ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          March 3, 2010

Gardening Program

The Abington Public Library is pleased to announce that avid gardener, lecturer and writer Suzanne Mahler will present a Gardening Program on Saturday March 20 at 1:00 PM in the Copeland Room. The lecture is called “A Garden for All Seasons” and will discuss effective and successful garden designs, which are a pleasure to view all year. Ms. Mahler will showcase a progression of blooms to carry your garden from spring through fall, in addition to plants that provide interest during the winter months. The lecture will take you on a colorful journey through the year with suggestions for plants that offer multiple seasons of beauty and how to combine these plants to create a garden for all seasons. Gardeners are urged to attend and celebrate spring. Registration is not necessary for this program which is funded with donations in memory of Frank Mackiewicz. Refreshments and a gardening gift basket drawing will be provided by the Friends of the Library. Suzanne Mahler is the author of the weekly gardening column ‘Green Thumbs Up' which appears in Community Newspapers including The Patriot Ledger. She is also an overseer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and a member of two local garden clubs. Questions about this program may be addressed to Acting Director Deborah Grimmett at ablib@ocln.org or via telephone at 781-982-2139.

St. Patrick's Day Story-Craft Workshop

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the Abington Public Library with a festive Story – Craft! Abington children in grades 1-6 are welcome to join Miss Emily on Wednesday March 17 at 3:30pm for stories about the holiday and to make a festive mask while listening to traditional fiddle music. Registration begins on Monday March 8. Caregivers with questions should contact Children's Librarian Emily Miranda at 781-982-2139 or ablib@ocln.org.  This program is funded by the Friends of the Library.

ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          February 24, 2010

SAT Math Prep Workshop

Thinking about taking the SAT? Want to practice your math skills? Then sign up for SAT Math Prep at the Abington Public Library! This program is suitable for any High School aged student, not just for students planning on taking the SAT this school year. Practice materials and light snacks will be provided. Participants are asked to please bring paper, pencils, and a calculator. Join us on Saturdays March 20 and March 27 from 10:15am to 2:15pm. Registration begins on Monday March 8 and is limited to Abington residents. This program is funded by the Friends of the Library. Questions and concerns can be directed to Children's Librarian Emily Miranda at ablib@ocln.org or 781-982-2139.

ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          February 12, 2010

Thimbles and Friends Quilt Guild Demonstration Day

The Thimbles and Friends Quilters will demonstrate their work for the public on Saturday March 6 from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM in the Copeland Room.  This is a great opportunity to learn about quilting, to see different techniques, and to meet the skilled quiltmakers who are members of the Guild.  The Thimbles and Friends Quilt Guild meets monthly at the library from September through May.  This event promises to enliven the late winter season with a burst of color; plan now to attend.

Book Talk - Friends Book Discussion Group

Book Talk , The Friends of the Abington Public Library Book Discussion group, will meet on Monday March 15, 2010 at 10:15 AM to discuss Sarah's Key by Titiana De Rosnay. The group is led by Beth Stone Anderson Godfrey and meets in the Copeland Room at the library. All are welcome to join the group for a morning of discussion and friendship. The group will also meet on May 3 to discuss The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Books may be reserved at the library. Questions may be directed to Acting Library Director Deborah Grimmett at 781-982-2139 or via email at ablib@ocln.org .

Friends of the Library Meeting

The next Friends of the Library meeting will be held on Tuesday March 9 at 10:15 AM in the Copeland Room.  All are welcome to join the group as the Friends begin work on the annual Spring Book Sale, which is scheduled for April 23 and 24.

ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          January 28, 2010

Winter Preschool and Toddler Programs

The Friends of the Library generously fund preschool programs.  The winter session is underway.   Caregivers with questions or concerns should contact Children's Librarian Emily Miranda at 781-982-2139 or ablib@ocln.org.

Toddler Time

Toddler Time is a lap-sit story time for Abington newborns up to age 3.  Registration is required.  Toddler Time is held on Wednesday mornings at 10:30am and 11:15 am . During each program toddlers and caregivers listen to stories, sing songs, and participate in rhymes and fingerplays. Each session lasts between 20 and 25 minutes. Parents may contact Children's Librarian Emily Miranda at 781-982-2139 or via email at ablib@ocln.org to inquire about Toddler Time.

Preschool Story Hour

Preschool Story Hour is for Abington children ages 3 to 5 who are comfortable separating from their caregiver and meets on Thursday mornings at 10:15am . Story Hour includes stories, rhymes, and short crafts. Space is limited to 24 participants and the winter sesson is full.  Registration will begin in March for the spring session.

Drop-In Story Hour

Drop-In Story Hour continues on Mondays at 11:00 AM.  Drop-In Story Hour is for children ages 3-5 who are comfortable separating from their caregiver. Drop-In Story Hour includes stories, songs, rhymes, and occasionally crafts. This program does not require registration.

ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          December 14, 2009

Donation from the Friends of the Library

The Board of Library Trustees of the Abington Public Library is pleased to announce that the Friends of the Library have generously donated $2850.00 to the Library Gift Account. This donation will be used to purchase children's books and for other library needs. At a recent meeting the Friends discussed the reduction to the library budget and evaluated ways to help. The town budget appropriation for purchasing library books and audiovisual materials is now underfunded by more than $15,000 and while the Friends' primary mission is to provide resources for programs, and for special materials such as museum passes, the group has taken the unprecedented step of making an unrestricted donation for general acquisitions of books for preschool and early elementary school aged children.

As part of the certification process, the Abington Public Library is required to spend 15% of the total library budget on materials such as books, DVD's and reference databases. Additional monetary donations are needed to meet this requirement for the current fiscal year. Donations may be made to Abington Public Library Gift Account or to the Friends of the Library. The address for both is 600 Gliniewicz Way Abington, MA 02351.

