Guilderland Library Notes for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

The Guilderland Public Library will be entirely closed on Wednesday, Dec. 30 — no checkout or return services provided — due to planned construction work.

Curbside hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31. There will be no services available on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1.

Construction update

Our children’s addition is materializing rapidly! Once this area is fully enclosed, it will be heated and the concrete slab will be poured.

Inside, the former children’s area and fiction section is ready for renovation, and interior demolition plus sprinkler-room and public-bathroom renovations are progressing. To view the monthly photo album tracking progress on this project, go to:  https://bit.ly/GPLConstructionPhotos

Due to construction, social-distancing constraints, and rising COVID-19 cases, public browsing is not available. We will continue to assess safely welcoming patrons back into the building based on established metrics, and keep you posted.

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

Winter Reading Challenge

As we usher in 2021 with cautious optimism, we also kick off our yearly Winter Reading Challenge with a sense of accomplishment and expectation!

GPL had the honor of being named one of the top-reading libraries — in the entire country! — in 2020, thanks to your participation. Our prize was $1,000 of books for all to enjoy.

Can we build on that success to reach even greater heights in 2021? We think so! This is the perfect time of year to curl up with a warm blanket, hot beverage, and compelling read.

Readers of all ages are encouraged to log all of your reading for the entire month of January at: guilderlandlibrary.beanstack.org. For even easier logging, download the Beanstack Tracker App. Happy reading!

Tech help

Perhaps you got a new Apple gadget during the holidays, but could use a little help maximizing its use — and you aren’t too keen about venturing out. You’re in luck!

Our volunteer computer coach, Robin, is well-versed with Apple products and can provide individual assistance on using an Apple Watch, iPhone, Macbook, iPad, or Apple TV. Robin can also facilitate résumé preparation using the Learning Express database tool found on our website.

Beginning Tuesday, Ja. 5, one-on-one appointments with Robin start at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. on Thursdays, lasting one hour. Sign up on the Events tab of our website, indicating the specific topic of interest in the Notes field. You must have an email address and ability to meet online in order to participate,

Night Owls Online

The next virtual meet-up of our Night Owls book discussion group is planned for Monday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. This month’s selection is “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey” by Kamala Harris. 

Please place a hold on a copy for curbside pickup. Call us at 518-285-0050 or email us at for assistance placing a hold, and register on the Events tab of our website to participate.

Curbside inside

We reconfigured our Normanskill Room to accommodate curbside patron pick-up indoors during the winter months. Checkout procedures remain the same:

— Request materials via the Upper Hudson Library System catalog on our home page, UHLS app, or by calling 518-285-0050 (our general / reference number);

— We’ll notify you when your items are ready;

— Park in the library’s main lot during curbside hours, which are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.;

— Call 518-2850-0671 (Circulation) to let us know you’re here;

— We’ll put your materials on the table inside the Normanskill Room. Enter to the right of the Little Free Library; and

— Follow all protocols posted, including wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing and using hand sanitizer.

Expanded

return hours

Return shed hours in the main parking lot are as follows: Monday through Friday from  9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

All materials are quarantined for six days, including exterior sanitizing, prior to reshelving.  Though fines are still waived, we appreciate the timely return of materials for the next borrower.  Please note that it may take ten or more days for your returned items to be reflected on your account.

Our online resources are available 24/7, and Wi-Fi is always available from our parking lot.  See www.guilderlandlibrary.org for further details on our current services.