A Summer of Reading and So Much More

"Summer Reading" has officially begun at Bernardsville Library with featured attractions for youngsters, teens, and adults. The summer months ahead will be filled with giveaways, reading challenges, exciting day and evening programming, story times around town and at the community pool, and even a pop-up Air and Space Museum coming in mid-July!

Register your children (they don't have to be members of the library) for the Build a Better World summer reading program that entitles them to loads of fun activities throughout the summer while challenging them to meet reading goals. Of course, there will be incentives and prizes awarded on a regular basis for those children who meet their goals.

Teens have their own online summer reading club where they can write short book reviews of books they've read. By doing so, they will be entered into a drawing for prizes, some of which will be gift cards from local stores. And we never forget our adult readers! They're invited to enter our adult summer reading contest. All they have to do is borrow at least three books or book CDs to enter their names for prizes, including the grand prize - a gift basket containing a Kindle Fire HD with Alexa. Time to get reading!

Bernardsville Reviews: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Welcome to Bernardsville Reviews! Read what the staff and patrons of Bernardsville Public Library have written about the books, movies, and music they've enjoyed. 

Anne Post, Assistant Youth Services Manager, writes:

Recently I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, listed as book 8 of the Harry Potter series. Beginning where the Rowling book 7 ends, it is actually a play written by Jack Thorne and is currently being produced on the London stage.

I chose this book in the first place because I was tasked with reading a play for a book review group I belong to. I decided to choose something for kids, as I can always add to my book excitement here in Youth Services!

I was very pleasantly surprised by how easily it could be followed in both story line and play action. The sideline comments were not intrusive, and the characters' dialogue followed along in a manner similar to reading a story alone. At times I had to recap to focus on who was speaking, but that's a small imposition. I would recommend this book to kids and parents who want to continue on in the Harry Potter story. It's also a great discussion starter. Enjoy!

Yes, We're Looking For YOU...

Yes, we're looking for you to write a review. Jot down your thoughts about a book, movie, or other library item and share them with us. We'd love to know what you think, and we're sure others would, too.

Maybe you were captivated by the storyline and characters in a book; maybe you hated the whole thing - it doesn't matter! Your very own takeaway is what we're looking for, and we want to share your thoughts on our Bernardsville Public Library Facebook page.  We're even utilizing a special Facebook archive system called Notes that enables people to easily find and read these reviews.

What do we want from you? Simply write a brief review, one or two paragraphs will do, and drop it off at the front desk OR email it to social@bvpl.net. Please be sure to indicate if we can use your name. We will be happy to consider your review and may edit it for clarity and length. Don't worry about how well you write, just speak from the heart. Some of our staff members are also participating, and we look forward to seeing your review there, too. Here is the first Bernardsville Review on our Facebook page.

Seriously!

Seriously, you thought your digital devices and smartphones were supposed to make you smart or at least make life easier for you. Somewhere along the way, things got complicated, and now you find yourself lost in a tangle of apps and phone features you don't even know how to use. And can you even find half of them when you want them? It's time to become smartphone savvy, and we have just the help for you at our Serious Fun classes taught jointly by Bernardsville Public Library and Bernards Township Library.

These classes are designed to bring you up to date with the latest in the digital world. Our topics will teach you to identify reliable travel apps; find cooking websites and apps featuring the newest culinary techniques; use video chat and LinkedIn to improve personal or professional networking; and apply organizational tricks to help you manage your photo albums and your smartphone itself. Best of all, these classes are free!

Beginning in March, two of these six topics will be taught at both library locations. You can choose between an evening or a daytime class. Two more topics will be offered in April, with the last two topics scheduled for May. For more information about these seriously fun classes, please refer to: http://seriousfun2017.wixsite.com/libraries.

Let Lynda Teach You

Do you want to improve your job skills in order to be eligible for advancement or a raise in 2017? Are you interested in learning new applications that will improve or add a creative touch to your life?

