June newsletter

Sails is kindly emailing our June newsletter today to those of you you've given us your email. You'll also be able to read it on our website shortly. You can also find the June edition of "The Reader's Friend," our monthly newsletter about new books on our website. Both The Reader's Friend and the newsletter are available in print in the library each month.

Edaville Railroad passes

The Trustees have purchased Edaville passes again this year! Edaville has very limited hours (just weekends until November 24) and disallows passes during the special Thomas events. Because there are so few dates available, we ask that you only reserve the pass once. Thanks for sharing!

Chess, anyone?

Last year we were fortunate to have Brian Beckenstein run a chess club at the library. It was primarily for children. Other obligations required that Brian resign and we had to end the club. We'd love another volunteer or two to restart the club. Please let us know if you are interested!

New staff for the library!

We were incredibly fortunate last Tuesday night, when Mansfield voters approved a town budget that includes funds for two new part time staff positions. We'd been seeking these positions since 2000. Positions funded were those of a reference librarian who will work two evenings per week and several Saturdays a month, complimenting our full time reference librarian's hours. We are open 58 hours a week during October through April, and will now provide reference service 49 hours a week. The other position is that of a "page" for 15 hours per week. Pages are responsible for shelving library materials and processing materials for circulation (putting on covers, attaching spine labels, etc). The new page will be assigned to the technical services, adult, and juvenile departments to assist with page activities in those areas.

Memorial Day reminder

The library will be closed on Memorial Day, May 29.

Carrels now electrified

The electrician has been here, and the carrels are now electrified. Folks with laptops are all good to go! The carrels are not the old, cramped kind...they've got lots of space for you to spread out.

Great new silent study area!

Our silent study area, toward the rear of the library and geared to individuals, was very usable, but as time went on we found that wireless internet users were using it a lot, and with a lack of plugs the space was not very condusive to wifi users. The Trustees used state grant funds to overhaul the space, and today we had a number of carrels installed...not those old cramped wooden ones, but soft green fabric carrels that are nice and wide. Our electrician has yet to arrive, but when the work is completed, each carrel will be electrified. Each of the carrels has a comfortable chair, and new upholstered chairs are on order. Take a look at our new space and let us know what you think.

Give us your email, please

If you give us your email address, we'll add it to your library record. You'll receive emails from us reminding you when your items are due, and notification when your holds have arrived. We also email you our monthly newsletter. Of course, we don't share your info with anyone else. Please ask if you need further details. Thanks!

Love mysteries AND crossword puzzles?

John Morgan has put together a great websites about mysteries! As of today, he includes 99 authors, with nearly 300 titles. After you read one of the listed titles, you click on the title and it brings up a crossword based just on that book. Authors include Robert Parker, Dorothy L. Sayers, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more. I'd love to hear from you if you do one of these crosswords!

Large Type Books--great for exercise!

A library patron mentioned recently how convenient it is to read large type books while using an exercise bike! Or, how about an audio book? Every month we receive new large type books and audio books on tape or cd...and remember you can download audio books at our website, www.sailsinc.org/mansfield. They can be downloaded to your computer or mp3 player.

Library Elf

Have you ever heard of Library Elf? It is a great service, of particular interest to those of you whose families have lots of library cards and checkouts to monitor and keep track off. Here's what Library Elf says about itself:

"Who uses Elf?
Anyone who wants to reduce overdues
Families with children and lots of books
Individuals with several library cards
Anyone who requests a lot of holds"

Sign up is free, and you can find us in the list of supported libraries under Massachusetts, then "Sails Library Network." Please take a look and let us know what you think.

Welcome to the Mansfield Public Library's new blog!

We're just starting blogging! You probably know we have a monthly newsletter, but often interesting issues and events come up between issues, and we'd like to share them in a more timely manner. We'll include information about events, new materials, interesting reference questions, and more. Let us know if there is anything else you'd like to know!