Donations of used books do not fulfill the requirements of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners for library materials expenditures; however the Friends of the Library are looking for donations of recently published paperback and hardcover books, as well as CD's and DVD's for the Friends Book Sale shelf. All donated materials must be in good condition, and residents are asked to donate no more than ten items at one time, in accordance with library policy. Questions may be addressed to Acting Library Director Deborah Grimmett at 781-982-2139 or via email at ablib@ocln.org.

ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          November 12, 2009

Library staff volunteers to take additional unpaid furlough time

Each member of the Abington Library Staff Association has generously offered to take 3 more days of unpaid furlough time, for a total of 10.5 days per staff member for this fiscal year. The Acting Director has also volunteered to take 3 additional furlough days, totaling 10.5 days. One part time non-union employee will also participate; other non-union employees' hours were severely reduced or eliminated as a result of the budget reduction voted at the October 26 town meeting. Closing the library on Monday evenings, and cutting hours on Saturdays reduced the library salary line by $6,748.00 and the extra voluntary furloughing of the library staff further reduces this account by $2,712.00. The reduction to library salaries voted at the Town Meeting totaled $10,233.00. The Board of Library Trustees is exploring options for raising the remaining 773.00 necessary to balance the library salary budget. Due to the necessity of restructuring the library schedule and the reduction in hours of the Reference Librarian's position, the Board of Library Trustees announces that there will be a 20% decrease in children's programming and that library outreach at the Abington Council on Aging facility has been reduced by 50%.

Henry DiCarlo, Chairman of the Board of Library Trustees said: “The Trustees appreciate this generous and unselfish act on the part of the library staff. The Union indicated that their decision to voluntarily take additional furlough hours was influenced by the support for library services shown by the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee, and most mportantly the residents of Abington at the Town Meeting.”

Reduced hours of service at the Abington Public Library began the week of October 19 th . The library now closes earlier on both Monday and Saturday. Current library hours are:Monday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Tuesday 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM, Wednesday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Thursday 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM, Friday 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM, and Saturday 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Library users with questions may contact Acting Director Deborah Grimmett at 781-982-2139, or via email at ablib@ocln.org .

ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          October 19, 2009

Library Hours Reduced

Hours of service at the Abington Public Library will be reduced by 10% beginning the week of October 19 th . Effective immediately, the library will close earlier on both Monday and Saturday. Reduced library hours are: Monday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Tuesday 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM, Wednesday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Thursday 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM, Friday 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM, and Saturday 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM. This change in hours was authorized reluctantly, and with grave reservation, by the Board of Library Trustees and is necessary due to the impending reduction in the library budget. Library users with uestions may contact Deborah Grimmett at 781-982-2139, or via email at ablib@ocln.org .

ABINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS          Recent and Noteworthy

Email Addresses Wanted

For the last few months, the Library staff has been asking users for their email addresses. For the customer, email notices eliminate telephone calls at inconvenient times and lost messages. For the Library, email notices help keep expenses down by greatly reducing the number of telephone call notifications made by staff. Due to the conomic downturn, the Library budget has been reduced, and the Board of Library Trustees are asking library users to help save money by adding email addresses to their library accounts. This can easily be accomplished during a visit to the Library. Please note that for security and privacy reasons, email addresses must be supplied in person.

Book a Librarian

Do you need some help learning to navigate the computer to use the public library's online resources? Abington residents may reserve time for a 30-minute training session with the reference librarian from Abington Public Library. One-on-one instruction on the following topics is offered: using the library Web page; searching the online catalog; placing holds and renewing items online; finding information in databases; setting up an e-mail account. To schedule an appointment, call the reference librarian at 781-982-2139 on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. or on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tumblebooks Database for Kids

The Abington Public Library is pleased to announce the arrival of its newest database, TumbleBooks. TumbleBooks is an online collection of animated, talking picture books. These e-books were created by taking existing picture books and adding animation, music, sound and narration to create an electronic picture book that you can read or have read to you. This is the first database the library has offered exclusively for young children. For more information, or help accessing TumbleBooks please contact Children's Librarian Emily Miranda at 781-982-2139 or ablib@ocln.org.  Visit the Children's Page to try Tumblebooks Now!

Museum Pass Reservations Online

The Abington Public Library is pleased to announce that library users may now make reservations for Museum passes online from the Library website, www.abingtonpl.org . Abington residency and a valid Library card are required to reserve all museum asses.The Library has a variety of passes which offer discounted admission to local museums. Attractions include the Children's Museum in Boston, the Children's Museum in Easton, he John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Science, the Mystic Aquarium, Plimoth Plantation, the Roger Williams Park Zoo, and the Sports Museum of New England. The Abington Lions Club funds the pass for the Children's Museum in Boston, the Mystic Aquarium donates the pass to the Aquarium, and all other passes are provided through the generosity of the Friends of the Library. Discounts and admission rules vary for each pass; visit the Library website for more information.

Library Wireless Internet Service

The Abington Public Library provides free Internet access points or “hot spots” for users with portable computers capable of receiving wireless  signals. This service, provided as a free community service by Comcast, may be used during regular library hours and allows users to access the Internet from their laptop computers when sitting at tables in the main areas of the library within range of the access points. Printers however, are not available via the wireless connection.

All wireless access users should have up-to-date virus protection on their personal laptop computers or wireless devices. As with most public wireless “hot spots,” the eless connection in the library is not secure. Another wireless user could potentially intercept any information being sent or eceived.

All users of the library's wireless access are expected to use the service in a legal and responsible manner, consistent with the educational and informational purposes for which it is provided. Those choosing to use this free wireless service are also expected to abide by the Abington Public Library's Internet Use Policy. Copies of this policy are available at the circulation desk.