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Monthly Newsletter - August 2019
Letter from the Director
by Sally Tornow

It probably seems to you that there is no progress with the Library expansion, but behind the scenes much is happening. We are readying the majority of the collection to go over to storage at Pettibone School, we have moved items over to the First Congregational Church for Children’s programming and begun Summer Reading. Due to the Senior Center’s generosity, our adult programs are now being held in their lovely new room. As many of you may know, the project went out to bid, but we only received two bids, so we are re-opening the process with contractors invited to view the Library and the plans on Monday, July 29 th . There has been much interest this time, so we are hoping for a speedy choice. As with any big building project, delays and glitches happen, so we are hoping for ground breaking in late September or October. 

This project will be phased, which means the Library will be housed in the original 1898 building while the majority of the construction on the 70’s addition takes place. Obviously, for the entire Library to be in the 1898 building means very limited space for books. The children’s section will be in the current Picture Book Room; adult fiction, new items, dvd’s and cdbooks will be in what is now the regular children’s section with Circulation being at the current children’s desk; YA will continue to be in the hallway, but will also include the teen collection; nonfiction, computer access, and tables for working will be upstairs in Memorial Hall. An ADA compliant entryway will be located at the current side door on Whittlesey Ave.

Although we will have so little room and so much of our collection will be unavailable, rest assured that we will still be obtaining books from other libraries and we are beefing up our digital purchases, so more will be available through Axis 360, hoopla, and RBDigital. If you haven’t tried ebooks or eaudios, now is a terrific time to give them a shot. Each of those companies that provide our ebooks (Axis 360, hoopla, and RBDigital), have different methods of selling them to us. The Library pays Axis 360 and RBDigital for the use of each title and is allowed to lend that title to one person at a time. The publishers limit availability to libraries (I think they suspect you are all hacking geniuses who will steal the digital copy and make it available for free!) Some titles are only available for a certain number of checkouts, some for a period of one or two years, and some are available forever, but the publishers charge the Library up to $95 each. Unfortunately, most of the best sellers, like James Patterson, cost that much, so we can only afford one copy. Hoopla and (now Kanopy, our new movie access see article below) charge the Library for each use, but many people can check out the same title, so you never have to put something on hold. Since we cannot exceed our annual budget, we have to put a daily cap on use, which is why you should try to check items out as early as possible in the morning. Once the daily cap is reached, you receive that dreaded message “ERROR, The collective daily borrow limit set by your library has been reached….” which makes it sound like YOUR limit has been reached. Unfortunately, the Library’s spending limit has been reached for that day and you will need to wait until the next day to try again. All this sounds so complicated when you are used to Amazon, but once you have the hang of it, it’s not hard and, remember, best of all, it’s FREE!
New Hotspots Now Available
by Peggy Ganong, Library Technology Coordinator

We are pleased to announce that we now have a new, improved collection of hotspots available for loan. The new design is called Coolpad Surf and there are a total of 10 devices that you can borrow. Just stop by the Circulation Desk and check one out!


NMPL Adds a New Streaming Service
by Peggy Ganong, Library Technology Coordinator

The popular on-demand film streaming service Kanopy is now available for free at NMPL! With Kanopy, New Milford Patrons Will Have Free Access to more than 30,000 Films. Patrons may access Kanopy and sign up to start streaming films instantly by clicking here . Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast or Roku.
 
Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 of the world’s best films, including award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie and classic films, and world cinema with collections from Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Samuel Goldwyn, The Orchard, The Great Courses, PBS and thousands of independent filmmakers.

New Milford Library patrons have access to films of unique social and cultural value; films that are often difficult or impossible to access elsewhere, and programming that features diversity, with a wide array of foreign language films and films on current affairs. 
YA Librarian
by Sally Tornow, Library Director

It is particularly wonderful when someone from within can be promoted. Amy Berkun has worked for the Library for the past nine years in the Children’s Library as well as Reference. She has been tireless with her advocacy for the Library as a whole, implementing our participation in The Great American Read last year and obtaining a grant for the project from the American Library Association. You will remember seeing us all on the Green before the referendum last fall, exhorting everyone to vote – that was all Amy’s idea. For those of you who may not know her, the picture below is from that memorable day. Amy is married to another tireless Library supporter, Todd, and they have two children, Jess (off to college this year) and Josh, entering his sophomore year. It gives us great pleasure to announce that Amy Berkun will be our next YA Librarian, beginning Monday, July 29 th . Come in and say hi!
Programming Changes
by Peggy Ganong, Library Technology Coordinator

In anticipation of our impending renovation, some of our programming will be impacted, beginning in June:

  • For adult programs, some will be held in the library and some will be in the Senior Center. Please see our calendar or call 860-355-1191 x2 for more details.
  • For children’s programs, some will be held in the library and some will be in The Congregational Church on the Green, in the Church School building in the back. Please call the Children’s Department at 860-355-1191 x3 for more details.
Tech Programs