Starting on Tuesday, February 27, the library is transitioning to a new, more user-friendly computer program for patrons to reserve museum passes, book study rooms, and register for library events.
We have created these video tutorials to help you get to know our new reservation system:
If you still need assistance, please contact the library at (508) 839-4649, extension 1820. Our library staff are eager to help you make use of the new reservation system.
The Grafton Public Library will be CLOSED for Professional Development on Thursday, March 7, 2024. No items are due this day. The Library will reopen on Friday, March 8, 2024.
Please pick up museum passes for Thursday before the Library closes at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
Please visit our online digital branch 24/7 at www.graftonlibrary.org – you can even get a digital card if you do not have a library card.
For a complete calendar of 2024 Library closings, please visit https://graftonlibrary.org/2024-library-closings/
This week we circulated 1,703 items, received 443 items in transit, and sent 570 items. We requested 412 items and fulfilled 355 hold requests; registered 16 patrons for library cards; and added 67 new items. The most popular book for several weeks in a row has been The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin.
Due to staff shortages, Winter Hours are in effect from January 2 to March 4, 2024. The library is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Responses from a patron survey regarding library opening hours are being tabulated, and new opening hours reflecting patron preferences will take effect in early March.
Due to the start of Winter Hours last week, the Teen Room is unavailable for after-school use on Fridays through March 1. We apologize for the inconvenience. Staff continue to program plan, create amazing displays, and build relationships with teens after school.
The library welcomed three new temporary employees, Ramona Barton, Bridget O’Leary, and Meghan Spargo, to our team. The temporary employees help to fill gaps in desk coverage in the event that a regular staff member is ill, out on leave, or when other scheduling issues arise. If you see a new face at the desk, please say hello!
Mary Murtland is quickly settling into her role as the new Head of Borrower Services and has already had a positive impact to the team. The Borrower Services staff is preparing for the changes being made by CWMARS to the library catalog. Our staff has been attending CWMARS sessions to become familiar with the new catalog program called Aspen and the new features and functionality that this new program will provide to all users. The new program is set to be implemented on March 4, 2024.
The Borrower Services staff has also been learning how to make use of a new, user-friendly platform that the Grafton Library and its patrons will be using to reserve museum passes and make room reservations. The library will be transitioning from Eventkeeper to LibCal at the end of the month.
Reference staff hosted a “Not Just for Young Adults” Book Group and discussed How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow. Staff also updated nonfiction budget tracking and trained new temp employees.
Reference staff are also preparing to launch the 2024 Seed Library in mid-March. Similar to previous years, patrons and members of the public will be able to drop in and take free seed packets for their home use. New this year is an expanded native plant seed collection! Stay tuned for more information on seed offerings.
Staff in the Teen Room continue to program plan for drop-in programming for February break as well as every Monday-Friday beginning in March. We will be teaming up with the Children’s Room for Spin Art during February break and continue to supervise and build relationships with teens after school. Sarah Slocum has also been busy planning community gardens with Trustee Dana Wilson.
Technical Services staff have been working on replacements for damaged Children’s Books, placing orders and cataloging items, and continuing to work on the adult fiction series list.
Carpet has been ordered for the Community Room and is scheduled to be installed this month. The Children’s Room carpet is in the process of being ordered. Although a timeline for completion of the Children’s Room is not yet available, the staff hope to utilize the Community Room for programming and a temporary play space.
Children’s Room staff continued to plan February school vacation week activities around their less than ideal circumstances, discussed layout for the Community Rooms so it could be used for a temporary Children’s Room, met with Willard House to finalize a summer programming outline, reviewed and tested LibCal as a replacement for EventKeeper, and explored options for updating the library’s website.
We are excited to report that the search is underway for a new director, and several applications have been received. A Library Director Screening Subcommittee under the Board of Library Trustees was created to evaluate applicants. In the meantime, staff members from the Library and the Town of Grafton are working in cooperation to keep things running smoothly and provide the same level of service to patrons.
Tuesday-Thursday:
Drop by the Children’s Room temporary space to pick up a take-home kit during school vacation week. Kits are for grades K-5 and must be completed at home. These kits will be a single activity and may include sticker painting, paper crafts, or fortune tellers. Limit one per child. While supplies last.
Friday:
Join us this vacation week to create some Diamond Art.
Please note: Room capacity is extremely limited, so please register every person that will be attending. Children under 8 must have a parent/guardian in the room at all times. Children over 8 may be left alone in the room, but the parent/guardian must remain in the Library building.
Saturday:
Kids, Tweens, and Teens! Join us in the Teen Maker Space for Spin Art. Never done Spin Art before? No problem! We’ll guide you through the process step by step.
Drop into the Teen Room Maker Space between 10:30am-12:00 noon OR 1:00pm-2:00pm
The Grafton Public Library will be CLOSED in observance of Presidents’ Day, on Monday, February 19, 2024. No items are due this day. The Library will reopen at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
Please pick up museum passes for Monday before the Library closes at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 17th.
Please visit our online digital branch 24/7 at www.graftonlibrary.org – you can even get a digital card if you do not have a library card.
For a complete calendar of 2024 Library closings, please visit https://graftonlibrary.org/2024-library-closings/
