Takin' It To The Streets

Bernardsville Public Library is going on the road in September to sign up new members during Library Card Sign-Up Month. You could even say we’re “takin’ it to the streets” of Bernardsville to show you just how easy it is to get a library card!

Our information tables are popping up at such Bernardsville locations as Starbucks, Kings, Shoprite, and Penguin Ice Cream where staff members greet shoppers and acquaint them with the many benefits of having a Bernardsville Library membership. These benefits include full borrowing access to our incredible free resources; exciting, educational programming for children and adults; tools for online learning and homework help; numerous volunteer opportunities; and a career skills center.

As a thank you, new members will receive our library tote bag, information pamphlets, and tokens such as library cups, notecards, or rubber bracelets – something for everyone! But wait, there’s more! Did you know that you don’t necessarily have to be a resident of Bernardsville to get a library card? Anyone who works in Bernardsville, though not a resident, is entitled to a card, as are certain non-resident students. People from neighboring towns or towns in our library federation are also entitled to a card. All you need do is ask! Show us your ID, fill out a short form, and you’ll be a card-carrying member of Bernardsville Library in no time!

September Selfies for Library Card Sign-Up Month!

While libraries are observing Library Card Sign-Up Month in September, Bernardsville Library will celebrate its members by affording them a fun social media opportunity. New card holders and those who already have a Bernardsville Library card are invited to get "framed" by holding up the special "I Got Carded At Bernardsville Library" picture frame and snapping a selfie. What better way to show one's pride in being a card-carrying member of the greatest free institution of learning, enrichment, and enjoyment - the public library!

In addition to photos of themselves, patrons may take pictures of their friends or children getting carded, too.  Subsequent options are for patrons to keep the selfies in their own albums, to post these photos on their social media networks with the hashtag #BernardsvilleLibrary, or to email selfies to us for library publicity purposes. We hope to see lots of them circulating soon as we increase our membership numbers!

Go Set A Watchman: Tell Us What You Think

The newly released novel "Go Set A Watchman" pre-dates Harper Lee's masterpiece, "To Kill a Mockingbird," yet reactions to its storyline have been swift and furious even though some people haven't read it.  Have you finished "Go Set A Watchman," and do you hold an opinion you'd like to share with us about this early Harper Lee book? We'd love to hear from you!  

If you're local, feel free to write up a short review or even a few lines that we can post on our Book Review bulletin board.  So far we have three reviews, but no consensus about the book. That means we need to hear from you!  If you prefer, feel free to comment on our Facebook page at the special post pinned to the top. Connect with us here: www.facebook.com/BernardsvillePublicLibrary. Either way, your reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Our Outdoor Reading Room

Join us on the patio! It's our "outdoor reading room."

Bernardsville Library's patio is the place to be for some fresh air, nice views, and comfortable seating throughout three seasons of the year. Find a seat and follow your muse to read a book or maybe write a book! Bring out a newspaper or magazine from our collection and enjoy the breeze while you keep informed. Practice a musical instrument, but not too loudly! Play some games with your friends or share a lunch break with work buddies. Sit back and enjoy the changing garden blooms and take in the sunshine.  And, of course, use our free WiFi connection for your laptop or devices. Please consider the patio to be an additional library space for your use and enjoyment.

Summer Reading Magic

The 2015 summer reading program at Bernardsville Library kicks off the week of June 22nd with family sign-ups and the first of many “Amazing Mondays” events.

Parents, grandparents, and caregivers may now register their children in the library for a full summer of adventures in reading, exploration and learning. Those who register by June 29th may select a free book immediately. Incentive prizes will be distributed throughout the summer as children meet their reading or participation goals.

Our Youth Services staff is here to acquaint you with the exciting programs scheduled on almost every day of each week. In addition to programs taking place within the library, there will be occasions for children to hear stories at different locations around town, including the municipal pool. “Amazing Mondays” is a new program added to attract families to Monday evening special events designed for children in Grades 1 and up. These events include an introduction to sled dogs, a cartooning session, and a magic show with Brian Richards.  Refer here for more information about the wonderful programs planned for your children this summer at Bernardsville Public Library.

There's No Denying It

Bernardsville Library’s book group, Memoirs & Coffee, will look death in the face when they discuss a thought-provoking memoir, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” on Tuesday, June 23, 10:30 a.m.

FYI, the smoky part of the title refers to its subtitle – “& Other Lessons From The Crematory.” Written by Caitlin Doughty, a licensed mortician with a killer sense of humor and reality, the book serves to acquaint the living with how the newly departed are handled postmortem. As a young college graduate, Caitlin took a job in a crematory and realized just how far removed most Americans are from the facts of death. She began blogging about this as Ask A Mortician and has since founded The Order of the Good Death collective. Her mission is to make people realize that death is a part of life and that acceptance of this enables us to lead good lives with less fear of death. So, if you’re up for this discussion, join the group. They’d love to have your company!