The specialty teaching platform, Lynda.com, can guide you through a large number of classes and videos tailored to your needs, and we offer this online service FREE to our library members. Simply find the Lynda link on our website, create an account, and begin exploring the learning possibilities! With your Lynda.com library account you can access over 4,000 courses in areas ranging from photography and web development to general business and design courses. Taking advantage of this free, self-improvement opportunity is the first step towards a smarter YOU!

What Tells Time Without Saying A Word?

Although its chimes are now silenced for library purposes, our magnificent 19th century German wall clock keeps perfect time. It was donated in 1916 to the old Bernardsville Library on Morristown Road by Mr. Francis G. Lloyd and stood in the front reading room of that pre-Revolutionary War building. Over the years, the clock acquired a deep layer of soot from the wood-burning fireplace and needed a thorough cleaning before it could be moved to our new library building at the beginning of the 21st century. 

First, the clockworks were removed so that the walnut cabinetry could be sent out to be refinished. Then a clock maker attended to the cleaning and overhaul of the timing mechanism. This included a proper handling of the pendulum's mercury, which was weighed, safely disposed of, and replaced in the pendulum with an appropriate metal substitute. 

Standing 14'5" tall, this distinctive clock now has a place of honor in front of the library's Local History Room. As you pass it, please notice the lovely carvings on the cabinet and pause to watch the graceful swing and pull of the long pendulum. Believe it or not, time will seem to stand still for a while.

Learn With Lynda

What a busy fall this has been for us! 

First we added Rosetta Stone, the language immersion program, to our roster of important resources that are free to Bernardsville Library members. Rosetta Stone enables you to learn up to 30 languages online in self-paced sessions that cater to your needs. Do you want to learn enough vocabulary to get by on a trip abroad? Maybe you want to improve grammar and conversation skills in a language you previously learned? You can do all that with ease and totally for free with Rosetta Stone and your library membership.

How about going to the head of the line every time you want to borrow a popular item from the library? With hoopla, the digital lending service we added in October, you no longer have to wait on a reserve list for the newest book, movie or music album to become available. Hoopla membership entitles you to borrow a number of audiobooks, ebooks, comics, music, and movies per month without the wait or hassle. Simply sign up on our website and begin downloading right away.

Now that November is here, we're topping off this fabulous fall with the exciting addition to our website of the online tutorial service, Lynda.com. Lynda provides you with over 3,000 courses taught by industry experts in the areas of technology, business, and creativity. You can tune up your skills in web design, software development, or business management. With more than 100,000 instructional videos, Lynda will teach you how to photoshop your images, how to build an app, and many, many other creative skills. 

These three resources would cost you a significant amount of money to subscribe to on your own, but through your library membership with us, it's all free. Yes, free. All you have to do is click on the Rosetta Stone, hoopla, and Lynda icons on our website, sign up with your library card number, and expand your world of knowledge and entertainment. We hope you do.

It Will Boo Spooktacular!

Halloween lurks around the corner to wrap up a spooky month during which we've celebrated several famous ghosts! A literary ghost, Sir Simon de Canterville, has haunted us this October while we've enjoyed the communal reading of Oscar Wilde's short story, "The Canterville Ghost," chosen as our One Book Bernardsville selection. In addition, there's also our very own library ghost, Phyllis, to whom we must pay homage. Said to haunt the old library building, Phyllis has her own extended history of paranormal activity! Both ghosts have been featured in a number of fascinating library programs this month. We hope you've attended a few of them.

To cap off October, we invite you to attend the Friends of the Bernardsville Public Library fundraiser, Dinner with Author L'Aura Hladik. Spirits will be raised for sure with so many exciting evening events planned for you! Paranormal investigator L’Aura Hladik Hoffman, author of “Ghosthunting New Jersey,” will discuss - what else? - ghosts and will sign her book for you. Following a delicious fall dinner, enjoy dancing to music from local celebrity DJ Charlie Zavalic, participate in a 50/50 and silent auction, and experience some shivery goosebumps as ghost stories are told! The kids can have their trick or treat; we've got this spooktacular event! Please link here for information about ticket options, the purchase of which enables the Friends to continue their ongoing support of our library.  

