The Guilderland Public Library has further expanded our return shed hours for your convenience.  Borrowed items may now be returned to the quarantine sheds in our main parking lot 24/7, except for holidays.

Please note: The library will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so no returns will be accepted that day.

Pick up your requested materials in our Normanskill Room on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.

See our website for checkout details. Patron pick-up is available through the Normanskill Room outer door (to the right of the Little Free Library). Please call Circulation at 518-285-0671 after you park to let us know you’re here.

Winter Reading Challenge

Let’s all join together to reclaim our title as one of the top-reading libraries in the U.S.!  Books, eBooks, magazines, newspapers, children’s literature, manga, etc. - it all counts!

Everyone is encouraged to sign up for Simon & Schuster’s Winter Reading Challenge at: guilderlandlibrary.beanstack.org. as an individual or family and log all of your January reading.  For even easier logging, download the Beanstack Tracker App. Thank you for participating – happy reading!

Apple Tech and

Résumé Help

Our volunteer computer coach, Robin, can provide customized assistance on using an Apple Watch, iPhone, MacBook, iPad or Apple TV, or help you navigate the Learning Express tool on our website to craft your resume. Schedule your 1:1 virtual appointment Tuesday evenings starting at 6:30 p.m., and Thursday mornings starting at 10 a.m. on the Events tab of our website, indicating the topic of interest in the Notes field. An email address and the ability to meet online is required in order to participate.

Curbside Kits

Preschoolers can benefit from our fun and educational Grab & Go Storytime Kits, intended for ages 2-5.  No registration needed; simply pick up one kit per child every other Monday.  Jan. 25:  Superheroes; Feb. 8: Winter; Feb. 22:  Drive & Ride. 

Adults:  craft a beautiful three-dimensional origami star suncatcher using kite paper.  Please register on our website; all materials will be provided.  Kits will be available for curbside pickup beginning Wednesday,  Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.

Valentine’s Day

Card Project

Spread the love!  Our Holiday Card Project with Community Caregivers was well-received, so we’re partnering with them again to extend more kindness to our neighbors. We’re collecting your valentines through Friday, Feb. 5.

Create and decorate a valentine card no larger than 5 x 7, or repurpose an old card.  Make as many as you like!  Community Caregivers will provide envelopes, and address and mail the cards to clients.  Feel free to write an uplifting message inside if desired, and sign the card if you wish.  Drop off your card in the Valentine Card Project Box at our interior pick-up table in the Normanskill Room during curbside hours.

Mediterranean Cooking 

Learn nutritious and delicious Mediterranean cooking techniques on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. with Karen Roberts Mort from Cornell Cooperative Extension.  This virtual lesson will include a live cooking demonstration. Registered participants will receive recipes, ingredient list and equipment needed prior to class so they can follow along. Registrants will receive a Zoom invitation via email two days before the program. 

Cartooning Workshop

GPL welcomes award-winning cartoonist and illustrator Rick Stromski as our guide for this fun hands-on session on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 2:30 p.m., geared for grades 3-7. We'll practice drawing expressions, genders, and age differences, plus different kinds of animals.

Participants will need plenty of paper and their favorite drawing instrument(s) handy as they follow along. Parents can try their hand as well!  Please register on the Events tab of our website; we'll email the Zoom link in advance of the program.

Broadway Trivia Night

Our popular virtual Trivia Night returns on Tuesday,  Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., this time devoted to all things Broadway. Teens and adults: test your knowledge of musicals and their iconic songs, plus behind-the-scenes factoids.  Team captains 16+ years old will communicate with the hosts. All participants needing the virtual meeting login information should register in advance.

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.

We are just about ready to add the walls to the new children’s addition at the Guilderland Public Library. Once this area is enclosed, it will be heated and the concrete slab will be poured.

Inside, the former children’s area and fiction section is being readied for renovation, and sprinkler room and public bathroom renovations are progressing as well. View our monthly photo album to track progress on this project at: https://bit.ly/GPLConstructionPhotos.

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, plus rising COVID-19 cases, we are assessing when we can safely welcome patrons back into the building. 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.

Cannabis for

pain management 

Chronic pain is often the result of multiple root causes and illnesses, and doesn’t always respond to conventional pain medicine. Holistic approaches to pain management, including botanical compounds such as cannabis, can address root causes of pain, limit side effects, and work with other therapies. 

Learn more about cannabis therapies such as cannabidiol (CBD) in this virtual session entitled “Holistic Pain and the Role of Cannabis” on Wed. Dec. 16 at noon. with David Gordon, M.D., ADOIM, IFMCP, Integrative Medicine and Medical Cannabis Physician and owner of Four Pillars Health and Wellness. This program is offered in collaboration with Brookdale Senior Living.  Please include your email when you register on the Events tab of our website; Brookdale will send you the invite to the Zoom session.

Trustees meet

The Guilderland Public Library Board of Trustees will conduct a virtual monthly business meeting on Thurs. Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. on our Facebook page. Public commentary may be directed to:  .  GPL Board meetings are archived at: http://bit.ly/GPLBoardMeetings. 

Dial-A-Story

goes global

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 new tales for adults and children.

There are at least 59 languages spoken throughout the Guilderland area, so we’ve added a new international languages line on Dial-A-Story to begin incorporating some of these. Call 518-519-4111 and make a selection to hear an engaging story anytime.  A story in Tamil is currently featured by choosing option 3 on this phone line.

Pronunciator

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.

Service hours

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.

Our online resources are available 24/7 at: www.guilderlandlibrary.org, and WiFi is always available from our parking lot.

Holiday hours

During December, there will be no checkout or return services available on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24; Christmas Day, Dec. 25; and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1: Curbside hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31.

The interior of the Guilderland Public Library looks very different these days from what you may remember. To the left of our main circulation desk, a temporary wall now separates the construction area, where the children and teen areas will be built, from the relocated collection to the left of it.

Here, the DVDs still stand — one of the few parts of our collection that have not moved — plus youth and young adult fiction and non-fiction materials, for now.

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 constraints, we must hold off on safely reopening to public browsing. We are aiming for mid-January at this point, and will continue to keep you posted.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to safely manage the rapidly-changing logistics involved with both the pandemic and the construction project. 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.

“American Dirt”

The next installment of our Night Owls virtual book group is scheduled for Monday Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m.  “American Dirt,” the buzz-worthy bestseller by Jeanine Cummins about a Mexican woman forced to flee to the United States with her son as undocumented immigrants, will be discussed.

Please register on the Events tab of our website, where you will find further instructions.  For assistance placing a hold for curbside pickup, call us at 518-285-0050 or email us at .

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. One of the learning tools on our website is Pronunciator, a fun and interactive way to 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. 

Wi-Fi Boosted

The WiFi available at our parking lot has been strengthened.  It now extends from the building almost to Western Avenue.  Feel free to access it at any time, 24/7.

Amazon Smile

During this holiday season, online shopping will be the preferred method for many. Have you designated a charity on Amazon? You can support Guilderland Public Library while shopping – win-win!  Simply go to https://smile.amazon.com and search for “Guilderland Library Foundation Inc.,” then click on “start shopping.” AmazonSmile will donate one-half percent of all eligible purchases to us. Thank you for your support!