By Sarah Opdahl

New Fairfield Free Public Library is on top of its game, continually reinventing itself to be as useful as possible to all residents. Many see it from different angles: you drive by and catch a cool-sounding content title on the a-frame sign in front of the library; you have young children and see the popular steady and fresh program offerings; or maybe you follow the library on social media and admire the clever ways the staff keep enlivening spaces. No matter the angle that draws you in, take a even closer look and you will certainly find options available that are truly relevant for you and anyone in the community.

“The library is a great resource. The community helps fund us with their taxes, and in return, they get a great return on their investment every time they use the library,” said Library Director Linda Fox. Dedicating her career to this library for over five decades, Fox can att est to the care and pride that library staff take in offering a multitude of ways to help residents. This current moment feels especially charged with additions such as community-building table-top gaming sessions; teen-targeted paint and sips that encourage conversations without a device; a pod that can be reserved for a communal or shared workspace; and an exciting array of speakers and programs that go beyond the norm. Have a chat with local professional athletes? Henna, anyone?

For residents who seldom visit the library, staff would love for them to know the wide range of free offerings that are available. “Everyone knows that you can borrow books from the library (including the newest bestsellers), but not everyone knows that all of our events are totally free,” Children’s Librarian Adriana Duffy said. She went on to point out, “you can borrow museum passes for discounted entry to all kinds of places, and you can borrow non-book items like Wi-Fi hotspots, a Nintendo Switch, cake pans, and activity kits.” Adult Librarian Rebecca Whitney has recently introduced a new Virtual Reality headset to the library. “It is so cool to be able to use it to explore new places and experiences right from the comfort of our community room,” Duffy noted. Anyone who is interested in giving it a whirl can email admin@newfairfieldlibrary.org to schedule an appointment.

There continue to be computers available for use by any resident, popularity for which “has remained pretty constant in the last few years,” Fox said, sharing, “what has increased is the amount of patrons using our WiFi with their own devices. Printing from mobile phones has also increased greatly.” The aforementioned new pod, which transformed a bit of square footage, is another example of the agility in library planning. “The pod was purchased in the hope it would be a useful option for people working from home, meeting in small groups, or looking for a quiet space to work on a project,” Fox explained. She shared, “It has only been available for a few days, but is already being used. It is a good solution for creating a quiet area in the adult library. One of our visitors used it for a conference call and said that it made her day!”

Program Coordinator Carly Bennett is always looking for ways to get residents engaged. She’s excited about the success of a new chess club on Tuesdays, as well as their teen chefs program and Dungeons & Dragons club. In addition, they have ramped up storytime sessions to four days a week and “they are all very popular!,” she said. Duffy added, “Believe it or not, we are already gearing up for our Summer Reading Program, which will kick off at the end of June with lots of challenges, prizes, and activities for all ages! But before that, we are looking toward spring gardening with our Container Gardening program in early March (March 6th @ 6pm), and spring cleaning with our March book sale (collecting donations from March 5th-19th, sale 21st-27th)!”

Elaborating on the Teen Paint & Sip, Duffy said, “we have been having great turnouts,” with friends joining together to paint and create their own custom bubble tea drinks. “They are really their own best marketing – we have built up a consistent group over the last couple years, and they have started inviting friends or siblings, who then invite their own friends, and so on and so forth.” Sagely, she pointed out, “We also advertise through the school newsletter and our posters, but mostly we have found that if we create a space for them to have some independence and do something fun with their friends, they will find their way to us!”

Books are, of course, the stars in both levels of the library. With recent news of children’s reading assessments falling to historic lows in mind, the children’s library is staying the course to work “really hard to meet kids where they are at, respect their autonomy when it comes to what they want to be reading, and encourage them to explore the library as a fun space for them, rather than as something prescriptive,” Duffy explained. While avoiding reading slump was always the mission of the rewards-laden summer program, the staff is now “really trying to bring that energy year-round.” In those efforts they are partnering with local schools and preschools to encourage children to get library cards and to “read what they love,” she said.  Staff recently reorganized the stacks to feel more approachable. “We have found that some kids can find the lines of book spines either overwhelming or unappealing – it can be hard to find what you are looking for, and even harder to browse for something new,” Duffy relayed, adding, “By moving things around to make things more dynamic and front-facing as many materials as we can, we are hoping to encourage kids to explore and discover new titles and authors that might stand out more than they did before.” They have found that this is the perfect way to highlight amazing titles that may “be getting lost otherwise.” Middle grade books were first up for the reorganization and picture books are next.

Books and storytime are both wins, of course, but the library offers more treasures to young patrons. “Kids love hanging out in our toy corner, where they can play with our new castle dollhouse, build on our lego table, or do a puzzle,” Duffy said, going on to say “we have also displayed our new Tonie collection, so kids can easily flip through all the different figures and choose which ones they want to borrow – that has been super popular with local families lately!” Families can also drop in on Wednesdays and S aturdays, with new crafts available every week.

If residents have transitioned to digital reading, the library still has plenty to offer, with e-book and audiobook apps, like Libby and Hoopla, where they can use their library card to get access to thousands of books, including bestsellers, for free. The library staff is happy to help anyone get the apps set up on their devices, which they can sometimes even do over the phone, “if people have a hard time physically coming in to visit.”

For adults who use the digital resources, but do not typically visit the library, stop by for a fun program (trivia nights, sing-alongs, craft clubs, you name it) or speakers (local authors, various experts, storytellers, and more). If you would rather not join group events, there are solo options available, such as a monthly grab-and-go craft kit for adults, which can be picked up in the main library as long as supplies last.

Keep an eye on their website, Newfairfieldlibrary.org, and be wowed by the span of offerings. And feel free to stop by either circulation desk with questions, the library staff is ready to listen and eager to help.