10/6/15 Then and Now from the Director of Mill Pond Library

    In January of 2003 the Mill Pond Library opened its new doors at 140 N. South Street in Kingston, which previously had been Siewerts Grocery Store.  I have a hard time believing that 15 years have already gone by.  It seems like only yesterday we were painting and putting down the last of the tile, and moving shelves in to get ready for our open house.  The lay-out of those shelves worked very well for many years, but lately things have seemed a bit crowded.  So out came paper and pen to see how we could re-arrange and better use the space we have.  First area to attack was the children's section.  We didn't have electric door openers when we first moved in to the building.  The addition of those a few years ago made it quite easy for 3 and 4 year olds to become great escape artists.  Get rid of the electric doors?  Not an option as moms with strollers and customers with arms full of books have gotten quite used to pushing a button to come inside.  So, we moved the children's section over to the far corner of the library, with the public computer coral in between them and the door, and escape artists no more!  The young adult section was then moved up into the old children's section.  And rather than just move the books in we made a comfy sitting area too.  Moving the young adult section then allowed us to expand in the adult fiction section.  Slowly but surely we are getting used to going to a different area to put the books back away when they are returned.  If you haven't been in the library in a while, stop by and check out the new arrangements. 
    The Markesan District School is once again doing the Battle of the Books.  The statewide Battle of the Books program is designed to promote a love of reading among our students. It encourages them to read a variety of books and remember information about the plots, characters, and settings of the books. Every question asked in a battle is answered by the title and author of the book and takes the form of: Name the book in which a horse and a boy are stranded on an island. It is a fun, academic-based competition that has been very successful in school districts throughout the state in encouraging students to read.  The library has set a table up by the circulation desk with the books that are being used this year in the Battle.  If you can't find one at school, or forgot your book and need to read it over the weekend, stop in and check one out. 
    If you are thinking ahead to the holidays mark your calendar for our annual Cookie Walk.  This year it will be held on Saturday, Dec. 12th.  Besides cookies and Santa we will be trying something new this year.  More details to follow in the coming months.