December Events!

How is it possible that it is already late November, there is talk of snow, and Thanksgiving is in two days?! I'm not sure where the time has gone, but since we are nearing December, I wanted to make sure that you are all aware of our upcoming Festival of Giving activities.

In December, we will continue our annual Food For Fines program -- we will waive late fines in exchange for non-perishable food items that will be donated to the Matawan Food Pantry.  (Sorry, these donations do not cover lost or damaged materials or lost card fees.)  Non-perishable food items include canned goods, pasta, peanut butter, etc. and must not be past the expiration date.  Toiletries such as diapers, toothpaste, deodorant, and laundry detergent will also be accepted.

The Children's Department will once again host the Mitten Tree: new mittens, gloves, hats and scarves will be collected for children and adults in need from Monday, December 2 - through Thursday, December 19.

The Woman's Club of Matawan will again have their Giving Tree on display to collect books for the Clinton Street After-School Program, we will be collecting food donations at our Holiday Harp Concert on Friday, December 13th, and there are other activities planned for children, tweens and teens.

More information can be found on our website: www.matawanaberdeenlibrary.com or by stopping by the library.

Also in December, think about being a World Book Night giver!  

On April 23, 2014, (Shakespeare's birthday) 25,000 volunteers will go out on one day and give a half million specially printed paperbacks to light or non-readers across America. Apply to be a book giver by Jan. 5. Go to www.us.worldbooknight.org, read up on the guidelines and list of books, and then apply!  The Matawan Aberdeen Public Library will be an official book pick-up site.

I will do my best to update this blog in a more timely fashion, but in the meantime, I do want to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season!

Congratulations to our Kindle Paperwhite winner!

Sierra Z. was one of 254 entrants in our Kindle Paperwhite raffle at Aberdeen Day on September 21st -- she was surprised and excited to learn that her name was drawn and she was the lucky winner!

If you were unable to attend Aberdeen Day, you missed our table, or you were one of the other 253 raffle entrants, you're in luck! We will be at Matawan Day on Saturday, October 12th from 12-5pm (we'll be right in front of our building on Main Street) and we will have another Kindle Paperwhite to raffle off.  Hope to see you then!

It is thanks to the generosity of our Friends of the Library that we are able to make such fantastic prizes available -- we appreciate their donation of the two e-readers. 

Whether you win a Kindle, or already have an e-reader at home, don't forget that we offer FREE downloadable ebooks from our website for people of all ages and interests (starting with Sesame Street ebooks!).  We also host an e-Reader Hour on Saturdays from 2-3pm -- Skyler, one of our ace tech assistants, will help you with any e-reader related questions you might have.  Bring in your device, or he can show you what to do on ours.

Come See Us at Our Open House!

Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 24th from 6-8pm, we will be celebrating the completion of our basement renovation with an Open House at the library.  All are welcome, and light refreshments will be served.  I look forward to seeing you!

Come Visit Our Table at Aberdeen Day!

When you're making your way around all of the Aberdeen Day participants and activities at the high school on Saturday afternoon (12-4pm), don't forget to visit me at the MAPL table!  I will have tons of great information about all of our resources and programs, as well as lollipops and other giveaways.  You can also enter a FREE raffle to win a Kindle Paperwhite -- Amazon's newest offering in eReaders.  The Kindle is kindly being provided by the Friends of the Library, and there will be a Friends member with me to answer your questions about membership in their fine organization.  I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!!!

Open House at the Library!

Please join us as we celebrate the end of our renovation project with an

Open House at the library! 

The event will take place on Tuesday, September 24th, 2013, from 6-8pm

in the library's new meeting space

on the lower level. 

All are welcome, and light refreshments will be served.

 We look forward to seeing you then.

Last Chance to See MAMS 2013 Artwork Display!

Since the May MAMS Art Show, we have been very proud to display all of the students' wonderful work, but that display will be removed in September to make way for the work of students at the Arts High School.  If you have a moment, do stop by to see the MAMS work -- located along the wall in the balcony. If you know of a group of Matawan or Aberdeen artists (of any age) that might be interested in displaying artwork at the library during the winter months, please have them contact me at (732) 583-9100 or kpaone@lmxac.org.   (Artwork must be flat and matted.)

Get Ready for Finisher's Day!

