Trail passes and rambling narrative

Holiday edition

news & updates

Hello my friends,

Goodness gracious. No matter what I do I am never prepared for the holidays when they arrive. I've been so very busy and I do it all at home! No boundaries at all... wheee! I've been doing lots of things at the Library and at the same time falling short of actually telling anyone about them. Which is my awkward way of excusing the fact that I haven't sent you an update in a long time.

Before we get into new things, I want to reassure you about our safety practices. If you have come for an appointment or picked up items in the foyer, you know we have rigid rules in place. We are terrified of becoming vectors and spreading the virus to all of Jackson. That's why we talk to you through glass doors or invite you to chat outside. And that's why we don't go near you when pointing out books. We know it's tiresome and we don't like it any more than you do, but it keeps you safe, us safe, and ensures that library services can continue.

In response to the recent rising cases in our area, we have taken even more actions that you can't see. The biggest impact is that library staff do not work together at the same time. This means if one of us were exposed, it would stop with that person and not move through the rest of us. Again, allowing us to preserve library service. We have contingencies for one, or even two, of us to be out, but not more than that!

Since my work is easiest to perform remotely, this means I am largely working from home these days. It is not easy to focus from home, especially with both of my kiddos doing home learning and endless holiday projects on top of my usual distractions. By far, the hardest thing is being away from Jackson and not at least clapping eyes on you through the glass, walking the loop, or in the post office. I feel remote in more than one way. I think we all do.

This is all to say that we, your devoted library staff, continue to be hear for your informational, educational, and entertainment needs. Don't forget about us! The building is closed but the library is OPEN!

With longing and affection,

Lichen

Trail passes are back

Don't forget that we are still offering museum passes! If you are anything like me, the idea of going to museum makes you queasy with anxiety and that's ok. But we also offer trail passes to Jackson Ski Touring and they are open for the season.

In a fit of incredible foresight, I bought two passes this year. There are some rules new rules. we cannot lend both passes to folks in the same party. Yes, this rule is nearly impossible for us or JSTF to monitor, but we ask that you preserve the Library's ability to get these passes by observing it.

Also, the person who signs out the pass must also be the person who brings the voucher to the ticket counter to get the day pass. Non-transferable!

Those seem reasonable to me and if they do to you, we will be glad to reserve the pass for you and leave it in the front foyer for pickup... now available Tu-Sa so plan ahead and get tomorrow's day pass today during pickup and bob's your uncle.... same goes for all our museum passes if you want them!

Honor a friend, gift a book

Do you have someone on your list that you struggle to buy for? Why not honor them with a book in the Library? We have created two fun ways to buy a book to both honor a loved one and contribute our collection.

We have a wish list with White Birch Books, our unbelievable local book store. Simply buy a book we need, support a local business, and donate the book to us when you're done. Everyone wins!

If instant uplift is what you crave, we also offer a direct sponsorship. Donate a flat fee for a book for our collection. We'll order it and process it for our collection with a book plate honoring your generosity. We can even make sure you're first on the hold list so you can wrap it up - just be sure to return it by the due date!

More information on gifting items for our collection on our sponsorship page.

Meredith and Petunia post a new storytime on the usual day, the first and third Thursday of every month. We hope you will join them for some fun stories and songs.

Also, don't forget our beloved story book trail behind the building. We change it often so you'll have a new book to enjoy as you wander through the woods.

Book Discussion Group

We had our first post-closure book group last week and it went off great. We all got a good chance to talk and I learned lots of new things.

We intend to continue and our next book is The Book of Essie by Meghan Weir. You may know Meghan's dad Dan who is the President of the Jackson Friends of the Library. Meghan's mom and dad donated 15 copies of her book so we could host a kit to share with book groups all over the state.

These kits are available for any group to borrow, but do require some advance planning. If you would like to request one for your group please let us know.

The Friends have been working on their Annual Appeal letter - it should arrive in your mailbox soon. You do not have to donate money to join the Friends, you only have to love the Library and want to be a part of it. You can join on our website.

Just in case you haven't heard me say it - which seems impossible - we are the busiest library in New Hampshire per capita and we depend on the Friends to bring the magic. They fund all the extras including books, museum passes, technologies, programming, even toilet paper and hand sanitizer.