Guilderland Library Notes for Thursday, April 2, 2020

We greatly appreciate our community’s patience and understanding as we work through the many issues related to our building closure, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. It is unknown at this point when we will be able to reopen. We are closed until further notice. Meanwhile, we are doing everything possible to serve you remotely during the shutdown.

Fines waived

Rest assured that no fines are being assessed during this closure, dating back to March 1. Since our building is closed, our books drops must be closed also.

Patrons are asked to hold onto all materials borrowed until we reopen. Any holds will be extended through May 1 (or later if necessary), and expired library cards are automatically being renewed.

Phone and email

Our new Google Voice line, at 518-285-0050, is staffed weekdays from 10 a.m. noon and from 2 to 4 p.m.  Feel free to message us anytime, and we’ll get back to you.

You can also email us at . Free wifi is available 24/7 from our parking lot. You can even use this internet connection to complete your census questionnaire online in just a few minutes.

24/7 Library

We have many free online offerings, including e-books; e-magazines; audiobooks; The New York Times; The Great Courses, Qello concerts, IndieFlix films and Acorn TV shows through RBDigital; databases like ancestry.com and Consumer Reports, and much more. See www.guilderlandlibrary.org to get started.

These digital resources, which are continually refreshed and augmented, become even more important at a time like this. Many people are just discovering them, or rediscovering them — a silver lining during our current predicament. Library cards are instantly available through our website, making it easy to get started.

With so much available at your fingertips, we hope you’ll tell your socially-distanced friends and neighbors about your favorite finds. Most of these resources are also available to residents of the Guilderland Central School District who hold Altamont Free Library cards.

Website

We are constantly updating our website, and have launched a “Healthy at Home” page to consolidate information on all our digital resources, GPL status updates, and trusted news sources reporting on the pandemic.

You can also sign up for e-news at the top of our homepage to receive GPL e-blasts, another way to stay in touch with us.

Social media

We’ve posted short “Fireside Chat” videos on our Facebook page with directions on how to easily tap into our digital resources from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. If you’re not already familiar with these resources, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use them.

We’ve also launched a new Facebook group called GPL Kids and Families, which will feature virtual story times and resources for families. We’re looking for name suggestions for our lobby’s mascot, Greufus the Cow -— something easier pronounce and spell — so please weigh in on the Facebook group with your vote. You can find us on Instagram and Twitter as well.

E-books and e-magazines

Lengthy waiting lists are often the case for e-books, especially new releases. We’re striving to shorten those wait times by purchasing extra copies of popular e-books, as are our partner libraries in the Upper Hudson Library System.

We’ve also just added a dozen new publications on our Flipster application, including Rolling Stone, the Atlantic, Paleo, Car and Driver, Harvard Health Letter, Pioneer Woman Magazine, Better Nutrition and others.

Donations

Please do not donate used books to us at this time. We can’t get into the building to process them, so they would stack up outside the building and either be ruined by rain or become a fire hazard.

Instead, offer to share books you no longer want with your neighbors. You can also drop them into the green bin located in our auxiliary parking lot. This bin is managed by Better World Books, which sells these donations online and gives GPL a portion of the proceeds. Please, no textbooks, worn paperbacks or outdated material; only books in saleable condition.

There is a lot to absorb and adjust to right now, requiring flexibility and patience. We appreciate your understanding as we strive to maintain operations remotely from various corners of the Capital District.  We miss serving you in person, and hope to do so again very soon. For now, please stay healthy and safe, stay connected, and take advantage of all we offer from the comfort of home.