New Library Will Be a Safe Place

Many thanks to the generous donor who just purchased an AED defibrillator for the New Library through our Wish List program.

In addition to the "heart safe" designation this equipment will make possible, the New Library will have other safety features that were not available in the old building, including a full sprinkler system and video surveillance of key areas.  We look forward to offering a safe destination for all!

Wish List for the New Ridgefield Library Launched

Our new Library Wish List has just been launched! Furniture, fixtures and equipment to support library services and operations in the new building have been ordered, and now we are seeking individuals, families and businesses to step up and help pay for these purchases.   Choose from dozens of items at giving levels from $50 to $15,000. In addition to furnishings for the New Library, you may also choose to support some of our ongoing programs and collections like Books & Breakfast or downloadable e-book subscriptions.  

You can browse the entire list here.

Current Print and Time Management System To Be Discontinued 12/31/13

The service we use for print and time management on our Public Access Computer workstations is being discontinued as of the end of this month. We will switch to an honor system for paying for print-outs and monitoring fair time allowances until we move to the New Ridgefield Library this coming spring. If you believe you may have a credit towards printing on your card, please check at the Reference Desk now about getting a refund; after 12/31 we will no longer have access to this information and will not be able to issue refunds.

Once we move to the new building, we will offer a much more flexible and user-friendly system, which will also accommodate printing from laptops and other portable devices using our wireless access!

Air conditioning in this weather?!

Hard to imagine right now with below freezing temperatures and a thick blanket of snow, but by next August we will be very grateful for the large HVAC units being installed this week on the roof of the New Ridgefield Library.  If you look closely in between the snow flakes you can see the units being put into place.  Work is also underway on a wall designed to screen this utilitarian equipment from casual view.

Got a Question?

You can always post a comment on this blog if you have questions about the New Ridgefield Library.  But you can also get an instant response from Library Director Chris Nolan on Facebook.  From 8:00 - 8:30 every Tuesday morning, Chris will be available to chat "live," so visit the New Ridgefield Library on Facebook and satisfy your curiosity about the building project - or any other library matters on your mind.

Landscaping Underway at 472 Main Street

There is still plenty of work going on inside the New Ridgefield Library (sheetrock walls and millwork doorframes are going up everywhere), but the site itself looks more and more finished.  In the picture below, you can see rolls of sod being laid so they can "take" before the weather is too frigid, along with one of the new trees that has been planted.  And check out the striping on the parking lot!

Technology Proposals Sought for the New Ridgefield Library

Ridgefield Library Association, Ridgefield, CT is seeking cost proposals for new Technology Equipment – Voice Communications, Audio Systems, Video Surveillance and Network Equipment. Documents for Proposals can be obtained only on the Library website (click here).  Proposals are due no later than December 17, 2013 @ 2:00 PM.

Planning for Programs in the New Ridgefield Library

Our busy program planners are already filling in the calendar for the spring and summer of 2014, when we will be moving into the New Ridgefield Library and able to take advantage of the additional space and expanded resources it will offer.  We will have two main program rooms on the lower level, which can be opened up into one big space for popular events like Ridgefield Folk concerts (look for Kim and Reggie Harris in May). In the picture below, you can see the ceiling track which will hold the room divider making this possible. There will also be two program spaces in the Children's Library, a technology resource center and a board room for meetings. 

Getting Ready for Winter on the Jobsite!

Did you see the big steamroller puffing out hot clouds into the cold air at 472 Main Street this morning? Paving of the parking lot is underway!  It turns out that asphalt plants close down for the winter because the cold makes it impossible for the materials to adhere properly.  So construction projects like ours often lay down paving in the fall, even if completion of construction is months ahead.

As the picture below shows, the outside of the building itself is also being "buttoned up" for the winter, with virtually all the glass, masonry and other exterior materials in place.  With the building taking shape so nicely on the outside, gas heaters will keep the interior comfortable for workers continuing to put mechanical systems, walls and other details in place.

YA Will Be Teens in the New Library

“Divergent” by Veronica Roth, “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer and “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins used to be in our YA (Young Adult) fiction collection. Now, to find one of those titles, you need to go to our Teen fiction collection. 

The Future Business Leaders of America from Ridgefield High School spent several hours in the Ridgefield Library on October 24, helping us re-label the entire YA Fiction collection. These cheerful teenagers spent their volunteer time sticking new labels that read “Teen” over old labels that read “YA”, then taping the labels down.  They handled several thousand books and helped us quickly make the transition to the collection’s new designation. 

Why did we make this change? Well, we have a staff position called Teen Services Librarian, who works with our Teen Advisory Group. The Teen Services Librarian serves people in middle school and high school; they are ages 12-18; they are teens, not young adults. “YA” is a jargon-y term that book publishers’ marketing departments use. It seems right to eliminate it from the Library, and to use a word that is clearer, more accurate, and reflects what our patrons call themselves: teens.

When the New Ridgefield Library opens in the spring, there will be a new Teen Room for these patrons - the first dedicated space for this age group we have ever offered, where they will be able to study together, chat about books, play games and more.

