Guilderland Library Notes for Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Landscapes and logistics are changing rapidly at the library! We are currently on time and on budget with this project to upgrade our 1992 building. When completed — currently estimated at Oct. 1, 2021 -— “Guilderland's Gathering Place” will feature:

— A brand-new children’s area, including a new program room and play space;

— A dedicated teen room;

— Renovated restrooms;

— A new meeting room;

— Outdoor plaza seating in front and back; and

— An outsourced café / used bookstore.

Inside, work is underway to renovate bathroom facilities for public use, making them compliant with the Americans with disabilities Act, and creating five single-use unisex options.

We have sold or donated numerous pieces of well-worn furniture to other area libraries and at least eight local not-for-profits, as well as to the general public, thereby freeing up much-needed space for construction workers to maneuver more easily.

Outside, the ground is level on the east end of the building as we prepare to begin constructing the 6,555-square-foot children’s addition.

Updates are posted on http://bit.ly/GPLbuildingproject, Facebook and Instagram. To subscribe to our weekly eNews and monthly newsletters, go to https://bit.ly/GPLeNews.

Current services

GPL continues to serve patrons through online resources and curbside services.

Our curbside hours 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.

Our return shed hours are: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All materials are quarantined for 96 hours, then sanitized prior to reshelving.

The Normanskill Room is now closed for browsing. We converted it into a space for processing curbside pickups as we prepare to welcome patrons back into the main building for browsing. Please stay tuned!

Hoopla Bonus Borrows

Hoopla is a dynamic digital media service offered by more than 1,500 public libraries throughout the United States and Canada, including GPL. More than 750,000 movies, music, audiobooks, eBooks, comics and TV shows are at your disposal. Content can be streamed instantly on your computer, tablet, phone or TV; or downloaded for offline viewing later. 

November is a “Hoopla Bonus Borrows” month, featured in the spring and back by popular demand! Over 1,000 “freebie” titles will not count toward your monthly limit, so check out as many as you wish! Browse the entire Hoopla collection at:  https://guilderlandlibrary.org/e-library-landing-page/#watchtv.

Meetings

The Guilderland Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a Policy Committee meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. The entire Board will conduct a virtual monthly business meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. on our Facebook page. Public commentary may be directed to:  . GPL Board meetings are archived at: http://bit.ly/GPLBoardMeetings. 

Albany Guardian Society

We’re partnering with Albany Guardian Society to offer the following virtual programs:  Introduction to Meditation on Friday, Nov. 13 at 1:30 p.m., and Buying and Selling on the Internet Using Ebay, Craigslist, and Amazon, Monday, Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. Please register on the Events tab of our website.  Albany Guardian Society will email you the link to participate the day before the event.

Virtual Cookbook Club

This month's Cookbook Club is using Fix-It and Forget-It:  Best of Fall Recipes. We’ll download the eBook from Hoopla, choose any recipe and make it at home, then meet up online Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. to discuss our culinary results. Sign up on the Events tab of our website; we'll email you the link the night before the program. All are welcome!

Holiday hours

Hours of operation on Wednesday,  Nov. 25 are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  All services, including returns, are suspended on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26.