Guilderland Library Notes for Tuesday, August 25, 2020
— Photo from Luanne Nicholson
Senior Clerk Heather Nelson helps process a three-month backlog — 130 boxes of about 1,400 materials — at the Guilderland Public Library while other staff members quarantined, sanitized, and checked in about 17,000 returned items. The library is currently processing about 5,500 curbside items per month, working at half-staff per Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order, to minimize risk of virus exposure.
Current hours for contact-free curbside checkouts at the Guilderland Public Library are: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. Returns may be deposited Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. into one of five sheds in our parking lot (designated by the green canopy). All items are quarantined for 96 hours, then sanitized externally before being reshelved.
How to contact us: For general questions, please call 518-285-0050 or email ask.librarian@guilderlandlibrary.org. For circulation questions or to notify us you’re here to pick up your curbside materials, please call 518-285-0671 or email ask.circ@guilderlandlibrary.org.
Fines: Please note that all fines are still waived. If you should receive a fine notice, we apologize for this error. The system of quarantining returned materials for 96 hours, plus the process of waiving thousands of fines, may result in some oversights. If this should happen, please contact us at: ask.circ@guilderlandlibrary.org to get it quickly resolved. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
Updates: We are constantly strategizing ways to expand services while remaining safe, and we encourage everyone to sign up for our weekly eNews and monthly newsletters at: https://guilderlandlibrary.org/get-to-know-us/things/newsletters/ to receive the latest GPL updates. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and our GPL Kids and Families Facebook page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
Education resources
As students and their families prepare for the upcoming school year, flexibility is once again required to ensure the safety of all involved. One constant we can all count on: Children who read for pleasure tend to excel in academics, and well beyond.
Here at your friendly local library, we support learning for all ages, wherever it’s happening. We have several resources — some just introduced — that can bolster academic enrichment, and we encourage you to take advantage of them at https://guilderlandlibrary.org/learning-tools, including:
— BookFlix: This award-winning resource from Scholastic connects imaginative stories with nonfiction knowledge, encouraging early learners to discover the joy of learning to read, then the excitement of reading to learn. Age range: Preschool-Grade 3;
— Kids Info Bits: This comprehensive resource, part of the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library (NOVEL) features articles on a variety of topics, current event news stories, and pictures and videos to both enhance and retain learning. Age range: Elementary;
— Opposing Viewpoints: This timely resource, also from NOVEL NY, lends multiple perspectives to current events to foster a broader understanding beyond the sound bytes and headlines. At last count, 482 issues of current relevance were covered. If it's a hot topic, it's likely to be listed. Educator resources are included. Age Range: High School;
— Academic Onefile: This robust online encyclopedia is perfect for completing research projects. Students can utilize the topic finder, subject guide search and publication search to pinpoint the exact information needed. Age Range: High School;
— Learning Express: Students K-12 can use School Center to access practice tests and review the material, and older students can benefit from reviewing the math and ELA modules. Science and social studies content, technology skills practice, test prep and much more are also included. This comprehensive resource also features several helpful career-related categories for adults.
Age Range: All Ages; and
— Pronunciator: Explore American Sign Language (ASL), practice newly-acquired English language skills (ENL), or reinforce your school studies with quick daily lessons. Customize your own course as you choose from a whopping 163 languages. Age Range: All Ages.
Night Owls Online
The next installment of our Night Owls Online book discussion group is slated for Monday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m. We’re reading New York Times and USA Today bestseller “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla F. Saad, available on Hoopla in both eBook and audiobook format.
This eye-opening book, complete with journal prompts, challenges readers to tackle the essential task of unpacking biases, fostering greater understanding and collaboration across our multifaceted cultural landscape. Sign up on the Events tab of our website.
Cooking
Under Pressure
Registration is open for “Cooking Under Pressure with Cornell Cooperative Extension,” happening Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6:30 p.m. Karen Roberts Mort will cover the basics of using a multi-cooker: the various models available, handy features, safety tips, additional equipment you can purchase, and tips to make cooking easy and fun.
Recipes will also be shared. Sign up on the Events tab of our website to receive an email invitation the day before this Zoom event.