Thank you for a great summer!
What a fantastic summer we had learning together.
We feel so fortunate to be part of this community and grateful to all of you for the kind words, thank you cards, and outstanding participation in our Summer Learning program. You completed over 2,300 library challenges this summer in the areas of science, literature, mathematics, art, music, technology, and engineering. Congratulations!
We have some exciting plans for the fall, and we can't wait to share them with you.
Be well. Be safe. Be kind.
Please feel free to contact me any time at jperrin@townofjaffrey.com.
Kind regards, Julie M. Perrin, Library Director - a.k.a. Ms. Julie
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We had a great socially distant Summer Learning finale, with storyteller, Simon Brooks and our Children's Literacy Foundation Book Giveaway.
Congratulations to all of our grand prize winners, including the recipients of brand new bikes from Charity Lodge #18.
Thank you to all our sponsors for your generosity.
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Dial-A-Story is LIVE! No internet required!
 Too many people online in your household slowing down your bandwidth? Wish your kids could go to library storytime on demand? Wouldn't it be great if your Jaffrey librarians were available 24/7 at a toll-free phone number to read stories, tell jokes, offer creative writing prompts, impress you with cool science facts and more? And imagine this toll free phone number could have unlimited callers at the same time...and a long menu that changes monthly.
We love making dreams come true!
Call 888-718-0505! You can also visit our new Dial-A-Story page on the Library-to-Go menu to learn more about the service and see the complete menu of stories and activities (although Ms. Julie worked hard to get the whole menu down to 3 1/2 minutes.)
We are so excited about this new service, sponsored by Millipore Sigma, provided by Stories in the Cloud, and lovingly prepared by your librarians.
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See how this year's STEAM Assistants helped to make the magic of STEAM Learning, even with the challenges of the pandemic.
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Digital Resource Update
We love Tumble Book Library!
 When the world went virtual back in March, many vendors of digital content for libraries offered free services to help libraries expand their digital offerings. One of those companies was TumbleBooks, which provided not only the Tumble Book Library, but also Teen Book Cloud, Tumble Math, Audio Book Cloud, and Romance Book Cloud. We hope you have enjoyed these resources. Unfortunately, the free services will end on August 31.
We can't afford to continue all five of these resources, but due to the high usage of Tumble Book Library, we have allocated funds to continue that very popular resource, so enjoy! Tumble Book Library is here to stay.
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Service FAQ
We know that as summer comes to a close and we all begin to transition to fall, you have questions regarding what service will look like once the weather forces us inside. We hope this FAQ will help.
Outdoor Browsing is over for the summer, but what about Curbside Pick-up?
We will continue to have over 100 curbside appointments each week, even as we wrap up summer. After you place your reserves, you can sign up for your appointment here.
Why is Outdoor Browsing stopping?
Outdoor Browsing is so much fun but also very labor intensive. The librarians are taking a break, and alternating some vacation time to recharge our batteries. Staff are refocusing their attention on fall kits and programming so that we are ready to support your home/remote learning and job searching needs this fall.
Why can't we go inside yet?
We continue to follow the Trustee approved Pandemic Policy and Interim Service Plan. We have been able to offer outdoor services all summer while we complete our facility upgrades so that we can have a sustainable reopening. We are in touch with librarians across the nation and the globe, and we are learning from libraries that opened too soon, only to have to close again. We hope our changes inside will allow us to continue to provide some level of in-person service even if health conditions worsen in the region.
What kinds of changes are you making?
It's so exciting! We are creating socially distant spaces for both staff and patrons, so we can serve you safely and allow you to use the library in a semi-normal way.
We are also creating a Job Resource Center and a Home Learning Center so we can gather the resources you need to optimize your time in the library.
We have done some needed safety upgrades such as fire security (You will all remember that false alarm evacuation last year...) and our long awaited security cameras, which will prevent some of the issues we have had with computer theft and drug use, but even more importantly in this time, we will be able to monitor more areas with fewer staff. With Covid-19 staffing requirements, we are often operating on a limited staff, but the cameras will literally allow us to be in two places at once. Safety remains our top priority.
The library is at Orange level of service. What will happen when you move to Yellow? When will that happen?
Curbside will move inside to the lobby, with expanded hours, and we will be able to offer in building appointments on the days we have professional cleaning services. Look for that change as soon as our facility upgrades are finished -- hopefully by late September or early October, before the weather changes! And yes, masks will be required.
What are your hours? You answer the phone at 10 am on Thursdays but aren't you closed then?
We aren't following pre-pandemic hours, but instead adjust our hours to accommodate the need to stagger staff schedules, accommodate cleaning schedules, and provide service in an optimal way. Always leave a message as we spend a lot of time on the phone with patrons so if you get the voicemail, we are likely helping another patron or serving the public curbside. We will return your call as soon as possible.
What about STEAM kits? I am not seeing as many listed in the catalog?
Kits are being revamped, changed and upgraded in response to your Home Learning survey. We have awesome plans for all the learning fun of summer to be available throughout the school year. Stay tuned!
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We are at Service Level ORANGE.
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Mildred's Masks
 While we have received over 200 masks, masks for children of all ages and teens are flying off the rack as children prepare for back to school, and we need more! Thank you to all of our volunteers in the community who are donating materials and their time to sew masks.
If you would like to donate masks to our Mildred's Masks drive, please put the masks in a sealed baggie in the book drop. We will see that they are washed and quarantined in order to be distributed, ready to use. Thank you!
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Youth Book Club News
 Ms. Eileen and Ms. Andrea have prepped all the kits for My First Online Book Club all the way through December! Our Book Club kits contain not only the book to keep, but all the supplies for the group online discussion and activity.
We read all your survey responses and agree that we need a way to continue having book clubs for older children, too. Watch for an announcement in September on the Mischief Makers Online Book Club, a family-friendly book club designed to appeal to a broad age range. Details will be available as soon as we line up our sponsors.
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Update on Fuel Assistance from SCS
The library has regularly served as a place for Fuel Assistance appointments each fall for Southwestern Community Services, and we appreciate SCS as a great community partner.
We were recently sent the following message which we want to pass along to you.
"Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the SCS Fuel Assistance Department will not be performing our usual Outreach functions and coming to your facilities to meet with clients. We are encouraging anyone who is interested in applying for the Fuel and/or Electric Assistance Programs to call our office for a phone appointment, 603-352-7512. At this time, we are scheduling phone appointments for the upcoming Fuel Season as well as ongoing/new Electric Assistance participants."
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A screenshot of the latest meeting of the Jaffrey Library Board of Trustees.
We couldn't ask for a better group of people to lead us through these times. Thank you all for your service to Jaffrey and the library!
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