Friends Tour the New Library

The Friends of the Ridgefield Library board recently toured the jobsite for the New Ridgefield Library.  Here they are seen standing in one of the spaces that has been allotted to them for sorting and storage of donations for their signature used book sales.    BTW, their big fall book sale is underway this weekend, Friday through Monday - details are at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

RFID Tagging Underway!

Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski and Friends of the Library President Rhonda Hill hard at work "tagging."  With the help of the Friends and other volunteers, the Library staff are placing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag in every book and other item we own.  This will allow us to introduce a new automated circulation system in the new Library that will be more accurate and efficient. It will automatically check items out without finding and scanning barcodes.  The book return slot will feed directly into an automated materials handling conveyor belt that will check things in and sort by department.  Anyone interested in volunteering to help out with this project should contact Mary Rindfleisch at 203-438-2282 x1009 or mfrind@ridgefieldlibrary.org - no experience necessary!

Envisioning the New Ridgefield Library Presentation Informative and Inspiring

Great presentation last night by our design team from Newman Architects, Owner's Representative Robert Cavello and Library Director Chris Nolan and Board Chair Peter Coffin.  For those who missed it, you can check out Peter's exhaustive timeline of the path we have traveled from our first strategic planning conversations in 2003 to today! It is amazing how many people over so many years have dedicated so much time to make the New Ridgefield Library a reality.

Kudos to Program Assistant Laurie McGavin Bachmann for this timely addition to the ongoing ARTalk series she organizes.

TAG Previews New Teen Room

Members of the Library's Teen Advisory Group (TAG) had the opportunity last week to get a "hard hat tour" of the new library construction project.  Here they are posing in the shell of what will be the new Teen Room.  The Library has never before had a dedicated space for teens, and this group is very excited about the possibilities! 

Construction photos 9-12-13

Construction photos 9-12-13, a set on Flickr.

The building is really starting to get buttoned up, ahead of the cold weather. You can also see here the progress on the neighboring Prospector Theater.  When all the work is done and the equipment removed, there will be a lovely shared terrace between the two buildings.

Construction photos 9-19-13

Construction photos 9-19-13, a set on Flickr.

Here you can see the north elevation of the building coming together on the outside. Lots of interior work is also underway, including the main stairway off the lobby and the elevator shaft. The elevator itself has arrived and will be installed soon!

Envisioning the New Ridgefield Library: A Lively Panel Discussion About the Library Design

Thursday, October 10, 7 PM@ The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT

 

Please join us for a preview of the New Ridgefield Library design.  Our panel has two representatives from the Library's architect, Newman Architects, Principal Richard Munday and Senior Associate Michelle Newman; the Library's Owner's Representative Robert Cavello; Director of the Ridgefield Library Chris Nolan, and Library Board Chair Peter Coffin.

It is our aim to inform and excite our community about the new Library's "look and feel" through a visually rich presentation with an opportunity for Q & A.

Please register.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

 Check out these two shots of the same section of the New Library, taken about a week apart.  Isn't it amazing what a few windows and some brick on the facade can do?  This is really beginning to look like something recognizable now!

Work on installing glass and brickwork continues full speed this week. 

Thanks to staff member Geri Diorio for these great pictures.

Construction photos 6-18-13

Construction photos 6-18-13, a set on Flickr.

Lifting steel beams into place - you can really start to see the outline of the building taking shape.

Construction photos 6-11-13

Construction photos 6-11-13, a set on Flickr.

That was one big crane on site in June lifting steel beams into place!

What's your wish for the New Library?

Have you seen the new Wishing Well near the circulation desk in our temporary space?  Kids (and adults) have been having a great time sending their spare change whirling down the well (proceeds support the Library) and posting their wishes for the New Library.  Here are a few samples:

• I wish for the new library to have very interesting books. - Abigail
• I wish for it to be a very very good library. - Emma
• To be around a long, long time. - Mary Louise
• My wish for the new library is that lots of people will come. - Francesca
• Clowns everywhere! - Tom

What is your wish for the New Ridgefield Library?

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Can you believe it has been one year since we opened our temporary library space at 21 Governor Street to the public?  The staff celebrated this week with coffee and cookies, then turned their attention back to the next pressing task: starting to plan our return to 472 Main Street in the spring of 2014!

Our temporary space has turned out to be more congenial than we could ever have hoped, and we thank all our patrons for their good cheer and patience during this interim period.

Tell us what you like about this space!

Is this where I return a book?

Believe it or not, people still regularly drive or walk onto the construction site at 472 Main Street trying to return a book or attend a program.  Our construction crew had to deal with so many puzzled people that we finally put up a sign directing folks down the street to our temporary location.

We are definitely still open for business, but you will have to go down the street to 21 Governor Street for storytime or summer reading recommendations!

Construction photos 5-29-13

Construction photos 5-29-13, a set on Flickr.

The concrete slab floor for the lower level of the new Library is in place! Steel for the upper structure is being delivered next week. The building is really taking shape now!

Memorial Day Parade 2013

Memorial Day Parade 2013, a set on Flickr.

Here we are in our hardhats on a beautiful afternoon for a parade. We got lots of enthusiastic cheers for the New Ridgefield Library from our friends and supporters along Main Street.