Soon in June! What's Coming Up

How concerned should you be that the precious resource, water, is endangered? In jeopardy not only from the physical effects of climate change, water reserves around the globe are now being depleted, polluted, privatized, and commoditized. Who has a handle on this? Find out at our free screening of the award-winning documentary, "Blue Gold: World Water Wars," on Sunday, June 7, at 2 p.m. in the Community Room. This viewing is sponsored by the Bernardsville Green Team. Please tell your friends about it.

Also coming up soon, Bernardsville resident Alan Winter will discuss his new novel, "Island Bluffs," which is set in a Jersey shore community. The book features fictional characters who are compelled by personal need and secrecy to act in extraordinary ways, but the story is based on true events that include bits of World War II history. Copies of his book will be available for purchase and signing by the author at this book talk on Wednesday, June 10, 7 p.m. in the Community Room. This is a free event; please come!

 "Building a Confident Retirement: A Seminar at Bernardsville Library" will be presented on Monday, June 15, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room by Keith A. Smith, a Financial Advisor and Certified Financial Planner™ at Smith & Associates, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. He will discuss how to bring your retirement dreams and goals more within reach; how to prioritize your retirement saving and spending plans to address what is most important to you; and how to identify risks that could throw your retirement plans off track. Sign up to attend and start now on the road to a more secure retirement! - http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/program/building-a-confident-retirement/.

Thank You, Volunteers!

Volunteer Appreciation Week is coming up the week of May 18th, at which time the Friends of Bernardsville Public Library will celebrate our hardworking volunteers. Without this capable corps, it would not be possible to offer many of the features that make our library so extraordinary. For instance, our free English-As-A-Second Language (ESL) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs are run by trained volunteers who offer their time on a regular basis, as do our knowledgeable Local History volunteers. These people are willing to commit to a regular volunteer schedule and always come through for us.

Those who like to work behind the scenes have helped us process the large assortment of new materials coming in every day, including audio-visual items as well as books. We even have a volunteer who does minor book restoration for us! As members of the Collection Advisory Team, other volunteers suggest new additions to our book collection. There are additional committees on which interested volunteers may serve, too, including One Book Bernardsville and Maker Day.

We even benefit from the horticultural talents of the Bernardsville Garden Club whose members tend our gardens and provide weekly arrangements for the library. Opportunities also exist for teen volunteers to assist us with shelving and story time preparation. In all, there have been over 4,000 hours of volunteer time given annually to our library, and the entire library organization is so appreciative. If any of these volunteer opportunities interest you, please consider volunteering here or at your local library.

No More Forgetting to Remember

A quiet little feature with a big impact has been added to your Bernardsville Library account. We will now automatically renew your two-week items when due if no reserves have been placed on them. Automatic renewals will continue on these items for up to three renewal periods, so you won't have to track your due dates for quite a while! This also means that you won't accrue fines by forgetting about those return deadlines. Life is complicated enough as is! Please note that this automatic renewal feature does not apply to paid DVDs, which loan out for three-day periods.

Celebrate National Library Week With Us

This year, April 12-18th marks the period when U.S. libraries and their associations celebrate National Library Week. It's a time when communities acknowledge the importance of libraries to their well being and when individuals make a point to visit their public or academic libraries.

During National Library Week, libraries around the country present special programming and activities to promote their services. If you haven't visited your local library recently, this is the week to see what's new and to learn how libraries can improve your quality of life. You may be surprised to discover how much fun may be had there, too!

At Bernardsville Public Library, we'll be offering programs for children and adults that range from decorating Minion cupcakes or mixing up Oobleck to learning about the world of mediums or doing handcrafts in a communal setting. As a special treat, we are also holding a photo identification contest using photographs from our Local History Collection. Those contestants who can identify all ten photos will be entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card! This isn't anyone's idea of an old-fashioned, hidebound library; instead, we're a center for our community. During National Library Week, we hope you'll celebrate our close partnership with you.

Little Brook Farm, A Home of Distinction

Little Brook Farm, a charming country estate in Bernardsville, has been selected as the location for the 2015 Library Foundation fundraiser known as Homes of Distinction. Each year a notable Bernardsville home is featured by the Library Foundation and graciously opened by its homeowners for a late afternoon of house touring, cocktails, and an auction to benefit Bernardsville Public Library. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, April 12, from 4 to 7 p.m., affording ticket holders a wonderful opportunity to tour an historic, breathtaking estate otherwise not open to the general public.

