Guilderland Library Notes for Wednesday, December 9, 2020
— Photo from Luanne Nicholson
Card collection: The Guilderland Public Library is collecting homemade holiday cards, up to 5-by-7 inches in size, for clients of Community Caregivers. Drop the cards off in the designated box at the library’s curbside table during curbside hours through Dec. 16; no envelope is needed.
It’s not technically winter yet, but our construction crew is gearing up for the cold weather. Outside, the footings and foundations are complete and backfilled on the children’s addition at the east end of the building. The next step is configuring underground utilities under the slab.
Inside, the former children’s area and fiction section has been completely cleared out. Once we are solidly into winter weather, interior work here will take precedence. Sprinkler and public bathroom renovations are progressing as well.
Most of our collection is still accessible; however, if something you would like to borrow is not, we will gladly request it from another local library. Usable space throughout the library has shrunk significantly, making it challenging for staff and the construction crew to maintain adequate social distancing.
Due to these current constraints, we are aiming to re-open for limited public browsing in mid-January. We will continue to keep you posted.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to safely manage the rapidly-changing logistics involved. Updates are posted on https://bit.ly/GPLbuildingproject, Facebook and Instagram. To subscribe to our weekly eNews and monthly newsletters, go to https://bit.ly/GPLeNews.
Curbside and
online resources
GPL continues to serve patrons through curbside services and online resources.
Our curbside checkout hours are: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. 2 p.m. Our return shed hours are: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All materials are quarantined for six days, including exterior sanitizing, prior to re-shelving. Though fines are still waived, we appreciate the timely return of materials for the next borrower. Please note that it may take a full week or more for your returned item(s) to be reflected on your account.
Holiday Card Project
We’re partnering with Community Caregivers on a Holiday Card Project to spread some joy to our neighbors! Create a holiday card and drop it off at GPL until Wed. Dec. 16. Our goal is to collect 200 holiday cards, which Community Caregivers will distribute to their clients.
Instructions: Create one of more holiday cards no larger than 5-by-7 inches. Feel free to include an uplifting message inside your card and sign the card if you wish, or keep it anonymous.
Drop off your card(s) in the Holiday Card Project box at our curbside table during curbside hours. Envelopes will be provided by Community Caregivers, and they will mail the cards collected to their clients of all backgrounds.
Community Caregivers provides services that enable individuals of all ages to maintain their independence, dignity and quality of life, including non-medical assistance and caregiver support. Your card is sure to brighten someone’s day. Thank you for participating!
Seeking Literacy Volunteers
Looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity that can change a person's life? Consider becoming a volunteer tutor with Literacy Volunteers! Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County will soon be overseeing all literacy tutoring in both Albany and Rensselaer counties
They are recruiting volunteers to work with adult speakers of other languages and those needing basic reading skills, and will offer a training program in January. If you'd like to learn more, register on the Events tab of our website for a virtual information Zoom session on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Please be sure to include an email address when you register; LVORC will send you the Zoom link in advance. For more information, contact LVORC directly at: 518-244-4650.
Multilingual community
At last count, there are at least 59 languages spoken throughout the Guilderland area. Some of the most prevalent are Mandarin, Telugu, Hindi, Spanish, and Tamil.
We have an interactive tool on our website called Pronunciator to help you learn any of 163 languages with personalized courses, movies, music and more. There’s also a new COVID-19 course in 101 languages. See https://guilderlandlibrary.org/learning-tools to explore all the options.
Dial-A-Story
With all the screen time we subject ourselves to these days, listening to a short story provides a welcome break to rest our eyes while igniting our imagination. Each week, our Dial-A-Story features three new tales – one for adults, one for children, and a new international language option too! Simply dial 518-519-4111 and make a selection to hear an engaging story anytime.