Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Support your Library!

The fight for library funding is on in the U.S. Senate

Please help to support your library by reaching out to your Senators.  

It's easy to do, and it makes a difference!  

Follow this link: http://cqrcengage.com/ala/app/write-a-letter?8&engagementId=340633 and follow the easy instructions.  

We appreciate your support!


Fight For Libraries! Tell Congress to save library funding.








Wednesday, April 19, 2017

More New Books!

I have to apologize for the infrequency with which we are writing on this blog.  Right now we are at 50% of our normal full-time staff and have been for about 6 or 7 weeks.  Don't worry.  Eventually we will be up to full power again, but for now, we appreciate your patience!

Here are some of our newest blockbusters!






Monday, April 17, 2017

Spring Book Sale


Yes, It's that time of year again!  Get an early start on beach reading books and summer entertainment!  Doors open promptly at 10 AM.  No previews!  If you can't make it on Saturday, don't worry.  We'll be open for several weeks afterward, too.

Friday, April 14, 2017

Good Friday Closing

As is our custom, we will be closed on Good Friday, April 14.  We will be open on Saturday, April 15 from 10-5.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Many, Many New Books

Today is a great day to look for something new to read.  We have 28 of them heading out to our shelves today!  Here are some of the highlights!  Happy reading!









And now a word from Neil Gaiman....

Image may contain: 1 person, text

#NationalLibraryWeek  #LibrariesTransform

Monday, April 10, 2017

Author Chris Cleave

Did you enjoy Chris Cleave's novel Little Bee?  His latest, set in London during WWII, has been described as "Insightful, stark, and heartbreaking."  Isn't worth a look?  Check our NEW section today!

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Libraries are in the Hartford Courant!!

Image result for books in a library
https://usatcollege.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/139786707.jpg


This editorial in the Hartford Courant advocates for the state budget to not slash the money allocated for the borrowIT CT/deliverIT CT program (formerly known as CCar).  Please take a minute to read this editorial.  As always, we greatly appreciate the support our community gives to the library!


Editorial: Library Cut Too Deep

With state finances in such rough shape, everyone knows that some state-funded programs must go. But Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has proposed cutting all funding — a relatively small amount — for a wildly popular and invaluable program that lets people take out materials from any public library in the state. That’s a cut too deep.
The state invested about $781,000 in the “borrowIT CT” program (formerly known as Connecticard, such a better name) last year. The governor’s proposed budget for next year slashes that to zero.
What does it pay for?
Consider a library patron in Glastonbury who goes into the venerable Welles-Turner Memorial Library on Main Street looking for a recent John Grisham novel, but all copies have been checked out. Hartford Public Library, though, has a copy on the shelf.
Thanks to the borrowIT program, the person in Glastonbury can either drive to the Hartford library and pick up the book, or they can request that the book be sent to Welles-Turner, where they can pick it up in a day or two. The Connecticut State Library, though the “deliverIT CT” program (formerly “Connecticar”), handles the transportation.
The service is especially valuable in towns that neighbor larger cities or those that serve as regional libraries. In 2017, more than 8,000 items were loaned from Hagaman Memorial Library in East Haven to patrons from New Haven — often children or adults with low incomes who cannot easily access the New Haven Free Public Library but are within walking distance of the East Haven library.
The borrowIT program compensates the loaning libraries for the costs associated with essentially providing services to people from out of town — staff time, operations time, the cost of materials. Once a year, libraries submit figures to the state detailing how many items they loaned though the service, and the pool of money is split among them proportionally. For some libraries in high demand, that money adds up — sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to supplement their own materials budgets.
The deliverIT program is supported by a federal grant of about $400,000 that is available only if the state maintains a program such as borrowIT. Without enough borrowIT funding in place, the grant could be in jeopardy. Eliminating the borrowIT funding could mean the end of inter-library loan in Connecticut.
What a shame the idea is even being entertained.
Through the borrowIT CT program, nearly 3.9 million items were loaned to non-residents last year. The numbers have slipped a bit since the peak of the recession in 2010, when nearly 5 million items were loaned. But since the program was founded in the mid-1970s, about 140 million loans have been reported.
The deliverIT program estimates that it moves 15,000 items a day, making an average of 848 stops per week, and has served more than 1.5 million patrons. The state library estimates that it has saved some $9 million in postage if those items had been mailed.
Legislators show their priorities by how they spend their money. Far better for Connecticut to be known as a place with first-class libraries than as a place with overly generous benefits for state employees.
The state budget should include enough funding for the borrowIT program so that the federal grant isn’t jeopardized. A strong library system is an essential part of the suite of services that makes people want to stay in Connecticut — or even move here.
Copyright © 2017, Hartford Courant

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Springtime Reading


Nothing says springtime like a great book!  OK, daffodils, tulips, and lilacs kind of suggest spring, too, but what better way to celebrate the end of snow and the beginning of the growing season than by reading a brand new book by a great, established author?

Here are some new offerings on our shelves.  Check one out or place a hold today!







Sunday, April 2, 2017

The latest Must Read TV...

Perhaps you've seen the preview for NBC's latest TV show Midnight, Texas premiering this summer? Vampires, psychics, werewolves, and angels all living together in a small town solving crimes. Hmmm...
Well, as the resident fan of all things supernatural at the Windsor Locks Library, I thought it looked pretty good! It's based on the books from Charlaine Harris (the author behind True Blood). Did you know we have all three books ready for you to check out? Who knows if they'll do the books justice, but you'll never know if you don't read them first!! Have fun, and take a break from reality.