Hoopla, A Lending Service Worthy Of Its Name

This month we're making a big hoopla about offering Bernardsville Library members free access to an exciting digital lending service called hoopla. Hoopla enables you to instantly borrow digital media which you can stream or download to a computer, tablet, or smartphone using the hoopla app. This product is also compatible with Chromecast and viewable on Apple TV.

One of the most exciting features of hoopla is that it allows you to borrow music, movies, audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and TV episodes without a waiting period. There are no holds lists with long waiting times. YOU are always first in line! Listen to more than 270,000 albums, watch thousands of TV episodes and movies, and take your pick from over 100,000 audiobooks, comics, and ebooks. And it's so convenient for you because your items will be automatically returned at the end of your loan period.

To begin your new adventure with hoopla, simply visit our website http://bernardsvillelibrary.org, click on the hoopla link, and sign up using your library card number. While you're on our website, please take advantage of our many other resources that will add value to your life. Among them are the Cloud Library for ebooks and audiobooks, Rosetta Stone for language learning, digital magazine lending through Zinio and Flipster, and our many research and collection resources.

Broaden Your Horizons With Rosetta Stone

Here's a unique opportunity for you to broaden your world by learning another language. You'll feel more confident when you travel internationally if you can be understood by people in their native language. Shopping, sightseeing, dining, conducting business, and seeking assistance will all become easier if you're multi-lingual, so we invite you to take this opportunity to learn one of thirty languages available to Bernardsville Library members through Rosetta Stone Library Solution's online-learning program. Learn at home, on the go with the app, or in the library.

Of course, you can't become conversant in just one lesson, so advance yourself incrementally with Rosetta Stone's well-paced lessons. Follow their tips below to help you achieve your goals. To sign up for Rosetta Stone, visit our website, click on the Rosetta Stone image, enter your library card number, and start the adventure!

Say It In 30 Languages With Rosetta Stone!

Ajabu! Incroyable! Fantastiskt! 

Whether you say it in Swahili, French or Swedish, you'll think it's amazing, too, once you try Rosetta Stone, the leading language-learning software which is now free to Bernardsville Library members. 

Would you like to try your tongue at Pashto, Portuguese, Irish, Arabic or Mandarin? Rosetta Stone will lead you through an interactive series of online lessons in these languages with attention to pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and basic travel phrases. In fact, you can select from 30 languages on the Rosetta Stone platform.

All you need to do is visit our website at http://bernardsvillelibrary.org and click on the Rosetta Stone image. Enter your Bernardsville Library card number, then set up an account. By the way, Rosetta Stone works well on mobile devices, too. Try it, and you'll soon be on your way to fluency in another language!

We're Outspoken for You

We're outspoken because we want you to know that Outspoken Library offers free services through the New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center to state residents of all ages with a physical or vision impairment or a reading disability that makes it difficult to read. Services include audiobooks and downloadable audio magazines as well as audiobook players with large, easy to use buttons. The wide selection of book titles will appeal to children, teens, and adults, and users can specify their reading preferences. 

The Talking Book & Braille Center (TBBC) also provides several news reading services for those who enjoy newspapers or who want to know what ads are in the circulars. In addition, items in Braille may be requested. All these materials are provided free of charge and mailed directly to your home postage-free. All you need do to qualify is complete and have certified the TBBC application found here: http://www.njstatelib.org/talking-book-braille-center/apply_for_service/. To learn more, please explore http://outspokenlibrary.org/about. If someone in your family or circle of friends could benefit from these outstanding services, please be outspoken for them by sharing this information. 