This year, Finisher's Day has dual meaning for me...  it is, of course, the last official day of Summer Reading, and we will celebrate by hosting Brian Richards' magic show this Friday, August 9th.  Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 7 -- it is an all-ages event, and we hope to see a full house for magic and final raffle drawings!  

But also, since we are finally at the very end of the last odds and ends of our renovation project, Finisher's Day also means closing the book on this very long and often arduous construction period.  We will be able to move forward into fall feeling good about what has been accomplished in our basement, both as far as the renovation and the summer program is concerned.

A special thank you goes out to the MAPL staff.  This has not been an easy time, but we have made it through, and I have a new appreciation for their dedication and resiliency.

In September, we will host an Open House so that those of you who have not been in this summer can stop by to see our new meeting space.  I look forward to seeing you then.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Library Closure -- Tuesday, June 18th

Due to our construction project, the library will be closed on Tuesday, June 18th.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  No fines will be charged on the 18th, and books can be returned in the book drop in the parking lot behind the building.  We do not expect any further closures for this project and are looking forward to holding our Summer Reading Kickoff on Saturday, June 22nd utilizing our new meeting room space.  Thanks again for your patience.

Construction update!

My apologies for the delay in updating this blog -- it's just been a very hectic time while we wind down the construction project and work as hard as possible to meet our deadlines.  As always, other building maintenance issues have come up along the way that have needed my attention, so I've been kept extremely busy.  The second phase of the project on the first floor is coming along, so we hope to be able to wrap things up there very soon.

Thank you again for your patience throughout this project -- the library community has been very understanding, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Upcoming MAPL Closure

Due to the beginning of phase two of our construction project, the library will be closed on Friday, May 17, Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19.  During that time, no overdue fines will be charged, and materials can be deposited in the book return located in the rear parking lot.  We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but for the sake of our patrons' and staff members' comfort and safety, these closures are necessary.  Please keep in mind that you are welcome at any of the 27 other libraries in our consortium, including Old Bridge, Sayreville, and South River.  The full list of LMxAC libraries can be found here: http://www.lmxac.org/lmx/member.html.  We appreciate your understanding, and will reopen on Monday, May 20, at 9am.

We're continuing to make progress downstairs...

What a whirlwind of activity it has been here at the library!  Since my last post, flooring and carpet have been added, and, most notably, our operable partition - which will make our meeting space twice as useful - has been installed.  (See below.)

There's still work to be done downstairs, and phase two of the project which will soon begin on the first floor, but we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Thank you for bearing with us through this transitional time.

More construction news...

The basement is looking better and better by the day!  The walls have been painted, the doors have been installed, and they are now working on lighting. Take a look at a couple of shots from this morning:

Renovation update!

My apologies for the long delay since my last post -- I'm not sure where the last couple of weeks went!  We have been very busy here at the library, especially where the renovation is concerned.  Since my last post, the sheet rock has all been hung, spackled, taped, and sanded.  (See photos below from the sheet rocking in progress.)  Today, the painters are here, so we're moving right along.

Please be aware that the library may suffer some intermittent closures throughout the remainder of the renovation project.  We hope not to have to do this often, but for the comfort of our patrons and staff, closing may sometimes be necessary.  We will try to get the word out in advance whenever possible, so please check this blog, our website, our Facebook page and Twitter feeds, and signs at the library for closure notices.  We are so sorry to inconvenience our patrons in this way, but I promise that the end product will be worth it!

Keep in mind that we belong to the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium which allows our patrons to use their Matawan-Aberdeen cards in 27 other libraries, including Old Bridge, Long Branch, Sayreville and South River.  If we are closed, you should feel free to visit one of the libraries in our consortium to check out books, use a computer, or read newspapers and magazines.  The full list of member libraries can be found here: http://www.lmxac.org/lmx/member.html.

Thank you for your continued patience!  Please let me know if you have concerns or questions: kpaone@lmxac.org or 732-583-9100.

Thank you for your patience today!

Unfortunately, we had to close the library this afternoon to allow for a very large delivery of sheet rock and other construction supplies (see below).  We are so sorry to have had to inconvenience our patrons, but the sheet rock had to be unloaded through the front door and brought across the library and downstairs, so we had to close due to safety concerns.  We will be reopening tomorrow at 9am to return to our regular schedule. 

And now we are insulated!

