Life In A Free World

On April 22nd the Ledyard Bill Library had a presentation conducted by Wendy Limauge. Wendy explained how to save money using both tried and true methods as well as new methods. She discussed the use of store and internet coupons to obtain free samples of products, how to guard your privacy on the internet, and how to be successful entering sweepstakes.
Wendy touted public libraries as a great resource for providing free things such as internet access, DVDs and CDs, downloadable audio books, and museum passes.
We had a large, lively, interested group of attendees. There were people who were curious to learn about Wendy's plan. There also were people who already regularly utilized coupons and other savings methods. They were interested in learning more and in sharing their successes. Lots of questions were asked and information shared at this warm, interesting, and informative evening.
Wendy is very knowledgeable. This is a passion she has pursued successfully for many years. She generously shared her knowledge with all attendees. Wendy has her own website and blog. She shares daily updates about ways to save. Wendy's website is: sweetiessweeps.com
Wendy also has created: sweetiesswag.com with information about receiving free "stuff".
Her website is very informative. She also offers other websites who have different specialties such as information about mystery shopping and deeply discounted travel.
It was a great presentation!

Hurray for Volunteers!

This is volunteer appreciation week. Volunteers are so important to the library. We hope we show how much we appreciate them year around, but it is nice to have a special opportunity to demonstrate our appreciation. All week, we have been offering refreshments at both library branches for our volunteers. One of our volunteers commented that food was the perfect gift. You don't have to store it or dust it!

Volunteers perform valuable services at the libraries. We have book menders who spend several hours a week bringing slightly worn books back to life. We have book coverers, who help with the processing of new books. Ledyard Library Friends spend many hours preparing and holding the annual and on going book sales at each library. The Mad Hatters are a library service group who donate knitted and crocheted items to various charitable organizations. Volunteers also maintain the historical room at the Bill Library. Behind the scene are the members of the library commission, who help in the administration of the libraries.

We treasure all of these volunteers and thank them for their many hours of dedication to the Ledyard Public Libraries.

Is This Your Library?

Are the Ledyard Public Libraries your library? We want them to be your library, whether you use the Bill Library or the Gales Ferry Library or even both. How do we make them your library?

That is the question the library commission survey is asking. Now is your chance to tell us what makes or will make Ledyard Public Libraries your library. Go on line to our website www.lioninc.org/ledyard and look for the survey. It only takes a few minutes to complete and gives you the power to tell us what you would like or let us know what we are doing right.

A library is many things to many people. Please tell us what we can be for you.

Red Sox Nation

We recently concluded our winter reading program, Spring Training@ your library. This six week program, with raffles every week and interesting programs along the way, was all about baseball. In an effort to determine team loyalty in Ledyard, we asked everyone who filled out a raffle entry to put down their favorite baseball team. After counting nearly 200 entries, I now know by a margin of more than 2 to 1, that the Boston Red Sox are Ledyard's favorite baseball team.

I probably knew that all along and was just in denial. After all, we are east of the Connecticut River, the supposed dividing line for Yankee/Red Sox loyalty. I was just hoping, however, that with all the transplants in this area, including myself, that the Yankees would come out on top.

At last the Yankees got a respectable 39 votes. The New York Mets, supposedly a quasi-local team, didn't even fare as well as the Phillies, Pirates and Tigers.

To Market, To Market

To market, to market to find a fat pig! You probably remember that nursery rhyme line from your childhood. In that happy story, you are off to the store. Today, market means many different things, hardly ever the place to buy groceries. We worry constantly about the ups and downs of the stock market. In the library world, however, to market or marketing has become a very popular buzzword.

How do we tell people that we are the best deal in town? In other words, how do we market the library, so people will know all the great and diverse things a library has to offer. Our library commission recently held focus groups at both the Bill and Gales Ferry Libraries. People from the community were invited to share their ideas for library services. The library welcomes their input and will use some of the suggestions to improve our service. The greatest information that came from the focus groups, however, was how little people knew about the services we already offer. People suggested we do a newsletter. We have been doing a newsletter quarterly for over twenty years. An e-mail newsletter was suggested. We also have one of those. We should do workshops to showcase our on line data bases. We scheduled four a year ago and no one came.

Maybe our problem is we market in the newsletter or on the web site that people don't know we have. Although all of our programs are also published in the local Thames River Times. They are also advertised in the library and in The Day and Norwich Bulletin.

I know we could do a better job of marketing. I also know that people don't look for things until they need them. That is why library circulation is up in these troubled economic times. Do you look for a new job when you have a good one? Do you look for internet access when you have a blackberry? Right now, I think the economy is doing our marketing for us. Hopefully the people who need us now will realize what a good deal they have and continue to use the library when they no longer "need" us.

Haunted Baseball Rescheduled

Winter is really giving me a problem this year. I have been scheduling programs for the adult winter reading program for eight years. I have never had to reschedule a program because of bad weather and the winter reading program usually starts the last week of January. This year I moved it up to better coincide with actual spring training since the program is called Spring Training@ your library. I never imagined we would have a weather problem with programs in March. Silly me! Although the weather forecast for this coming Sunday is not for a foot of snow, it is saying we will get snow, sleet, freezing rain etc. I doubt many people will want to come out to a program at the library in that weather, therefore, we are rescheduling to Sunday, March 15 at 2:00 at Bill Library.

And I really think this is a program worth coming out for! Dan Gordon is the co-author of the book, Haunted Baseball:Ghosts, Legends & Eerie Events. It sounds like a lot of fun. What could be better than a mix of baseball and ghosts? Maybe by March 15, we will have weather much more worthy of baseball. I am not sure what kind of weather ghosts prefer.

Please mark it on your calendars to join us at Bill Library on March 15 at 2:00 p.m. for baseball, ghosts and, hopefully, good weather.

Surprise "guest" at book discussion

We were having a great discussion last night at Bill Library on the book Dirty Water by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and Jere Smith. It was a lively discourse by Red Sox fans, a Yankee fan and a few nonbaseball folks. The book, if you haven't read it, is a Red Sox mystery, using current Red Sox players and a Boston locale. Speaking as the only Yankee fan present, it was very interesting to see the different take on the book by Red Sox fans. The biggest surprise of the night, however, was when we were interrupted by a phone call. Laverne came in to tell us the author of the book was on the phone. You can imagine our surprise. I know authors are now offering to "attend" book club meetings by phone, but I have never tried to make that arrangement. This time the author tracked us down. I had a lovely chat with Mary-Ann Tirone Smith. She said her son and co-author had discovered our book discussion on line and e-mailed her and she just decided to give us a call. I asked her several questions that had come up in our discussion, but didn't think to ask if the Red Sox bars in New York City in the book are actual bars. That was what one participant wanted to know. After visiting Jere Smith's blog last night, I now know how to find out. Since he responded to my post last night in under fifteen minutes, I am sure I can get a quick answer from him. If you would like to check out his blog, it can be reached at letsgosox.blogspot.com.

I don't know if the next book discussion will be as exciting, but now I know there is always that possibility.