SUGGESTIONS - JULY & AUGUST 2008

Add a Tuesday or Wednesday Evening Book Group: The three adult book clubs that we host meet at time and days that work for the leaders. If you are willing to lead a group on another evening, we certainly will find the room for you. In the meanwhile, watch for the debut of an online book club hosted by The Journal News. We have selected our first book, Bringing Down the House, and are working out the communication details.

A Fax Machine: We would love to have a coin-operated public fax. So far, we haven't found one that works!

Allow Patrons to Put a "Hold" on Requested Books (by extending the pickup date) When They are on Vacation: Our "hold" system works wonderfully well at moving books quickly throughout all the libraries in our system while still giving Mahopac patrons priority in getting our copies of titles. The downside of such a sophisticated system is that we cannot manipulate it. We do hold items for a week after they come in, and if you call us we usually will be able to hold it a few extra days.

The Bottom Row of DVDs Cannot be Read Easily by Seniors: Unfortunately, the nature of library shelving means that some materials will be too high and some will be too low. And since children's videos often are selected by adults, including grandparents, putting them on the bottom shelf not only confuses the order but also presents the same visibility/access problem.

Bring Back Movies for the Kids at Night: Next summer we will do a mix of movie times since the afternoon screenings were well attended.

Have a Cell Phone Zone: We do. It is in the entry foyer.

You Shouldn't Make the Walkaround by Yourself 10 & Up: The age that a child can be alone in the library is when she or he hits 6th grade (at which time you'd probably be 11 or 12) because that's when there is a Middle School bus that stops at the library. Different children mature at different ages. You might feel comfortable while alone in the library, but we have seen other children -- some as old as 10 -- get frightened when they cannot find their parent(s).

Have a Class to Teach Two-to-Four Year Olds to Read: Not all children are ready to read at such an early age. It is much better to introduce them to the love of reading through story times and reading at home.

SUGGESTIONS - MAY & JUNE 2008

Clean Your DVDs: We do. But users must let us know that they need to be cleaned. Leave a note in the case when you return the item, and we will use our professional DVD cleaner.

Separate Children's DVDs from Adult Collection: In general, it is difficult to arrange movies by age group. Many titles do not fit neatly into one category or another. And not all adult movies are rated R. We have separated out some of the DVDs for the very young, which can be found in the marked carts on the first floor near the DVD collection.

Boats Parked Behind the Library: We have discussed this with both the marina and the police department. It appears that boats cannot be prohibited from parking in that area.

Buy These: Adirondack Life; Cook's Illustrated Life; Domino; New York State Park Information; more Polish books for children. We welcome suggestions for specific titles to purchase. The three magazine titles will be priced for inclusion in our collection. We will look for titles on the parks. (We do have Woodhall's Guide to New York Campsites.) And please suggest some titles -- and sources -- for the books in Polish.

Reserve Parking Space for Library Users When Needed: When large meetings are held at the library, there is often a problem with parking. The room reservation form advises people to car pool and/or park as far from the entrance as possible, or park elsewhere and walk to the library. We are taking additional steps to restrict parking when large meetings begin before the scheduled library opening time.

Create a Forum for Discussing Suggestions for Collective Resolution: Not all suggestions lend themselves to "collective resolution." Some of what we do is governed by library policy and law. Please feel free to contact the director or attend a Board of Trustees meeting if you feel your concerns are not being met.

SUGGESTIONS - MARCH & APRIL 2008

Bring Back the Coffee Please: Unfortunately, everyone suffers because of the inappropriate behavior of one. If the opportunity presents itself, then we hope to reinstate coffee and tea in the cafe area

People Who are Unable to Lock Bathroom Doors and Reach Items in the Bathrooms: We will provide an "Occupied" sign. People will obtain the sign from the Information Desk. Please ask ahead of time for other items that cannot be reached, e.g., paper towels or soap.

More Children's Books for Grades 4 & 5: Please give us some specific titles. We welcome your suggestions and we invite you to join the book discussion group that meets at the library every month for this very grade range!

Buy Pixie Pop & Dragon Drive: We already own Dragon Drive. Do you need help using the online catalog? I will let the person who purchases Manga know about Pixie Pop.

Provide a Computer with iTunes: You can use our computers to get to the iTunes site, but you will need to pay to download the music. The library has music on CD for you to borrow, but it does not have an iTunes account.

A Binder of Upcoming Book Titles for the Month: Good idea! Check at the Information Desk for this new binder. But remember that these new titles are just a fraction of the new books we add every month.

Story Time Schedules: The flyer with the Story Time schedule also indicates any planned cancellations. You can also access Story Time information on the library's Web site by clicking on the Story Time Calendar.

