Sheltering in Place Empties Animal Shelters.
A silver lining to the Corona pandemic has been that pet adoptions have spiked throughout the country. An estimated 6.5 million dogs and cats enter U.S. animal shelters every year, according to the ASPCA, and approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized. But the good news is that shelters are reporting empty cages as families seeking comfort and companionship at this time have turned to pet fostering and adoption for solace.
Research has shown that petting an animal can provide a myriad of physical and emotional benefits such as lowering blood pressure, increasing serotonin levels, and decreasing the stress hormone cortisol. Additionally, animals provide companionship, unconditional love and can help ease loneliness.
Fostering or adopting a pet is a win-win situation! You will be saving the life of an animal and adding a family member that will bring joy and laughter back into your life. Consider pet adoption today.
And if you are looking for some great pet reads from Beekman Library, try Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and his Girl; The Daily Coyote; The Good, the Bad, and the Furry: Life with the World’s Most Melancholy Cat; Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love, or many, many more. Happy Reading!
The power of pets: newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power
After-Hours Hold Pick-Ups Now Available
We are happy to announce that you no longer need to rush to get to the library before closing. We installed lockers in front of our building, that allow us to leave your holds secured in a locker for you to pick-up after hours. If you are not able to get to the library during our abbreviated pick-up hours, just give us a call. We will check your items out to you and provide you with your locker number and combination. We hope this makes life easier during these difficult times. Just a few housekeeping items: You must pick-up your items by 10am of the following day or they will be returned to the shelf. Please continue to use our return bins in the back of the building at this time.
Bringing Connectivity Home
This little black box will bring high speed internet to your home and it is free with your library card. Thanks to a grant from Dutchess County, we were able to purchase five Wi-Fi Hotspots to loan to our patrons. We hope they will make life easier for those of you who have no internet, slow internet or too many people on your internet. These days connectivity is more important than ever. You can check out our Wi-Fi Hotspots for three weeks. Give us a call if you would like to give them a try.
On June 4th, Contactless Pick-up Begins!
Good News! On June 4th, the Library will offer Contactless Pick-up for items in the Beekman Library collection.
- Email your request including your name, address, item title, author, and material type to beekholds@beekmanlibrary.org.
- Remember, items in the Mid-Hudson catalog need to be from the Beekman Library and should be listed as “checked in.”
- Please allow 24 hours for the order to be processed. You will be emailed when your items are ready for pick-up.
- When you arrive at the Library parking lot, call 845-724-3414 X2 to let us know that you are here and provide us with your library card barcode number.
- Allow for five minutes, so we can check out and bag your items and place them on a table in front of the building. You can pick up your bag which will be labeled with your name.
The Library building will remain closed to the public. If you are unable to use email to order items, please call us. Library items can be returned to book and media bins located in the parking lot behind the Library.
We look forward to new chapters with you!
Say Yes to Graphic Novels!
Most parents would agree that reading for pleasure is a habit we want our children to cultivate. But what if your child only wants to read graphic novels? You might be tempted to think this kind of reading “doesn’t count” or “isn’t real reading,” but this assumption is false. Teachers and librarians have long known that graphic novels are a great way for kids to read and in fact are a valuable tool to engage the reluctant reader. Firstly, they provide an opportunity to read words while also picking up on context clues from pictures. Secondly, some graphic novels are short (these are often called comics), allowing the reader to get through one fairly quickly and feel a sense of accomplishment. Lastly, they often jump-start interest in a new series, which leads to kids wanting to read the next books to find out what happens in the story. And guess what? The experts agree! The prestigious Newbery Medal for 2020 recipient is none other than the graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft! We have digital copies of this award-winning book as well as many other graphic novels available through our online resources. So the next time your child wants to read a graphic novel, take a look at this wonderful collection and feel confident in saying, “YES!”
Let Your Child Do it Himself!
Does your 3-year old pick up his own toys and put them away? Can your 8 year old use a vacuum and mop properly? Your teen is a wiz with his tablet and smart phone but can he plan and prepare a family meal? Staying at home for this extended period of time offers a unique opportunity to check in on your children’s “life skills.” Classroom teachers are conducting virtual lessons and sending links for academic subjects, but parents can take part in their child’s education by addressing important hands on skills. With sports, clubs and other extra curricular activities on hold there is ample time to take a look at these often neglected but important competencies that foster independence. Some of these skills fall under the category of good old fashioned chores and they give your children the chance to contribute to the household and feel useful. Psychologist Dona Matthews Ph.D. writes in Psychology Today, “Kids feel better about themselves when they contribute to the smooth functioning of the household.” Need some suggestions to get your kids started? Check out the following links. Remember, you know your child best and the ages are merely guidelines to give you a framework of skills to consider. Get your kids involved and turn chores into a fun family activity!
Children, Chores and Happy Productivity at PsychologyToday.com
Coming Soon: a Library of “Things”!
Traditionally, libraries have loaned patrons items such as books, Music CDs, Books on CD, and magazines. In the last few years, video games, iPads and academic lecture series such as The Great Courses have been added to catalogs. Some libraries even have seed exchanges whereby patrons “borrow” seeds to grow vegetables and then “return” seeds to the lending library for a future growing season.
In the past year, Beekman Library has added some “things” to its collection such as an Energy Use Monitor Kit, a Bird Watching Kit, a Thermal Leak Detector Kit, an Early Language Development Kit and an Orion Telescope Kit. All Beekman cardholders have borrowing privileges for these items.
In the near future, when we are able to re-open, we plan to have other interesting “things” available for borrowing, such as a ukulele, a microscope, Wi-Fi “hotspots,” and a GoPro Camera.
A Library of Things allows residents to borrow an item they need for one-time use or something they simply can’t afford to purchase. Stay tuned as your library continues to evolve and provide sharing services for its community!
Random Things Libraries Will Let You Check Out for Free from money.com
Art to Inspire You!
Every year during the month of May, the Library community looks forward to the Union Vale Middle School Art Display. At the opening of the display, a reception is hosted by students and art teachers. It is an opportunity for students to see their work presented in a public venue, and for proud family members, friends, and other admirers to visit the Library for the reception and throughout the duration of the display.
This year’s display is different because of the pandemic, but just as special. It is even more so! Please, take some time to view and read what the students have presented in this virtual display. We are very grateful to the students, UVMS staff members, and parents who came together to allow this tradition to continue despite current happenings in the world. This display would not have been possible in this format without the special dedication of Union Vale Middle school Art teachers, Sheri Altieri and Christopher Rifenburg. Enjoy and be inspired!
Letting Children Find Their Interests
STEAM Explorers, a program for children ages 8-11, allows children to explore areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math by creating simple projects. Problem-solving and the “how and why” are part of the program. Sometimes a project works, and other times it does not. With each project, a child has the opportunity to figure out why it worked and how to improve it. Additional websites and topic-related books are provided to promote further learning and exploration of project topics. While the Library building remains closed to the public, short videos, featuring simple projects that can be completed at home, are being posted on this blog and Facebook every Wednesday. We would love to see your projects, so send a photo to kreilly@beekmanlibrary.org.
