We had beautiful weather for the Matawan Day festivities on Saturday, and the crowds were out in force! We had 326 raffle participants in all, but the lucky winner of the Nook Glowlight eReader was Laura Gomez. Congratulations, Laura!
Thank you to our Rutgers Intern, Liz, and to our Friends volunteers, Eileen and Susan, who helped staff our Matawan Day table. And special thanks to the Friends of the Library for funding the Nook giveaway!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Let's Catch Up!
Well, September was a VERY busy month getting ready for our renovation project -- and I didn't get a single blog post up... so I thought I'd take a little time to regroup before we get too far into October.
First, congratulations to Susan Rusciano who won the Nook Glowlight eReader that we raffled off at Aberdeen Day! Our very generous Friends of the Library donated the prize, and will do the same for Matawan Day on October 13th, so come see us at the Library's table and sign up (FREE) for your chance to win!
Congratulations, also, to Kelly Ann Traynor who won the Nook we gave away as part of our promotion to celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month in September. All new patrons who applied for a card in September were entered, and Kelly was the lucky winner!
Remember, if you need assistance with your eReader, stop by the Library on Saturdays between 2 and 3pm for eReader Hour! Skyler will show you what you need to know either on your device or ours.
Some very exciting news has come from LMxAC, the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium (of which we are a member) -- a new library app called LMxPRESS is now available for download to your smartphone or tablet! With LMxPRESS you can search our collection, place holds, renew items, check the status of items and seamlessly access eLibraryNJ to download eBooks and eAudiobooks.
Download LMxPRESS by searching for LMxPRESS at your mobile device's App Store or pointing your mobile browser to lmxac.boopsie.com. LMxPRESS is provided at no cost to library users. This project is sponsored by our Library and the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium. Some funding for this project has been provided by LibraryLinkNJ. LibraryLinkNJ and its services are funded by the New Jersey State Library, which is responsible for the coordination, promotion and funding of the New Jersey Library Network.
As I mentioned above, a good portion of September was spent getting the basement ready for our big renovation -- that will hopefully be getting underway very soon. I have been fielding many questions regarding the project, so I thought I'd include some FAQ here:
I had wonderful helpers that I'd like to acknowledge here:
First and foremost, I couldn't have completed the job without the help of Amber Brisco and John Alston -- two of our library pages. They worked VERY hard, without complaint, showed up whenever I needed them, and it's just amazing what they were able to accomplish. When we needed some extra hands, they called in some friends (thank you, Lauren, Juan, and Anthony!) and just went above and beyond.
Chrissie McGovern and Linda Schroeder from our Youth Services department should also be recognized here -- they spent countless hours sorting and organizing and cleaning out the Children's storage closet, which was no easy task. They made life a lot easier for me -- when it was time to load the storage Pod in the back, all of the Children's items were neatly boxed and bagged and ready to go.
And thanks to Bob Drake, our custodian, who was very patient with me and all of my millions of notes and instructions.
One pivotal Sunday afternoon, I called in my husband, Brian, and one of our reference librarians, Jeanette, recruited her husband, Rob, and they were an amazing help as well.
A big thanks also goes out to Tom Falco and Derek Sobin from Aberdeen Township, Jim Colabelli from the Aberdeen Rec Department, volunteer Kristopher Costa, Mark from Computers for Kids of America, Julius Kish from the Matawan Historical Society, Mark from Future Sanitation, and Jules from the Manna House. All of these fine folks helped out in one way or another by transporting materials, providing a helping hand, or finding a home for items we could no longer use.
Thanks, too, to the entire staff -- whose routine was interrupted for those couple of weeks... They often had to track me down downstairs or outside or in the attic.
I hope that I'm not forgetting anyone here -- please know that I appreciate everyone's efforts!!!
I think that's all the catching up time I have for now. If you made it through this very long message, I thank you. I look forward to seeing you sometime soon -- maybe at the Open House on 10/24!
First, congratulations to Susan Rusciano who won the Nook Glowlight eReader that we raffled off at Aberdeen Day! Our very generous Friends of the Library donated the prize, and will do the same for Matawan Day on October 13th, so come see us at the Library's table and sign up (FREE) for your chance to win!
Congratulations, also, to Kelly Ann Traynor who won the Nook we gave away as part of our promotion to celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month in September. All new patrons who applied for a card in September were entered, and Kelly was the lucky winner!
Remember, if you need assistance with your eReader, stop by the Library on Saturdays between 2 and 3pm for eReader Hour! Skyler will show you what you need to know either on your device or ours.
