A message from Melissa Huette, Library Director: 

May is here and so are spring flowers and foliage, yard work and gardening. My heart goes out to all the allergy sufferers! For Star Wars fans one of the best days of the year is also coming up - May the 4th Be With You. We all have a little bit of that mysterious energy or "force" that connects us together and gives us "extraordinary abilities" by being "in this together yet 6 feet apart". Hang in there everyone- we can do this! And be sure to check out some great ways to celebrate The Force from home! 

As much as we would love to be back in the library with our doors open and to see all of you (WE MISS YOU VERY MUCH!), we understand and respect that this is not feasible right now. Although the building may be closed, we are still working behind the scenes and making preparations for when we can reopen. Staff and Trustees have been developing a phased reopening plan that has taken into consideration recommendations by the Governor, health and safety officials, and guidelines provided by ALA, the Reopening NH Libraries Task Force, and other reputable resources and professional groups. We are establishing safety protocols and procedures for staff and patrons, handling and disinfecting library materials and finding ways to modify the actual library space to accommodate social distancing. We all know this is a difficult task given that there isn't much room in the library but  we will make this work! To also make our future reopening work efficiently, we will need your help... 

• Communication will be key as we prepare to reopen. We want to make sure everyone is aware of the rules and guidelines we establish so please share with friends, neighbors and anyone who may not receive our newsletter, use Facebook or have internet access to check our website. We will continue to email updates and post on our website and Facebook 
• Disinfecting supplies and personal protective equipment will be needed in order to operate safely. Boy did we go through supplies before we closed!! If you are able to donate non-latex gloves, face masks, disinfecting wipes and/or sprays, hand sanitizer, hand soap, etc. we would greatly appreciate your help!

• Did you know that over 3,000 items are currently checked out to our patrons? Also, all items have been renewed until June 8, 2020. We will continue to automatically renew items as needed.
• Please do not try to renew your items online- this will override the special due date we put in place. If you have a question or concern about your renewal feel free to email us and we will help!
• All library cards expiring in May, June and July for which residency could be confirmed through Barrington tax maps have been renewed for 2 years. Any cards that we have questions about will be renewed until September 1, 2020, giving us the chance to talk with those patrons about their residency status. 

The theme for this year's National Library Week was "Find the Library at Your Place", which was changed from the original theme of "Find Your Place at the Library" since so many libraries have shifted to digital services over the past few months. To celebrate this year we held a spirit week full of library-related events such as Shelfie Sunday, Thank You Tuesday, Throwback Thursday, and Fun Friday. See below for some highlights from the week's activities! Many thanks to everyone who participated and also to the staff for their help in putting together different activities and posts for the week! You guys are the best! 

• The bookshelf submitted for Shelfie Sunday is packed with history (literally!). The bookcase has been passed down from a patron's great great grandfather and the books inside belonged to their great grandfather who was an encyclopedia salesman! 
• Special thank you video from the staff for Library Workers Day! It takes a lot of people to help run a library and we are grateful for everyone who support the Barrington Public Library!
• For Throwback Thursday a patron shared a great memory of their first trip to the BPL: "I will say that our VERY first memory was in 2011 with Ms. Wendy. We had just moved here that summer and Ms. Wendy welcomed us with open arms, introduced me to other mom's, even told us where to go get our Christmas tree! This pic is from 2013, I think, and at your annual gingerbread decorating event." 

  

Virtual Brown Bag Adult Book Club

May 18, 2020 12:30 p.m.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: a Novel by Kim Michele Richardson

The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything―everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.

Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere―even back home.

This book it is available in both hoopla and Overdrive. If you need any assistance or if you would like to receive an email link invitation to the virtual book club Zoom meeting, please email Amy at interlibraryloan@barringtonlibrary.com with your full name and phone number.