Pawling Library

Author: Brian Avery

Open

Library News & Events / Services

We Are Open

The library entered into stage 5 of our reopening plan on Tuesday September 8th. Up to ten patrons at a time are allowed to enter the library. Each person must wear a mask and may stay for up to one hour per visit. For the six guidelines to follow during stage 5 and more information about our re-opening procedures, please visit https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/re-opening-information/

Library News & Events

Trustee meeting will be online

The November 11th meeting of the library’s board of trustees will be conducted digitally. If you would like access to the meeting, please contact the library director, Brian Avery, by emailing director@pawlinglibrary.org

Senator Harckham

Library News & Events

Senator Harckham Donates Supplies

State Senator Pete Harckham came bearing gifts for the Pawling Library, when he visited on Saturday afternoon, July 18th.  Bringing supplies of hand sanitizer and 100 face masks, he was greeted by Library Director, Brian Avery, and several board members, wearing masks and social distancing in order that his visit comply with all mandated safety protocols. Senator Harckham is an enthusiastic supporter of the Pawling Library, and his most recent grant to the library provided annex improvements, as well as support for a portion of 2019 programming expenses. Brian Avery, Library Director noted, “We were delighted to learn that Senator Harckham was able provide masks and hand sanitizer for the library. He has been a big supporter of Pawling and of libraries, so it should come as no surprise that he thought about our needs during this time. We were pleased that Senator Harckham could visit our library so soon after we reopened. He was able to see some of the long term projects we have been able to take on over the last couple years,...

Library News & Events

Book review: The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo

Reviewed by Angie Webb, Library Clerk Oh, how I wish I had a book like this in my teen years growing up in Brooklyn, NY. The story tackles many pressing topics – love, questions of faith, sexuality, sexual harassment and body shaming, friendship, homophobia, self-acceptance – through Harlem native, Xiomara Batista, known as X. The novel’s epistolary-like structure makes the free-verse narration a gripping, quick read without making the verse gimmicky. And the compelling vulnerability and empowering passion of its young protagonist gives voice to the inner struggle of obedience to family and religious tradition with the anxiety of finding strength with self-discovery through the rebellion of young love and slam poetry. The relationships between X and her family and friends are authentic. I enjoyed how the story presented the Dominican culture of the Batista family through the eyes of someone unashamed of her heritage but wants to experience it differently from the tradition. X is relatable, I felt her struggles, I had her struggles, and like her, I wrote them down. Acevedo captured the...

Services

Contactless Checkout with myLibro

Now that the library is offering contactless checkout, you can schedule a pickup time using the myLibro app. The app is available for free on Apple and Android devices in their respective app stores. If you prefer to schedule your pickup via email or phone, you can still email us at staff@pawlinglibrary.org or call 845-855-3444. You can also request contactless checkout using our online form: https://tinyurl.com/courtyardcheckout For the full contactless checkout procedures and other re-opening information visit https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/re-opening-information/ You may also Please remember to wear a mask whenever you visit the library.

Services

Contactless Checkout Begins June 16th

Contactless checkout will begin on Tuesday June 16th in the library courtyard. Checkout will be by appointment only, for items previously requested. Patrons will be able to place requests by phone or email or by using the myLibro app. For the full contactless checkout procedures and other information pertaining to the library’s phased re-opening process, please visit https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/re-opening-information/ Please remember to wear a mask whenever you visit the library.

Library News & Events

Circulation Status

The library is open to the public. You are welcome to come in and use the library, including our computers. Contactless checkout is available Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. All items checked out prior to the pandemic were due June 30th. You are encouraged to return any checked out items to the library’s two book drops. (One is in front of the library building, and the other is outside the Holmes Whaley Lake Civic Association.) Any item returned prior to July 14th of its re-opening plan was backdated as though it were returned on March 14th. For details about our re-opening policies and procedures, please visit our re-opening page: https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/re-opening-information/ If you have a large number of book donations to drop off, please text Karen at (845) 600-5031 to arrange a drop off time.  

Library News & Events

Phased Reopening

The Mid-Hudson region has begun the reopening process, and the library is eagerly getting things ready so that we can serve you in person once again. We hope to begin with contactless checkout, though we are still waiting for state approval for our library type. At this time, you are encouraged to return any checked out items to the library’s two book drops. (One is in front of the library building, and the other is outside the Holmes Whaley Lake Civic Association.) You can read about our re-opening plans, policies, and procedures by visiting https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/re-opening-information/

Library News & Events

School Thank You and Budget

This month we received two items of note from the Pawling Central School District. The first is a thank you letter for partnering with them to give out care packages to families participating in their meal distribution. You can read the letter here: https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Letter-of-thanks-to-Brian-Avery-and-Pawling-Library-May-2020.pdf We also received a copy of their proposed 2020-2021 budget. You can read it here: https://www.pawlingfreelibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pawling-CSD-Budget-Document-2020-2021-reduced-file.pdf

Pawling Library Continues to Work Hard for the Community

Library News & Events / Services

Pawling Library Continues to Work Hard for the Community

With the Pawling Library closed due to the state-wide government response to Covid-19, Brian Avery, Library Director, has his team working behind the scenes in many ways and on many projects. “Since the time when we closed, the staff and I have been primarily focused on becoming a better library when we re-open. The part-time staff has been doing professional development courses via Universal Class (free to all library card holders) and the full-time staff has been doing a combination of professional development, projects that they had been wanting to tackle but never had the time to do, and planning programs,” Avery said. Among the many projects, one, in particular, is a real stand-out. Home Access Initiative was organized by Children’s Programming Coordinator Neena McBaer, who shared, “We really wanted to figure out how to reach families where they were: at home. Research shows the best way to improve the reading achievement of children is to increase their access to print books. Usually, we do this by checking books out to families. But right now, that’s...