Some very exciting news has come from LMxAC, the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium (of which we are a member) -- a new library app called LMxPRESS is now available for download to your smartphone or tablet! With LMxPRESS you can search our collection, place holds, renew items, check the status of items and seamlessly access eLibraryNJ to download eBooks and eAudiobooks.
Download LMxPRESS by searching for LMxPRESS at your mobile device's App Store or pointing your mobile browser to lmxac.boopsie.com. LMxPRESS is provided at no cost to library users. This project is sponsored by our Library and the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium. Some funding for this project has been provided by LibraryLinkNJ. LibraryLinkNJ and its services are funded by the New Jersey State Library, which is responsible for the coordination, promotion and funding of the New Jersey Library Network.
Q: What exactly is going to be done?
A: We are doubling our meeting room space in the basement, with a moveable partition which will allow for two concurrent programs or one large program to take place. There will be a dedicated area for the Friends of the library, a staff area, and a bathroom. On the main floor, we will be expanding our offices to create additional work space, and a private office for our bookkeeper.
Q: When will the work begin?
A: We hope that construction will begin in early October.
Q: What about all of the programs that normally take place in the meeting room?
While some programs, like storytime and movies, have had to be put on hiatus, all of our clubs have been relocated temporarily to various locations throughout the community. See our events calendar on our website or call the library for more details. The Children’s Department will be making every effort to offer drop-in programs whenever possible during the renovation, and our Friday night after-hours programs will continue uninterrupted.
Q: Will the library be closing down due to the renovation?
A: We are not anticipating any closures at this time and hope to remain open throughout the renovation process, although we will have to make decisions based on the safety and comfort of patrons and staff as the project progresses.
Q: When will the renovations be complete?
A: Until the project is underway, we will not know for sure, but we are hoping the project will be complete sometime in February 2013.
Q: What if someone has more questions, would like more information, or has concerns?
A: I welcome your inquiries! I can be reached most days during business hours at the library at 732-583-9100 or anytime at kpaone@lmxac.org. I will also be holding an Open House at the library on Wednesday, October 24, from 10am-6pm, at which time, I will be answering questions, and the project plans will be displayed for interested parties to peruse.
Our basement had become a catch-all storage area that was in serious need of cleaning up, cleaning out and organizing, so if you visited the Library in the last couple of weeks, you probably saw me covered in dust and looking more than a little tired. But now that it's all done and we're ready for the next step downstairs, it was certainly worth it. I had wonderful helpers that I'd like to acknowledge here:
First and foremost, I couldn't have completed the job without the help of Amber Brisco and John Alston -- two of our library pages. They worked VERY hard, without complaint, showed up whenever I needed them, and it's just amazing what they were able to accomplish. When we needed some extra hands, they called in some friends (thank you, Lauren, Juan, and Anthony!) and just went above and beyond.
Chrissie McGovern and Linda Schroeder from our Youth Services department should also be recognized here -- they spent countless hours sorting and organizing and cleaning out the Children's storage closet, which was no easy task. They made life a lot easier for me -- when it was time to load the storage Pod in the back, all of the Children's items were neatly boxed and bagged and ready to go.
And thanks to Bob Drake, our custodian, who was very patient with me and all of my millions of notes and instructions.
One pivotal Sunday afternoon, I called in my husband, Brian, and one of our reference librarians, Jeanette, recruited her husband, Rob, and they were an amazing help as well.
A big thanks also goes out to Tom Falco and Derek Sobin from Aberdeen Township, Jim Colabelli from the Aberdeen Rec Department, volunteer Kristopher Costa, Mark from Computers for Kids of America, Julius Kish from the Matawan Historical Society, Mark from Future Sanitation, and Jules from the Manna House. All of these fine folks helped out in one way or another by transporting materials, providing a helping hand, or finding a home for items we could no longer use.
Thanks, too, to the entire staff -- whose routine was interrupted for those couple of weeks... They often had to track me down downstairs or outside or in the attic.
I hope that I'm not forgetting anyone here -- please know that I appreciate everyone's efforts!!!
I think that's all the catching up time I have for now. If you made it through this very long message, I thank you. I look forward to seeing you sometime soon -- maybe at the Open House on 10/24!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Read! Build! Play!
LEGO® DUPLO® and the Association for Library Services To Children (ALSC) have joined hands to celebrate and support local libraries. The most nominated library in the "Read! Build! Play!" project receives $5,000 for books and supplies. The top 200 libraries receive a special LEGO DUPLO Read! Build! Play! toolkit chock full of cutting edge, early literacy programming that combines preschool books with a versatile collection of DUPLO bricks.
