Altamont Library Notes for Thursday, February 7, 2019

With the crazy weather we’ve been having lately, it’s not always easy to make it out to the library. Sometime we even have to be closed for the safety of our staff and patrons, but you know what’s never closed? The Internet.

The Upper Hudson Library System has a huge online library of digital books and digital audiobooks all available for free, available 24/7 from anywhere with a wifi connection. All you need is your library card!

If you’ve never tried it, I can’t highly enough recommend the Libby by Overdrive smartphone app. Libby is a great way to borrow free downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks for both kids and adults.

Search for an author, title, subject, or keyword, and Libby will search through thousands of digital titles for you and, when you’ve found what you’re looking for, just click “borrow.” The item will download right to your smartphone, tablet, or eReader and will delete itself from your device when the due date comes, so they’re never overdue.

Libby works on both Apple and Android devices and can be used anywhere. So build a fire, wrap yourself in a blanket, and dig in to your next reading adventure without leaving the house!  

Story time

One of the best ways of getting our youngest friends to become strong readers is by exposing them to a wide variety of readers and reading environments? For that reason, and also just because it’s just fun, we have two story times each week on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday story times with Miss Ann are targeted at preschoolers, while our Wednesday story times with Miss Erika are for toddlers (but we don’t mind older or younger friends on either day). Please join us for mornings of stories, songs, and bubbles.

Bags 4 My Cause

Here’s a great way to support your library, while at the same time doing a good turn for the environment: Throughout the month of February, for every "Bags 4 My Cause" reusable shopping bag sold at the 5239 Western Turnpike, Guilderland Hannaford, the Altamont Free Library will receive a portion of the proceeds. Thanks, Hannaford !

Joan Johnson exhibit

One of the wonderful things we get to do here from time to time is to show off the homegrown talent we have here in Altamont. For the next few weeks, we’ll have the pleasure of hosting a special exhibit of one of our many talented friends, Altamont-based artist Joan Johnson.

Watercolors from Maine, a collection of six paintings by Joan, will be on display in our community room until the end of March.  Come take a look! Thanks for brightening up the library, Joan!

Fine freedom

Have you heard? For all of 2019, we’ll be trying something new: No overdue fines on any children’s books! No matter whether you’re a kid, a parent, a teacher, or anyone else, children’s books checked out here (even if we have to get them from another library) will not accrue overdue fines.

In addition, if you have existing overdue fines on an AFL youth card, we’ll clear them. Patrons with overdue children’s books will still be notified through their normal channels, and after 28 days, the book will be considered lost and the borrower responsible for the cost of the item, but if it comes back after that, the fine will be cleared.

We hope that many of our friends take advantage of this experiment, so spread the word!