Divide Movies by Ratings: Keeping the movies in ABC order by title makes it easy to find and to reshelve them. Breaking up movies by age, rating, or genre creates difficulties for everyone. If you are interested in the rating of a particular title, then check the online catalog and find it under AUDIENCE.

New AP Exam Books: Yes, some of the titles are a bit out of date. We will try to budget for annual updates. But did you know that these exams are available through our Web site? Click on the "Databases" link on the library's home page. Under Careers & Education, click on Practice Testing & Education. You will need to submit your library card number to access the site. All the practice exams are there!

More Light in the Large Print Area: We will take a look. However, books on the top and bottom shelves are usually difficult to see, regardless of the amount of light.

SUGGESTIONS - FEBRUARY 2008

Host a Sushi Class: Great idea! Someday we hope to have a whole series of classes devoted to cooking around the world. We've already explored Chinese cooking, so stay tuned.

Drawing Classes for Children During Summer/Weekends (grades 5+): We do offer a variety of art-related workshops during the summer. Be sure to check out our summer schedule of events. And coming on Saturday, April 12th, there will be a paper-folding workshop for children ten and up.

Have Jodi Picoult Visit the Library: Author visits are wonderful, and best selling author visits are better yet -- but very expensive. If you have a connection to her, let us know. That always helps.

The Stream Between the Library & the Church: This area has been an ongoing problem, which neither the state, county, nor the town wishes to address. There are catch basins under our parking lot to help with some of the drainage. County workers and our own custodian will periodically clear debris from the grill at the mouth of the culvert that runs under Marina Drive to help the stream's flow, but more should be done. We have pictures of the flooding that occurs to show to a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Teen Behavior: We have a policy and a set of procedures in place that library staff is strictly enforcing. Two offenders recently lost their library privileges. We hope this serves as a warning to the rest, and that their behavior improves as a result.

This Place is Fantastic. It's Awesome the Way It Is: Thanks for the compliments. We hope everyone feels the same!

SUGGESTIONS - JANUARY 2008

Buy More...
Books on global warming: We have forty-five titles in our collection at all reading levels, and there are more than 200 in the Mid-Hudson Library System.
Hallmark Movies: We have thirteen DVDs or videos produced by Hallmark. There are 170 other titles in the Mid-Hudson Library System.
Comedy: Please be more specific. If you search the catalog using the key word "comedy," then you will find 393 titles in all formats in our library alone. Ask a librarian to help you narrow that down!
Yotsuba &! Graphic Novels: There are only five titles in this series right now. We will buy more as they are published.
Bring It On: In It to Win: This title is owned by LaGrange Library. We own Bring It On: All or Nothing. It looks as if there are four titles in the series.
We welcome suggestions for specific titles to purchase. And we do buy many of your suggestions. And remember: you can always borrow materials through Mid-Hudson Library System's inter-library loan system.

Get More Cards for 'Books I Enjoyed': We have a jar and a supply of paper for this at the circulation desk. The cards you are referring to were part of last year's summer reading program.

Mother/Daughter Book Club: We did a parent/child book club many years ago to accommodate the boys. We just introduced a book club for fourth- and fifth-graders. Let me know if you would like to join it.

Storytelling Time for Children: We do story times for preschoolers, but our theater group sounds more like what you are interested in. This group allows children to hear a "book" and see it acted out.

Cell-Phone Use and Loud Conversations: Both staff and patrons should observe the guidelines, which are posted throughout the building.

Wi-Fi for Computers and Nintendo Connections: We do have wireless access throughout the library. Follow directions posted in the building to get connected. We have not committed any funds to a specific gaming platform. However, this spring we will be submitting a competitive grant for a Wii.

SUGGESTIONS - NOVEMBER 2007

Cafe Tables & New Books: The tables are located relative to electrical outlets in the floor and therefore cannot be moved. The library is a public place with many different people using it for many different reasons. Hopefully people will respect one another's various uses.

Art Programs for Middle-School Teens: We are increasing our programs for this age group, including art workshops and jewelry making. Check the children's calendar for up-to-date information on these programs.

This Library is the Best: Thank you! We really appreciate hearing the nice things!

Ashtray at the Library Entrance: Keeping the ashtray/trash container at the entrance to the library is done to make sure people dispose of their cigarettes and garbage BEFORE they enter the building. Library policy (and New York State law) prohibit people from smoking at the entrance, so please let staff know if you see this happening.

Superabundance of Materials in the Book Barn: Our patrons are very generous with their donations of books -- both used and almost new. Some are actually added to the collection! Most are sold in the Book Barn and the money is used to enhance the library's programs and services. We will be adding book buying opportunities (in addition to our ongoing Book Barn Annex in the foyer) to help reduce the inventory. Look for a "holiday shopping" table on the first floor lakeside in the first week in December.