Please nominate our library by going to http://www.readbuildplay.com/index.cfm. Select New Jersey, Matawan, and MAPL to complete your nomination. You may nominate once a day through October 1, 2012. Currently, we are #33 in the standings -- please help us stay in the top!
Thank you!
Please nominate our library by going to http://www.readbuildplay.com/index.cfm. Select New Jersey, Matawan, and MAPL to complete your nomination. You may nominate once a day through October 1, 2012. Currently, we are #33 in the standings -- please help us stay in the top!
Thank you!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Congratulations, Dennis!
Dennis Kuhn, one of our amazing library assistants, has just been honored by the Monmouth Librarians' Association with a substantial grant to assist him with funding his studies. Dennis is currently working on his MLIS through an online program while also working here at MAPL and at the Old Bridge Public Library. The MAPL staff and I are so proud of Dennis' accomplishments and wish him the best in his studies -- we would just like him to go VERY slowly, so that he doesn't get his degree TOO soon (we don't want to lose him!). : ) Congratulations, Dennis!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Museum Passes Are Here!
The Friends of the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library have provided us with the funds to purchase museum passes that can now be borrowed by our patrons! Passes are available to Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ, the Guggenheim Museum, Children's Museum of Manhattan, and the Natural History Museum in New York City. Information about the passes, how to reserve a pass, and details about museum hours, etc. can be found at http://www.lmxac.org/mata/museumpass.html or by clicking on the link on our website (NEW! MUSEUM PASS PROGRAM). Staff members would be happy to assist, as well. Our thanks to the Friends of the Library for making this wonderful program possible! Please take advantage of these passes and tell your friends and family -- all you need is a Matawan Aberdeen Public Library card.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
MAPL Survey Results
Thanks once again to all of you who took the time to complete our survey, either online or on paper. It is through your input that we can continue to improve our programs, materials and services. Here are some of the results:
"Love your library and all who work there. Always helpful and very informed."
"I wish I had more time to spend at the library! I enjoy all the resources."
"Continue to make this library the best there is! Kudos to the staff."
"This is my favorite library."
To those of you with concerns, please know that we are seriously considering your comments and will do what we can to remedy the problems presented.
If at any time you have a question, concern, complaint or compliment, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at KPaone@lmxac.org, by phone at 732-583-9100, or in person. I welcome your feedback.
- 520 people completed the survey -- 81 online and 439 on paper
- In the last 12 months, 88.8% of respondents borrowed books or other materials, 40.5% attended a program, 52.3% requested a book from another library, and 47.7% visited the library's website or used our databases.
- 87.9% of respondents reported that they are "very satisfied" with library service, 4.9% are "somewhat satisfied," 7.0% are "satisfied," and 0.2% are "somewhat dissatisfied."
- 73.5% of respondents are female, 26.5% are male.
- 40.6% of respondents are in the 40-59 age bracket, 26.2% are in the 60+ group, 24.3% are in the 20-39 range, 4.6% are 13-19, and 4.4% are under 12.
- 249 respondents signed up to receive our e-newsletter.
- PSAT practice test (coming up on May 12 -- it's full, but there is a waiting list)
- Better communication about upcoming events (through our e-newsletter)
- More eBooks (ask us about Freegal!)
- MS Office classes (more coming this summer)
- Remote downloads for Kindles (available through our website)
- Borrow magazines (now available -- all but the most current issue circulate)
- No fee book requests (this fee was abolished some time ago)
- Discount theatre tickets (available in our Adult Services room)
- Exhibits of paintings or crafts (MAMS Student Art Show: Tuesday, May 22)
- More magic programs (coming up at the Summer Reading Kickoff on June 16)
- Drop box in parking lot (coming soon!)
- Classes on Facebook and Twitter (ongoing)
- Classes on downloading eBooks (eReader Hour is on Saturdays from 2-3pm or you can sign up for a one-on-one computer class for individual help)
- Newspapers (available at the Circulation desk)
- Dance for babies/toddlers (Music, Movement and More on Tuesdays at 11am this May -- open to all ages, no registration required)
- Drawing lessons (charcoal drawing classes for teens and adults coming this summer)
- Jewelry making (more classes coming soon)
- Pre-teen programs (check out our offerings for 'tweens!)
"Love your library and all who work there. Always helpful and very informed."
"I wish I had more time to spend at the library! I enjoy all the resources."
"Continue to make this library the best there is! Kudos to the staff."
"This is my favorite library."
To those of you with concerns, please know that we are seriously considering your comments and will do what we can to remedy the problems presented.
If at any time you have a question, concern, complaint or compliment, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at KPaone@lmxac.org, by phone at 732-583-9100, or in person. I welcome your feedback.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)