FAIRFIELD BAY LIBRARY JANUARY 2021 newsletterCo-editors Karen Tangen and Pat Bailey
IN THIS ISSUE:State of the Library “address”Library closed to the public & curbside pickup resumesDigital CatalogLibrary book finesBook donations by appointment onlyReaders Group schedule for 2021Lobby display
STATE OF THE LIBRARY ADDRESS:Optimism was in the air at the beginning of 2020 after the Library made a large leap into the digital age and was able to offer eBooks, Audio books and magazines right from your phone, tablet or computer in addition to browsing the Library to get your reading material.There are many family members who live across the country who received the gift of a Library card from Fairfield Bay Library as a Christmas stocking stuffer.
All continued normally until something called Covid-19 hit the country and changed everything about our lives.
The Library closed to the patrons and Curbside Pickup began.Quite a few patrons took advantage of this service every Wednesday afternoon and the rest used the digital catalog.
As a service to the community the Library also began a contactless book bag pickup. Several days a week free books were bagged and placed on the table outside the library and were available to anyone who needed some reading material. Most of these items came out of the books that had been donated to the library and each bag was marked with a note as to what genre of reading material was in the bag.
Fundraisers had to be cancelled or rescheduled out of an abundance of caution. Library cards which normally went into renewal due status yearly remained open for use. Book sales plummeted to zero along with the aforementioned moratorium on membership renewals.
Once the library was able to re-open to the public with many restrictions, patrons were able to select their own books and movies until finally we were able to re-open fully.
Near the end of the year the Library participated in the Fall and Christmas events. The first was the Scarecrow contest sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and our entry raided her closet for the blingiest outfit and jewelry she could find and then surrounded herself with books and fall foliage. To her delight she won the Judges Most Whimsical Award. The Christmas Village Market sponsored by the Conference Center was next which gave us the opportunity to do a little fundraising. Our Book Angels and Book Letters proved popular along with good quality hardbacks, soft covers, and tee shirts. Last up was the Annual Christmas Tree Contest, again sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. This year’s tree was made entirely of book flowers. No prize this year but still fun to participate in.
Hopefully, 2021 will see things begin to return to normal, fundraising back on the agenda for the library and good health for our patrons and community.
LIBRARY CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC & CURBSIDE PICKUP RESUMES:Fairfield Bay and Van Buren County is experiencing an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and the Board of Directors made the decision to close the Library until Monday, January 4th 2021 and now has been extended to Monday, January 11th 2021. The situation will be monitored and further updates will be posted on our Facebook page.Curbside service will be available Monday, January 4th, Wednesday, January 6th and Monday January 11th from 1-3 pm for your book and movie requests.Call us at 501-884-4930 and leave your name and requests orsend an email to [email protected] with requested items.
DIGITAL CATALOG:All adult library memberships that are current includes access to the digital catalog. If you do not have your access information, please call the library at 501-884-4930 or email us at [email protected] to get your access information.This will give you access to over 50,000 eBooks, Audio books and magazines.
LIBRARY FINES:Overdue fines will not be enforced due to the Library closure but we ask that all items checked out are returned on a timely basis using the dropbox located between the library and pharmacy. Other patrons may request the same book or movie that you have checked out.
NOW, we have a deal for you as well.Many folks have used the time during Covid-19 to clean out closets, book shelves, dust under beds and other things you never had time for before.Should you have found items that belong to the Library during these endeavours, just bring them back to the Library using the dropbox even if it’s been more than a few weeks, perhaps a few months or even a year or two or more AND ALL FINES WILL BE FORGIVEN.
BOOK DONATIONS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY:Book donations will now be accepted once again BUT only by appointment. Please call the Library at 501-884-4930 and set up an appointment time to bring your items to the library.
We ask that you donate only the following items:Hardback fiction books in good used, clean smoke free condition with no damage to spine or pages.Reader’s Digest Condensed books also in clean smoke free condition with intact spines and pages. The following items WILL NOT be accepted:TextbooksCoffee table booksCookbooks.
READERS GROUP SCHEDULE FOR 2021:January: THE WATERS OF ETERNAL YOUTH by Donna Leon. This meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 15th at 10 am at the Chamber of Commerce but may be postponed due to the increase in Covid-19 cases. An update will be posted on our Facebook page once a decision has been made.February: TBAMarch: THE TIDELANDS by Phillipa GregoryApril: TBAMay: THE GIVER OF STARS by JoJo Moyes
LOBBY DISPLAY:Today Alfreda Bruen installed a wonderful display of memorabilia from her days as a Pharmacist. Tools of the trade as it were from the past are on the shelves. We invite you to check out the display as soon as we get the Library back open to the public.
Please open the photo below to see Alfreda and the Lobby display case.