Teen Place reception redux!

The Friends of the Library hosted a lovely reception (with many delicious treats!) last night to celebrate the new Teen Place.  We had a nice group of teens, Friends, staff, and board members in attendance as well as a reporter and a photographer from Patch.com!  (Hopefully we'll see ourselves there as soon as the Matawan-Aberdeen Patch goes live!)

Thanks to all who attended and to all who made the Teen Place possible.

Today is the last FULL day of spring!

But here at the library, summer is already in full swing.  We celebrated our summer reading kick-off on Saturday with carnival games, ice cream, balloon animals, face painting, and a magician -- it was tons of fun for the whole family!  Thanks so much to Chrissie and Linda for all their hard work in making the day a success, thanks to our teen volunteers who pitched in, and thanks to the other staff members that were here, it was certainly a busy day!  Just over the weekend, we already have 278 children and 114 teens and adults signed up for the summer reading program.  Didn't get a chance to stop by yet?  Don't worry, you can sign up anytime throughout the summer!

This summer, we are partnering with The Hobby Shop (Rt. 34 in Aberdeen) to cross-promote our reading programs.  Books read for the MAPL club count toward The Hobby Shop's club, and vice versa.  Here are the details:

The Hobby Shop Express Summer Reading Program 

Begins Again!

 

Starts Monday, June 20th & Ends Friday, August 12th

Program includes:

• Hobby Shop Express Summer Reading Form
• 20% Hobby Shop Book Dept Discount for up to 10 books
• $10 Summer Reading Gift Certificate for Hobby Shop Book Dept
• Raffles for Books Signed by Authors

Visit their website for more information: http://www.hobbyshopnj.com/

TWO Big Events!

Things have been very busy this past week as we prepare for TWO big events:

First, we will be kicking off the Summer Reading Club tomorrow, Saturday, June 18th, from 10am to 2pm.  There will be games and balloon animals, popcorn and giveaways, and a magic show at 11:30am.  We have programs, prizes, and fun for children, teens, and adults this summer, so the whole family can get involved!  Stop by the library for more details. 

Second, our new TEEN PLACE has been installed and we will be celebrating that fact on Tuesday, June 21st at 6:30pm.  The Friends of the Library will be sponsoring a reception and all are welcome to attend!  (Just a reminder: the library will be open after-hours for the reception, but there will be no circulation services or computer access.)  A special "thank you!" to our Friends group for helping to make the TEEN PLACE possible -- they very generously purchased the furniture and fixtures for the space.

Hope to see you at one or both of these upcoming events!

The new copiers are here!

For some time now, we have been waiting on the delivery of our new copy machines, and I'm happy to say that they have now been installed!  MAPL now offers both black and white copies (still 15 cents a page) and COLOR copies (35 cents a page).  The new machines are faster and more efficient, they will do double-sided copies, reduce, expand, copy two pages of a book at once, and many other great options.  The machine that does both color and b&w (located in the Adult Services department) also has a document feeder that holds up to 50 originals. 

Coming soon, we will be implementing a new printing system where patrons will pre-pay for printing on their library cards (like a debit card) and will have the freedom to print until the pre-paid amount runs out.  Patrons will have the option of printing in color or black and white (at the rates listed above), and will pick up their print jobs at the copy machine instead of having to wait at the front desk.  This new system will making printing easier and more private for patrons, and will alleviate some of the lines at the circulation desk as well.  Look for this to be implemented in the next week or so.

Lastly, since our guest passes will not allow for printing with the new system, we will be instituting a new Internet-only library card for guests.  Non-residents will need to show ID and fill out an application to receive an Internet-only card, but then they will be able to use it each day for 90 minutes, just like our regular patrons.  There will be no borrowing priviledges on the Internet-only cards.  Patrons with an Internet-only card will be able to add money to their cards for printing, debit-style, as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding our new machines or the printing options.  We are constantly striving to improve our services to our patrons and the community as a whole -- we appreciate your suggestions and feedback.