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We extend profuse gratitude to the community of Grafton and our visitors and borrowers for their extreme patience during a very challenging August.
A heavy storm on Friday morning August 18 dumped over an inch of rain in a very short period of time, resulting in water unexpectedly breeching the lower gaskets of the four emergency exit doors on the south side of the building, flooding the Children's Room, Children's Program Room, storage closet and staff work room, Community Room and adjacent A/V Storage Closet and Kitchen. Town employees and library staff worked quickly to relocate items from the reach of the water, staunch the flood, remove water and dry carpets and floors, saving thousands of dollars in damage. The Children's Room took some time to clean and reorganize, but thanks to dedicated staff efforts, it was able to reopen Tuesday September 5 after the holiday weekend.
We continue to investigate what could have been to prevent these unfortunate circumstances, and currently have a claim into the Town's insurance company. Carpets have been cleaned and should not need replacement, the electricity is on again, and the vinyl flooring and about a foot of drywall and insulation may need to be removed and replaced.
To that end, we are able to proceed with the scheduled Friends of the Library Book Sale this weekend Saturday September 9 10am-4pm and Sunday September 10 12-2pm ($5 per bag!) and are currently taking donations of gently used books, CDs and DVDs in salable condition through Thursday September 7. We have suspended all new meeting room reservations until we have dates for repair, and advised conveners we may need to postpone or cancel existing reservations depending on the reconstruction schedule.
At the end of August, the Town of Grafton transitioned from Google Suite and Gmail to Office 365 and Outlook, resulting in a suspension of staff email accounts and mailing lists. We thank you for your patience while we organize our new inboxes and continue to train Outlook in what constitutes spam. If you sent a message in the last two weeks but did not receive a response, please do reach out with a phone call to 508-839-4649 during operating hours (Mon-Thu 10am-9pm and Fri-Sat 10am-6pm).
September is National Library Card Sign Up Month! Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the American Library Association and libraries unite in a national effort to ensure every child signs-up for their own library card. Throughout the school year, public librarians and library staff will assist parents and caregivers with saving hundreds of dollars on educational resources and services for students. From free access to STEAM programs/activities, educational apps, in-person and virtual homework help, technology workshops to the expertise of librarians, a library card is one of the most cost-effective back-to-school supplies available.
How much money can you save? Visit our Library Value Calculator to total your savings. An additional savings from us to you: replacement library cards are FREE during the month of September. Please stop by to put the most valuable card in your wallet to use this month!
Beth Schreiber,
Library Director
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