Summer Reading Fitness, It's A Thing

This year's summer reading campaign - "On Your Mark, Get Set, Read!" -  challenges us to exercise our minds and bodies for improved overall fitness. And it's not just for kids anymore!

Adults and youngsters are encouraged to step up their literary habits, pump up their healthy living practices, and exercise their right to claim fun prizes and rewards. Parents may sign up their children at the library beginning the week of June 20th. The kids will receive reading logs and flyers about the summer programs ahead and be eligible to participate in exciting activities such as the upcoming Bouncy House event.  And there will be great prizes! Refer to this website page for ongoing information about upcoming events for children.

In addition, we're doing the heavy lifting for adults who are encouraged to beef up their reading habits during the summer months. Adults will be offered a chance to enter a drawing for prizes each time they check out three or more books or book CDs. This year, three fabulous prizes will be awarded to adult participants at the end of the summer, with the top prize being a Fitbit. Need reading ideas? Look for our book displays throughout the library promoting the theme of reading fitness and get inspired. Now, on your mark!

Reach for the Top

The pinnacle of success in life is built upon a foundation of hard work; it's nearly impossible to achieve goals without it. Whether you're a student writing a research paper, an adult seeking career advancement, a foreign-language speaker learning English, or a curious mind expanding your knowledge base, the public library provides you with the tools and inspiration necessary to get to the top. Best of all, these resources are abundant and free to you. 

We think the first step on your way to success should be the acquisition of a library card. To become a member of Bernardsville Public Library, you must live, work, go to school or pay taxes in the Borough of Bernardsville or qualify through joint memberships with certain library associations. You also have the option of purchasing a nonresident card. Your Bernardsville library card accords you full access to what would otherwise be a very costly set of books, resources, subscriptions, and online services if you had to purchase them on your own. 

To further help you meet your goals, a good library website loaded with reference and research databases makes working from home possible when a library visit is not feasible. At Bernardsville Public Library, these databases are open to you 24 hours a day with the simple input of your library card number. Make yourself familiar with our website, bernardsvillelibrary.org, find out whether you qualify for a library card, and start laying the foundation for your next success in life. We're here to help.

Make a Date for NJ Makers Day

We're happy to announce that we will once again celebrate the growing Maker Movement by participating in the statewide NJ Makers Day event in March.  Please reserve time on Saturday, March 19, to bring your family and friends to Bernardsville Public Library for an exciting and varied program of displays, demonstrations, and hands-on exploration. Our NJ Makers Day presenters will keep young and adult intrigued by new innovations in technology, including robotics and creative circuitry. You'll have a chance to try out a MakeyMakey piano, play with microcontrollers, 3D pens, and button maker, and see a Finch Robot demonstration. Artists and crafters will demonstrate their skills including hand embroidery, finger knitting, and miniature book production. In addition, there will be a display of altered books to enjoy. For a full schedule of events at our NJ Makers Day event, please refer here: http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/nj-makers-day-2016/

VITA Proves Vital in Tax Season

Bernardsville Public Library is once again offering free tax preparation assistance for residents of the Somerset Hills. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance is spearheaded locally by a group of dedicated volunteers who are trained annually by the IRS and the State of New Jersey to be able to handle a wide range of tax situations. They can assist you with the filling out of federal and New Jersey State tax returns, as well as Property Tax Reimbursement forms, PTR-1 or 2. Our VITA volunteers will also provide Spanish forms for Spanish speakers. Please call the library, 766-0118, to book an appointment in the library for free, confidential assistance with your tax preparation. This service is also available to home-bound area residents by appointment. Don't fear tax season, but don't delay getting vital assistance, either. Call today!

Will You Be One Of Our Makers In 2016?

Bernardsville Public Library is putting out a call for creative people - Makers - to participate in our Maker Day 2016, which is scheduled for Sunday, March 19, 2016. You might just be among the Makers who will be joining us!