Big changes in our basement as the "walls" of insulation went in today.  The library will close at 1pm on Tuesday, March 19th to allow for a tricky sheet rock delivery -- we are sorry to inconvenience our patrons, but please know that our contractor is doing all he can to make this process as swift and painless as is possible.  We will reopen on Wednesday, March 20th at 9am, and there will be no overdue fines charged for materials due on the 19th, but returned in the book drop or on the 20th.   

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 732-583-9100 or kpaone@lmxac.org. 

More basement updates...

The basement renovation project is continuing to move in the right direction! You may not be able to see much difference in these latest photos, but trust me, massive amounts of work have been accomplished: the framing is all in, the electrical and plumbing is in place, the AV wiring is done, the HVAC installation is in progress...  Very soon we hope to see soundproofing and sheetrock!

Latest Basement Progress Report

Things are moving right along downstairs -- each time I go down there, another piece of the construction puzzle is falling into place.  The electricians have been hard at work, the floor has been dug out for new pipes, and the HVAC guys have been installing equipment today.  Here are a few shots from 10 minutes or so ago...

New Chairs for our New Meeting Space!

As our construction project continues, we are thinking ahead to some of the finishing touches...  

We recently received three sample chairs that are under consideration to replace the old chairs that we previously used for meetings and programs.  The three chairs are set up in the magazine section with a sign and a clipboard -- I'm looking for feedback from patrons of all ages, so please take a minute to vote for your favorite when you have a chance.  Please consider comfort and design, not color!  

Any questions, please let me know.  Thank you for your input!

Latest Construction Update

I know that many of you are curious about the current state of our basement -- I'm sorry that you're not able to take a peek due to safety concerns, but here are a couple of photos taken today:

Please continue to bear with us while this project continues -- I realize that there will be significant noise and some dust/mess.  Our construction crew is doing all they can to minimize these inconveniences, but there's only so much that can be done.  Thank you for your continued patience!  

Construction Update!

I have been fielding quite a few inquiries regarding our downstairs project. Let me start by saying that no one is more anxious than I am to see our basement renovations get underway.  We have seen some significant delays due to Hurricane Sandy, but I am pleased to announce that the dumpster for the demolition is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow, and, barring any weather complications, work should begin in the next few days.

We are hopeful that the project will be completed in early spring so that we can move all of our clubs back onsite and resume normal programs and activities in our new meeting room space.  We appreciate your patience, and look forward to serving you better once our basement facility is complete.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to contact me: kpaone@lmxac.org or 732-583-9100.

New MAPL website!

I suppose if you are reading this blog post, you are already aware that we have updated our website.  Preparations for this new and improved site have been going on for some time, and while we will be continually adding information and tweaking what is there as we move forward, we hope that you will find  it to be easier to navigate, and just simply a better web experience.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have a comment, question or concern.  We are happy to give you a tour of the site!

Food for Fines Program a Big Success!

As we have done for the past several years, MAPL set aside the month of December for our Food for Fines program.  During the month, we waived patrons' overdue fines and library card replacement fees in exchange for a donation to the Matawan Food Pantry.  We collected more than 30 crates of non-perishable food and household items, and our Youth Services staff and teen volunteers put together soup and cookie mix packages that filled another 9 boxes.  For those of you interested in statistics, we had 508 Food for Fines transactions, and we waived $467.25 in fines.  Of course, the bottom line of this program is that we were able to help many fellow community members, especially during post-Sandy times and the holidays. 

I received the following note today:

Dear Kimberly,
Thank you so much for the support the Library has given to the Matawan Community Food Pantry this holiday season.  The tremendous amount of food collected during your "Food for Fines" program is truly amazing and really appreciated.  And Chrissie McGovern and her enthusiastic youth cheered our clients with soup and cookie mixes for Christmas.  Please know how grateful we are and that you are making a difference in the lives of our neighbors (70+ households) in need.
Sis DeMarco - Coordinator
Matawan Community Food Pantry

I want to thank my staff and all of the patrons who contributed to the donations this year.  Please also note that we have a crate available for donations throughout the year -- it is located in the Friends' Book Sale area across from the circulation desk.  While fines are only forgiven in December, we know that folks are hungry all year 'round.  Please think about bringing in some non-perishable food items the next time you stop by!

Happy New Year to all!
Kimberly