Library staff members review the Great Expectations invitation. Left to right: Chris Nolan, director; Mary Rindfleisch, assistant director; Laureen Bobniak, director of development; Jen Branstrom, development associate.
An upcoming gala to benefit the library will look back on a good first year in its new building — more adults, more teens, more kids are checking out what it has to offer — and honor a pair of Ridgefield philanthropists.
This year’s Hope H. Swenson Visionary Award will go to Nick and Anita Donofrio at the Great Expectations gala on Saturday, April 25.
The event marks the 10th anniversary of the library’s successful Donofrio Technology Series, established by Mrs. Donofrio to honor her husband’s lifelong work and passion — attracting women and minorities to the field of engineering.
The gala runs from from 6:30 to 10:30 and will include a cocktail hour, a seated dinner by Gallo Ristorante, and a dessert buffet. A few tickets remain available — contact Laureen Bubniak, director of development, at LMBubniak@RidgefieldLibrary.org for reservations.
“The Donofrio Technology Series has helped to greatly expand our programming platform,” said Chris Nolan, Ridgefield Library director. “Libraries are typically good at literature programs, but this thrust into science and technology is another dimension.”
The series offers programs, workshops and events that aim to inspire young people, especially girls and minorities, to pursue science and engineering. It has also resulted in the library’s receiving several prestigious grants to develop other science-related programs, such as the popular International Year of Astronomy 2009 program. In 2012 the Ridgefield Library was one of just nine in the United States that was tapped to be part of a new NASA program — “Astro4Girls” — aimed at empowering women’s success, especially in science.
With the expanded library reopening in May 2014, the series has a new dedicated space, the Donofrio Family Technology Center, which has 11 computers for students, one instructor station and an interactive “smart” board — all hooked to the library’s local network.
“This room has allowed us to engage young people in programs such as Girls Who Code and the Hour of Code collaboration with the schools,” said Mary Rindfleisch, assistant director of the library. “It also enables us to offer a wide range of learning opportunities for adults, on everything from social media to using our catalog and 3D design and printing.”
Numbers are up
The new building also provides a home to teens in grades six through 12. They used to have a wall of books in back of the children’s section, and now they have a bright teen center that includes books, tapes, DVDs, computers and, yes, video games. The new library opened the day before AP (Advanced Placement) exams, and teens came streaming in to use the center as well as the new study rooms.
“Before that we didn’t see them, because there was no place for them to sit and work,” said Rindfleisch.
Programs for adults have increased nearly 49%, while attendance has shot up by about 64% over the same period last year, the library said.
A large spike in attendance occurred in October/November 2014 during Ridgefield’s Big Read, organized by the library and the Ridgefield Playhouse. The old building’s Dayton Program Room had a capacity of 80. The library now boasts two rooms for adult programs with a combined capacity of 220. Thanks to technology built into the rooms’ walls, the new space can offer attendees assisted-listening devices.
Technology everywhere
In fact, the new building incorporated technology every place possible for the convenience of library users and staff. The entire facility is wireless, and people may log in on their own devices or use a library computer. Time and money were invested to equip the entire collection — including books, audiotapes, DVDs — with radio frequency identification. This has resulted in a simplified and more accurate checkout and return process.
Self-service stations on the main and upper levels have made possible a 56% increase in self checkouts. An automated return system and self checkouts have freed the staff to help with activities that need one-on-one individual assistance, such as inter-library loans, reading recommendations and reference questions (reference questions are up 52%).
Here are some more numbers:
• The library supports some 40 book clubs with title suggestions and multiple copies, and six clubs actually meet at the library.
• The library’s new digital subscription service to 50 magazines, offered at no charge to those with a library card, is accessible at home or in the library.
• Two sunny, dedicated rooms house children’s programs. Some 9,000 attended these programs between July 2014 and January 2015.
“The Great Expectations benefit represents an opportunity to honor Anita and Nick Donofrio for embodying the vision and mission of our library,” said Nolan. “It is also a wonderful opportunity to look back on nearly a year since the new building opened its doors. More and more people are using the library — borrowing from its collection, attending expanded program offerings, participating in science and technology events, and simply enjoying its physical utility and beauty. I can also speak for the staff when I say it is a pleasure to work in such an airy, well-designed space.”