipes with personal stories. She has been a regular food columnist in the Eagle Tribune, Gloucester Daily Times, Pelham Windham News, Hudson Litchfield News, and Salem Community Patriot. Come sit at Pat's table for good coffee and her authentic German beer coffee cake between 10:30 and 12:00! We'll be talking about coffee-cake, Munich, and everything in between, so bring your recipes, your stories, your questions, and your own sagely cake wisdom if you are willing to share.
Young Scientists! 
 
The YMCA Family and Community Parternship's Young Scientist program has been very popular every time we have done it so far, so we are bringing it back for a winter run! This is a STEM enrichment program for ages 3-5 that can accommodate 12 children.  A parent/caregiver is required and siblings are welcome. There'll be hands-on activities, a story time, and experiments!

The classes will be on Wednesdays at 10:00 am: November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and December 2. Registration is required, so call 508-476-2695 or email dsoderman@cwmars.org for more information!

Intrepid Readers
 
The Intrepid readers will be meeting again on October 11 at 6:30 pm to chat about William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.

As I lay dying is Faulkner's harrowing account of the Bundren family's odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Told in turns by each of the family members--including Addie herself--the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos.  -Goodreads

Come join the conversation and enjoy homemade refreshments!

Greatest Book Club Ever

 
Come join Josh Tetreau's glorious book club on October 13th at 6:30pm. They'll be chatting about The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman and drinking wicked strong coffee.

After years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper nearly half a day's journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, Isabel hears a baby's cries on the wind. A boat has washed up carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, whose records are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom's judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.ay dying is Faulkner's harrowing account of the Bundren family's odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Told in turns by each of the family members--including Addie herself--the novel ranges in mood from dark comedy to the deepest pathos.  -Goodreads 


Brought to you by the Friends of the Simon Fairfield Public Library. They also fund library programming, reading prizes, and many other services. They accept donations online if you'd like to support them:
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