SUGGESTIONS - OCTOBER 2007

Look into having Playaways: Our first order was placed even before your suggestion arrived. We have twelve titles, plan to add another twelve in the near future, and you can borrow additional titles from several of the libraries in the Mid-Hudson System.

Larger Selection of Books on Top that are Not Mysteries: Not sure what you mean by "on top". We order a variety of genres -- science fiction and fantasy, romance, adventure, historical fiction, "chick lit," as well as general fiction. If you have specific titles in mind, then please let us know what they are.

Short Biographies, Books About Sports People: We try our best to accommodate all reading levels, but the publishers determine the number of pages.

Book Club for Girls: We just began a book club for kids in sixth grade and up. Hope you can attend their monthly meetings, which will be on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5:00 pm.

Coffee in the Cafe: We plan to bring this back when the weather gets cooler.

A Tutor Program for Children: We hope to expand the Literacy Volunteers program to school-age children, but that program is limited to reading, writing, and speaking English. If you need help in a specific subject, then let us know what it is. The library subscribes to a database, Learning Express, that provides some help in some subjects.

Babysitter Classes for Teens: We have had such classes in the past and plan to offer another class on a school holiday in the winter months.

Program Binder in Children's Area: If it is not there now, then it soon will be. Thanks for this one!

Water too Hot in Bathrooms: We will have the custodian double check this. The system has been calibrated to prevent uncomfortably hot (or cold) water from pouring out of the automatic taps. It may be that the settings have drifted since they were last inspected.

SUGGESTIONS - SEPTEMBER 2007

Dividers for Public Computers for More Privacy: This is a public library and the furniture and equipment are arranged to insure that. If you feel that people are "invading your space" while you are at a computer, then please let the librarians know. They will address it.

Organize DVDs According to Age Groups for Mothers of Newborns: In general, it is difficult to arrange movies by age group. So many titles do not fit neatly into one age category of another. Most of the DVDs for young children are easily located by title, or ask a member of the staff for assistance.

Color Copier: We are getting a price for this piece of equipment from our vendor.

Evening Scrabble: If you know of others who would like to meet in the evening, then we will find a space for you to play. (And we will post a flyer too.)

Pockets on the Fronts of CD Cases: We try to replace worn pockets because we know they can make it difficult to see the information on the case -- a problem regardless of whether the pocket is on the front or back of the case.

Recycling Plastic Water Bottles: We encourage you to do your own recycling of these bottles by taking the empties home with you. We do not have the space to store them, and our carting company only takes paper for recycling.

SUGGESTIONS - JULY & AUGUST 2007

Postal Drop Box at the Library: This is something you would have to ask the U.S. Postal Service about. They determine the location of their drop boxes.

Cooking Classes for Adults: Thanks for asking for these. It is something that we would love to do... and maybe this year we will be able to try your suggestions -- Chinese and Italian.

Dance Classes for Adults: Last year's class was a one-time special event. We can ask the instructor if he would be willing to do another dance class this year, but again, it would be a one-time special event.

Lower Fine Rate for Videos: Fines are meant to encourage people to return materials in time so that others may borrow them. However, as formats have changed, perhaps it is time to review our fine structure.

Too Many Garden Books by English Authors: The librarian who orders gardening books was surprised by this observation since many of the books in the collection are about gardening in general, and how to be good at it. However, we recently received a memorial book donation that specified gardening books and we are selecting four titles that we hope meet your suggestion, including one, "Month-by-Month Gardening in New York."

Computers for Adults in the Children's Area: Our hope is that the accompanying adult will be interacting with the child who is on the computer, which is why we do not have computers for adults in the Children's Area.

Subscribe to the New York Post: You can read the Post online on a computer, through the library's Web site link to HomeAccess or Reference. It's not like holding the real thing, though, so we will investigate a subscription. But this may have to wait until next year.

Study Tables too Close to Bookshelves: I'm not quite sure which tables you are referring to. Most, if not all, of the tables provide a minimum of three feet width of space to conform to the State handicapped access codes.

Cell Phone Use: Use is restricted to the foyer or lobby, the space between the two sets of glass doors to the main entrance. The Quick Internet computers are NOT in the foyer. If you find people using cell phones where it is prohibited, then please bring this to the attention of a staff member. We have reminder slips that we hand out to "offenders."

Book Barn Staff: We have Mrs. King, too. We wish everyone could be like her.

End of Year Ice Cream Party: This is a very labor-intensive event. At least three staff members must put in an eight-hour day setting up, monitoring, cleaning up afterwards. The revised, reduced budget necessitated cuts in programs and services. The Ice Cream Party was one of those cuts.

I Love the Library & Reading. Thank You: And we thank users like you. It makes it all worthwhile!