Although parts of the property date back to the 1840’s, Little Brook Farm was brought to its story book perfection by the Dr. Babbott family in the 1930’s. Dr. Babbott was enchanted by the location of this property and called it his Promised Land. The home was even featured in an article in a 1939 issue of House and Garden. Now in the hands of homeowners Monique and Gregg Seibert, Little Brook Farm is not to missed at this once in a lifetime opportunity! For more information about the 2015 Home of Distinction and to order tickets, please link here.

Bernardsville Public Library To Participate In NJ Makers Day 2015

Select New Jersey libraries, museums, schools and commercial spaces will be providing public makerspaces on March 21st for the first statewide NJ Makers Day 2015, and Bernardsville Public Library is proud to be hosting one of these makerspaces.

As stated by its organizers,  “The ultimate goal of NJ Makers Day 2015 is to enhance community engagement and develop connections among New Jersey residents by collaborating with libraries, museums, small businesses and others to promote and explore new opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation and hands-on learning experiences.”

We at Bernardsville Library are quite familiar with the maker movement, having hosted our own exciting Maker Day in September of 2014. For our participation in NJ Makers Day 2015, we will once again be utilizing much of the library’s layout to accommodate various exhibits and mini-makerspaces. These makerspaces will include interactive opportunities to explore squishy circuits, pop-up book crafting, and origami, among other things.  Bernardsville Library Director April Judge notes, “We are committed to finding ways to help people to learn new skills and to work collaboratively on exciting hands-on projects.”

Please mark your calendars to attend our free NJ Makers Day 2015 event on Saturday, March 21 between 11 a.m and 4 p.m.  For further information and updates, please refer here.

Is TheThought of Tax Prep Taxing You?

We've had our fun with various festive holidays, but now it's time to get those tax documents ready for state and federal filing deadlines! Once again, Bernardsville Public Library will offer free tax assistance to local residents through the VITA program.

This Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program known as VITA utilizes local volunteers who are trained to help you in the filing of state and federal income tax returns, extensions, and estimated tax payments. Our volunteers have just completed a training update and will be accepting appointments starting in February.  Call the library at 908-766-0118 for a free one-hour appointment with a VITA volunteer and breathe a little easier. For more information, please refer here: http://bit.ly/15PdqFM.

Not One, Not Two, But Three!

Did you know that Bernardsville Public Library has three book discussion groups which meet at different times and days of the week?  Never again say that there's no time in your life for a book group.  We've scheduled our discussion groups with you in mind! 

Do you prefer an evening time slot or perhaps a group meeting on a weekend afternoon? Is morning the most convenient time for you? Please consider joining one of our three monthly discussion groups at any point in the year; membership is open to the public.  

Page Turners, our newest discussion group led by library director April L. Judge, will meet on Tuesday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin. The following meeting is set for Thursday, December, 4, at 6:30 p.m. when Page Turners will discuss Amy Tan's book, The Bonesetter's Daughter. 

For those who prefer mornings, the library offers a memoir discussion group led by Pat Kennedy-Grant. This group, Memoirs & Coffee, will meet on Tuesday, November 18, at 10:30 a.m. to discuss Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward. There will be no meeting in December, but Etched in Sand by Regina Calcaterra is to be discussed in 2015 on Tuesday, January 27, at 10:30 a.m.

Saturday Samplers is the group for those who want to wind down on a Saturday afternoon with a book group which samples various kinds of literature, including nonfiction, short stories, plays, and fiction. Facilitated by Evelyn Fischel, Saturday Samplers will next meet on Saturday, December 6, at 3:30 p.m. to discuss Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story collection No One Writes to the Colonel.  There will be no meeting in January, but in 2015 the group will tackle The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen on Saturday, February 7, at 3:30 p.m. 

In all three cases, new members are always welcome to attend and books will be made available to borrow.  Why not try one of these book groups out for yourself?

"I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to."

In October, Bernardsville Public Library will host a month-long community reading event known as One Book Bernardsville.  The memoir A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson has been selected as our One Book.  To become better acquainted with the author, please view the enjoyable video posted below.

Bill Bryson's 1989 book, The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, begins with the words "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to."  That opening line also kicks off this video about the author's childhood.  Aired in the United Kingdom on Melvyn Bragg's South Bank Show in 2006 (South Bank Show – Bill Bryson itv.com/southbank,) the video features Bryson's recent return visit to his hometown to discuss what it was like growing up in Iowa. Included in it are numerous charming clips from home movies his father took.  Bryson's mother appears in it as well as high school friend, "Katz," who accompanied Bryson on part of his Appalachian Trail hike. That attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail is recounted in our One Book Bernardsville selection, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, to be read and discussed by the community during the month of October. Please click here for information about A Walk in the Woods and about the One Book Bernardsville events our library has planned throughout October. Now, enjoy the video!