A LOOK BACK AT THE LIBRARY IN 2014: NEW E-RESOURCES, STAFF AND PROGRAMS GALORE!

If you read Bookmark every month, the changes at the Town of Pelham Public Library may seem to come in small increments, but looking back on the expanse of 2014 reveals what a big year it was: one in which important additions and enhancements were made to the Library’s roster of e-services, significant hires and gifts were made, Novel Night was once again an extraordinary success, and there was the usual healthy calendar of special programs — book readings, movie screenings, career counseling sessions and weekly story time for small children.

Here then is a look at the wonderful things the Library brought to Pelham in 2014, many of which will continue to benefit Library patrons in 2015 and years to come.

New Digital Resources
2014 was an active year when it came to new or enhanced Library e-resources, provided with the support of the Westchester Library System. Here’s a quick look:

Comics Plus Library Edition: This fun e-resource is now available to Library patrons via Web browser and apps for Android and iOS. With cartoons for all ages and tastes, the selection includes titles from 80 different publishers, including Adventure Time, Lego Ninjago, The Regular Show, Naruto, Doonesbury, Archie, Big Nate and Dragon Ball. Library cardholders can borrow up to ten books at a time; to sign up for an account, go to http://iversecomics.com/library-details and enter your Library card number and PIN.

OverDrive: This online service, which offers a wide variety of e-books and e-audiobooks, was integrated fully into the WLS online catalog in 2014, bringing its content offerings into all search results. All users need do is search via the Library website by clicking on “Search WLS catalog.”

WiFi Printing: Last fall, WiFi printing came to the Library, a significant upgrade to the Library’s existing printing services. It even allows people to print in color or black-and-white from the Library’s LaserJet printer when they are not at the Library. Print jobs can be uploaded via web portal or sent via the PrinterOn app for mobile devices; you can also email what you’d like printed to one of several email addresses dedicated to the service. Jobs can be picked up later in the day. For further details, go to pelhamlibrary.org and click on the WiFi Printing icon along the left-hand column.

New Website: Lastly, with funding from the Friends of the Library, pelhamlibrary.org relaunched in August. The new site is more visually oriented and contains more up-to-date Library news and an expanded calendar section that allows patrons to see what’s happening in coming months.

Freegal: As we head into 2015, there is already great news on the e-resources front. Online music service Freegal has launched a new website that now includes streaming. It allows Library cardholders not only to stream entire albums but also to stream for three hours per day, and the number of songs a user can download for free per week has been increased from three to five. Check out the Library website for more details.
Keep an eye on the Bookmark, the Library e-newsletter and the website for further upgrades and enhancements all year long!

New Staff Members
The Library made two new hires during 2014, and both people have now become familiar faces at the Library. Pelham resident Maureen Annunziata joined the Library over the summer as a part-time Library clerk; Augusta Turner started in April as the Library’s adult services librarian. Turner selects materials for the adult collection, advises readers, manages the Adult Book Club and also served as the coach for Pelham’s team in Battle of the Books.

Battle of the Books
Ah, yes, Battle of the Books! In October, a team composed of eight Pelham kids in grades 4 through 6 – dubbed the Pelham Page Turners — tied for third place in their age group in the Westchester Library System’s first “Battle of the Books.” The event, which drew on trivia from a selection of fiction and non-fiction, was staged on Saturday, October 18, at the Scarsdale Middle School with several hundred contestants, parents, coaches and volunteers in attendance.

The Library is already gearing up again to participate in 2015’s competition.

Novel Night
More than 700 people attended 2014’s Novel Night, the biennial fundraiser produced by the Friends, on Saturday, November 15. From Wodehouse to “Water for Elephants,” “Orange Is the New Black” to “My Name Is Red,” “The Savage” to “The Hobbit,” Pelhamites arrived at their theme dinners dressed to the nines and together made it a record-setting fundraiser, capping it off, as always, with dessert, drinks and dancing at The New York Athletic Club.

An Energizing New Gift
Ever left the Library sooner than you wanted because you needed to charge your phone, tablet or laptop? That will never have to happen again because of a generous gift made by the Junior League of Pelham at the end of the year: two charging stations that can each accommodate up to 15 patrons. Both stations provide regular plugs (15 volts) and USB ports (5 volts). Charge on!

Special Programs
2014’s special programs are too numerous to recite here, but here’s just a sampling that demonstrates the breadth and depth of events at the Library last year. They include the Adult Book Club; the eight-session career-counseling workshop, “Managing Your Career in Changing Times” by the WEBS Career and Educational Counseling Service; author talks; the “Fizz Boom Read” Summer Reading Program; and activities for children over the holidays.

More great things are to come in 2015!

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CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
Story Time: Tuesdays for ages 3 – 5, 10:30 a.m.; Wednesdays for children ages 2 and under, 10:30 a.m. Attendance is limited to the first 40 people who sign in, children and caregivers included.

Homework Help: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
For children in grades 1 – 8. Students must bring their written assignments and accompanying textbooks.

ADULT PROGRAMS
Book Club Hiatus in January: The Book Club is on its usual January hiatus. The next meeting will be on Thursday, February 5, when the Club will discuss The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.

Computer and Device Instruction: Call the Library to make an appointment for individualized instruction in popular programs or bring your device and get started with free apps that give library patrons access to free e-books, e-audiobooks, e-music and more.

LIBRARY NOTES
When Weather Closes the Library: ‘Tis the season … for weather that can disrupt normal routines. If the Library closes due to inclement weather, the news will be posted on the Library home page at pelhamlibrary.org, on its Facebook page, and on a recording at the main number, (914) 738-1234. You can renew books when the Library is closed by calling the Westchester Library System at (914) 674-4169. Due dates will be extended if the Library closure is unexpected.

Library Closed on Monday, January 19: The Library will be closed on Monday, January 19, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

(Reprinted with permission. This story originally appeared in The Pelham Weekly on January 9, 2015.)