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Director's Note

Summer Reading is officially all wrapped up! Deb had 38 kids register to track their reading and together they logged a total of 420 hours. Our 33 programs were attended by 495 individuals. Not too shabby for our first foray back into in-person summer reading in 3 years!

August was also our busiest circulating month since July, 2019! We loaned out 1,993 books, 79 magazines, 446 DVDs, 75 laptops and hotspots, and 1,258 digital loans through Libby and Kanopy. We also provided 372 wifi sessions. Keep it up! Statistics like these mean that people in Douglas are reading, learning, and becoming more engaged and empathetic citizens. Statistics like these also make your librarians feel like they are doing a good job. So thank you!

Thanks for reading,

Justin Snook

Unibank Donates $2,500 to the Library

This summer, Unibank continued their annual tradition of donating $2,500 to the Library to use for e-books and e-audiobooks in Libby. This continued generosity is very important, as it allows us to increase the offerings we provide through the app at the peak of summer reading time. These e-licenses don’t just benefit Douglas, either! When the e-books aren’t being read by a Douglas patron, we share them with CWMARS. When they aren’t being read by a CWMARS patrons, we share them with everyone in the state of Massachusetts through the automated resource sharing networks! This tiered system of lending access makes each and every e-book and e-audiobook license we buy a targeted investment in the literacy of Douglas with ripple effects across the commonwealth.

Dynamic Douglas Day Committee Donates $1,500 to the Library

The Dynamic Douglas Day Committee formed in 2018 after the town of Douglas passed a Prop 2 ½ Override to plug a financial gap that would have left many things unfunded…including the Library’s entire budget. It passed narrowly, and the campaigning for and against it left the town “down in the dumps,” to quote Committee chairman Donna Hardy. The Committee hosted two successful Dynamic Douglas Day festivals in the July heat of 2018 and 2019, though I stayed comfortably cool in the dunk tank.

In 2020, COVID-19 made it impossible to have a Dynamic Douglas Day. And as the pandemic changed so many things, so it did the lives of the people making the festival possible. The Committee decided recently to donate what remained in their coffers to the Library, where it will be allocated to the capital campaign to renovate the Library and make it handicap accessible.

I would like to thank all of the Committee members for this donation to the Library as well as two memorable summer festivals:

Donna Hardy, Lori Colbert, Amber Olivieri, Leslie Cape, Amy Phelps, Mary Mundell, Julie Cusolito, Jennifer Giunta, Kristin Hughes-Hipp, and so many members of the community, including honorable mention to Denise Willard, Douglas Police & Fire, Chris Bilodeau, Luke MacNeil, and Sen. Ryan Fattman.

Friends of the Library Fall Auction - Donation Deadline Approaching

There are seven days left to donate to the Friends of the Library auction! September 8 is the deadline to get your local products, crafts, services, gift baskets, antiques, garage finds, attic finds, and black market goods you need to make disappear in the catalog. This year's auction is going to have book bundles, Adirondack chairs, vintage benches, and more!

Bidding will run from October 9 to October 23, and--as in years past--all proceeds will go toward the Library Building Fund where it will be reserved for accessibility renovation. If you would like to donate, please email Donna Kmetz at [email protected].

Fall Programming Schedule

FALL STORYTIME:

Sept. 26th – Nov. 9th

Monday – 10:00 AM – ages 18 mos. – 2 yrs.
Monday – 1:00 PM – ages 3 – 5 yrs.
Tuesday – 6:00 PM – ages 4 – 7 yrs.
Wednesday – 10:00 AM – ages 2 – 4 yrs.

LEGO CLUB:

Starting October 5, 2022 and running through June 7, 2023. Each group will meet one Wednesday each month from 3:30 – 4:30 PM.

Lego Club I for children in grades K-2
Lego Club II for children in grades 3-5

Please note the ages are just guidelines. Every attempt to keep families and friends together will be made at parents or caregivers’ request.

BOOK CLUBS:

These clubs are ongoing and will meet September – June once a month (we will discuss at the June meeting whether we will continue through the summer). Go to mysfpl.org and check out our calendar for more details.

Young Reader’s Club – Grades K-2 – We meet the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 4:00 PM. September’s selection is “Mae Among the Stars” by Roda Ahmed.

Book Bunch – Grades 3-5 – We meet the 4th Tuesday of the month at 3:30 PM. September’s selection is “The Secret School” by Avi.

Book Wizards – Grades 6-8 – We meet the 2nd Thursday of the month at 4:00 PM. September’s selection is “The Girl in the Blue Coat” by Monica Hesse.

READING TO GABBY:

Meet Gabby! Gabby is a 12-year-old whippet who lives here in Douglas with her owner and handler, Jean Riganati. She was turned over to Jean when her first owner went into assisted living and could no longer care for her. Gabby never really got out much in her old life and not wanting to force her to do things she doesn’t like; Jean pretty much lets her do whatever she wants. Reading at the library has been good for her and has gotten her out of her shell. Gabby is a good listener, loves treats, and will never turn down a cookie.There are 4 time slots the third Thursday each month that students can sign up for: 5:45, 6:00, 6:15, and 6:30 pm. Sign-ups are on a first come first serve basis. If Gabby’s schedule is full for the current month we will sign you up for the following month.

For all programs, Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Call Debbie at 508-476-2695 or email [email protected] for more information or to register.