Are you one of those people who likes to tinker with technology, to kick it up a notch with culinary tricks, to create a new angle on an old craft?  Maybe you know a thing or two about robotics, circuitry, 3D printing or motors?  Perhaps you're an artist with a different approach to your medium?

We're currently seeking Makers with novel, but practical ideas that can be demonstrated to an audience of all ages. We encourage you to present your special knowledge or skill in such a way that your audience can try it out, too, if possible. Please contact us right away at 908-766-0118 to express your interest in participating. We can't wait to hear from you!

Books for Kids Holiday Drive

Would you like to give a gift this holiday season that lasts the test of time? Consider giving a child who has little or no access to books the gift of a life-long love of reading! You can do this simply by donating new books to the Books for Kids annual holiday drive sponsored by the New Jersey Library Association’s Children’s Services Section. As a library partner in this drive, we are currently collecting new books that are appropriate for children from infancy through the teen years.

It’s fun to pick out board books for babies, picture books for boys and girls, and young adult stories for teenagers; you might even recover some childhood memories of your own favorite books while browsing for these selections. Of course, our children’s librarians will be happy to make a few suggestions if you need advice. There’s no need to wrap your donations. Simply put these new books in the decorated collection box in front of our holiday book display and know that you will be making a difference in a child’s life. All donations will be distributed to New Jersey children. Kindly donate by December 15th. Thank you!

The Teddy Bears Are Back For One Final Year

If you always thought you’d get around to dressing a teddy bear for our holiday project, this is the year to do it! For many years, the Salvation Army has donated teddy bears to be dressed by various organizations, including our library, as a holiday charitable project for New Jersey children in need. This will be the final year that Salvation Army will donate bears, but the good news is that the teddies are already here at the library! They’re waiting in the glass cases in the lobby for you to pick up, take home, dress up, and return by Wednesday, November 25. You may sew an outfit, knit a sweater, or buy an outfit that will make Teddy proud and bring joy to a child who may not have many other toys this holiday season. Don’t let this last year pass by without participating in this meaningful project!

One Book Bernardsville

This month Bernardsville Library and its community will be enjoying a shared reading experience called One Book Bernardsville. We will be reading "The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken" by Laura Schenone, discussing the book at three different book group meetings, and participating in an interesting and varied assortment of programs related to Italian culture, cuisine, and ethnic history.

Our first program offers insights into the Italian community in Bernardsville which provided skilled artisans for the Mountain Colony estates they helped build at the turn of the 20th century. While the stately homes are known to many, the history of this Italian community, Little Italy, is less well appreciated. Learn about Bernardsville's Little Italy at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, and hear how you can connect to your own family's history through Ancestry.com, as well.

If you love Frank Sinatra standards, come back again the next day for a jazz singer's rendition of the tops hits when Maggie Worsdale sings Sinatra at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. This concert is funded by the Friends of the Bernardsville Public Library. On Sunday, October 25, at 2 p.m., we offer a completely different musical program featuring world class tenor Salvatore Chiarelli. You'll find yourself entranced as Mr. Chiarelli sings a lovely selection of classical, popular, and traditional Neapolitan/Italian songs.

For a taste of Italy, attend our two free programs on cuisine and wines! Diane dePalma will teach us how to make ravioli and provide a tasting, too, on Saturday, October 24 at 2 p.m. Follow that up on Wednesday, October 28, 7 p.m. with a free Italian Wine and Cheese Pairings program presented by Gary's Wine and Marketplace.

And to tie this all together, we will host the author of our One Book Bernardsville selection when Laura Schenone comes to the library to talk about her book and her quest for that lost family recipe. She'll be here on Wednesday, October 14, at 7 p.m., so feel fee to ask her a few questions. Copies of her book will be available for purchase and signing. We hope you'll attend at least a few of these wonderful free programs and that you'll enjoy discussing this book with your neighbors, the library staff,  and your own book groups. Please refer to the website for dates when we offer library book group discussions.