By Elizabeth Richards
The Raymond Village Library resumed walk-in
services on Sept. 1 and the public is encouraged
to visit and check out library materials, use
computers or shop the library's ongoing book sale.
Both the Raymond Village Library and the Windham
Public Library are set for a number of events and
activities this fall. SUBMITTED PHOTO
As fall approaches, the public libraries in Windham and Raymond continue to serve the communities with online programs, curbside pickup, and limited in-person hours of operation.
In Windham, Library Director Jen Alvino said staff
members are prepared for the busy fall season ahead.
“The important thing to note at this time is that all our programs at Windham Public Library are continuing online,” Alvino said. “We have lots going on and something for all ages, but everything will be posted on our Facebook or done with staff through Zoom.”
These online programs include Story Time and Books
and Babies either posted or held via Facebook Live at their usual times each
week. Story Time happens on Mondays and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., and Books and
Babies is on Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m.
The Windham Public Library has a regular Book
Group and Socrates Café program offered on Zoom. On Sept. 22 at 4 p.m., via
Facebook Live, Tim Caverly will present The Allagash – New England’s Wild
River, a virtual canoeing experience on the 92-mile Allagash River complete
with lore, legends and characters that Caverly experienced as a Maine Park
Ranger.
For more information and program links, contact Reference
and Technology Librarian Ray Marcotte at rmarcotte@windhammaine.us.
The Windham library also offers a writing group,
an Author Talk and Art Nights online, Alvino said.
According to Alvino, the library is still
operating with reduced hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
because of the pandemic. Curbside pick-up is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We have a limit of 15 people in the building and
we ask that people wear a mask and keep their visits under 30 minutes,” Alvino
added.
Because of the limitations on number of people and
time limit for visits, the library cannot accommodate students after school as
they have in the past, according to a notice on the Windham Public Library
website.
“Winsome Wednesdays,” a program designed for
grades K to 6, will feature a new video on Facebook most Wednesdays with “a smorgasbord of interesting
activities to try out by yourself, or with your family,” according to the
description on the website.
The Raymond Village Library (RVL) is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The library resumed walk-in services on Sept. 1,
and patrons can feel free to drop in and check out materials, use computers or
shop the library’s ongoing book sale, according to their September newsletter.
Reserving time for computer access at the Raymond
Village Library is highly recommended at this time because of the limited
availability of computer stations.
Face coverings and social distancing guidelines
are in effect, and access is limited to five people in the library at a time.
No-contact parking lot pickups of materials to check out are still available by
contacting the library for a pickup time.
While the library isn’t currently
offering story time, plenty of activities remain to captivate and entertain all
ages, Raymond Village Library Board Member Briana Bizier said.
“The Children’s librarian, Karen, who
is amazing, still has the story time packets that parents can pick up, and
those are for all ages,” Bizier said. “The packets include books, songs and a
craft.”
The library has also set
up a new story walk at the Raymond Shopping Center, Bizier said.
The Raymond Village
Library children’s librarian worked with the owner of the shopping center and
independent stores to display a page from “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and
John Archambault in storefront windows throughout the center.
This story walk is in addition to the “Jack and
the Beanstalk” story walk in the community garden next to the library.
With community assistance, the Raymond
Village Library also recently purchased picnic tables to expand their outdoor
seating area. Bizier said this area will be available throughout the fall so
that school children, and anyone else, can access the free wifi at the library.
Bizier said that in addition to the
indoor book and movie sale the library has going, they are selling “some really
cool Maine
and Raymond T-shirts” as well. She said that
the library plans to hold its holiday basket fundraiser again this year.
The library also will
conduct a “Grow
with Google” workshop online from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. This workshop will offer tips on selling
online, including the benefits of setting up an online store with Shopify and
how to list products on Google Shopping.
Registration will open soon. Interested individuals should contact the
Raymond Village Library for more information.
The Raymond Village Library will also host a virtual
discussion of “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead, on Monday Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.
through Zoom. Participants should contact the library for specific meeting
information.
For a listing of additional activities this fall offered by
both the Raymond Village Library and the Windham Public Library, the public is
asked to review up-to-date information on the library websites, as well as on
their Facebook pages.
<
