The Town of Reading facing an override to address the FY28 budget deficit. Please watch or rewatch the recent Employee Ethics and Office of Campaign and Political Finance training from Town Counsel. The passcode is: IM9*$Rh8
We will spend a brief amount of time discussing the override and this training at next week’s all-staff meeting. Please use this form to RSVP or submit a question.
This week, Scout Bill Lockhart, of Reading Troop 702, is establishing a Mini-Food Pantry near the School Street steps as his final Eagle Scout project.
What is a Mini-Food Pantry?
Similar in design and size to Little Free Libraries seen around town, the Mini–Food Pantry is designed for community members to donate and will contain non-perishable, shelf-stable food items. It is a free resource for people who need food when the Reading Food Pantry is closed, and a place community members can donate non-perishable food items.
Once installed, the we (RPL) will assist in its ongoing maintenance. The Library’s Mini–Food Pantry joins a growing number of them in the area, including one located at The First Baptist Church at 45 Woburn Street.
The Fall Brochure (September/October/November) will be available in hard copy this week. For the online version, go to this link. Stop by if you need to replenish!
Governor Healy recently officially signed the Freedom to Read Bill into law! Watch a video of Monday’s ceremony at the Franklin Public Library. Former Head of Public Services Andrea Fiorillo gives a speech at about 22:45 and references our experience here in Reading.
Here is the final version of the law.
New Romance and New Graphic Novels have moved to the GF, at the end of the Romance/Graphic Novel section. We are going to shift the new books next week and the signage will reflect that then.
Graphic Novels are now swapped with Romance, so they begin the section instead of ending it.
I switched the endcap signage on the Ground Floor to reflect that.
Here’s a picture of the new romance/new GN for context:
Outside organizations and individuals can book meeting rooms two business days in advance. This is updated in Communico but does not always appear on the “Today at the Library” schedules at the service desk. To quickly check events for a particular day, access Communico and follow the instructions below:
If the Brightsigns (the digital signs) turn off or are not working correctly, use any of the SmartTV remotes located in the white tech cabinet in the R and R room to turn them back on. The source is HDMI 3.
Liz Whitelam of Whitelam Books is the current NEIBA president and she wrote this for their newsletter:
“We all work really hard to ensure that our customers end up with the book they need when they need it. We race across the store waving the book that fits the exact description we overheard a customer sharing with one of our team members, or in some instances, practically knock a book out of someone’s hand when we know that it is going to be too much right now in the face of something they’re currently going through.
But as booksellers, we don’t always prioritize our own book needs in the same way. I think we all invest a fair bit of time and energy trying to keep up with a lot of books that we “should” be reading, often at the expense of what we really want to read, or, for that matter, just taking a chance on something we wouldn’t ordinarily pick up. Or, we don’t make time for really popular books, because they don’t need our endorsement to sell.
Recently, I was feeling a little grouchy – broadly about the state of the world, of course, and also specifically crabby about what felt like a lot of repetitive and uninspiring offerings in Edelweiss catalogs, many of which seemed to be trying to check boxes about what they thought the market currently demands instead of just… well, telling a good story. And I really needed a good story.
I gave myself permission to step away from the “should” reads for a moment, and revisit two “big” authors who I hadn’t read in a long time (because they don’t need my help to sell): Ann Patchett and Elizabeth Strout. Like many of us, I generally have an audiobook going at the same time that I’m reading one or two physical books. So I took on Whistler and The Things We Never Say, one in each format. And I was absolutely captivated by both of them. There is nothing particularly flashy or groundbreaking about either, but boy, I could not wait to jump back in whenever I had a spare moment. And as a hallmark for how thoroughly I was immersed in both texts: I actually had to go back and check to see which I had physically read vs. which I had consumed via audio, because I had internalized the experience so deeply, I honestly could not remember.
Both of these books focused on meaningful human connections, some where we least expect them, but also some exactly where we expect them. Reading them left me feeling very tender towards humanity, exactly the book medicine I needed. It is such a pleasure when a book – or two books! – can help you fall in love with the world all over again. And what a delightful reminder that we have the power of putting a physical empathy delivery system into the open arms of our customers, so that they, and we, can all feel a little better.”
We will be launching a pop-up MakerSpace this Fall, featuring STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) equipment and other tools (such as a 3D printer, sewing machines, and a Cricut). We are looking for staff members to help teach patrons how to use the equipment AND staff members to teach other creative STEAM programs. Please fill out this form with your skill set! If you have any questions, please reach out to Michelle, Sara, or Cheyenne
Please remember to report professional development activities using our “Staff Development Reporting Form.” This information is important! Even if you note sessions down in a monthly report, or discuss with your supervisor or colleagues, we still need you to submit the info using this form.
Not sure if you entered something? No problem, it’s OK if you submit something twice; we can fix that! Please see Amy, Michelle, Jamie, or Olivia if you have questions about what, when, where, and how to report PD.