Rosemary Garfoot Public Library - Phase III Opening - UPDATED

Masks: Starting June 29, 2021:  The Village Board passed a motion that STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that people continue to wear masks in the library facility and other municipal buildings.  The Library asks that everyone entering the building keep the safety of others in-mind by showing solidarity and support to the library community in understanding that not all people in the library will be fully vaccinated.  Children under 12 are yet to be vaccinated and friends and neighbors visiting the library could have underlying health issues.  Library Staff will continue to wear masks when interacting with members of the public.

Physical Distancing : The Library will continue to ask that patrons honor physical distancing inside the library facility.  Please sanitize hands upon arrival. 

Visits by Appointment Ends: Beginning July 26, 2021, both entrances to the library facility will be open.  Appointments for entry will no longer be required.  Staff will continue to monitor and regulate the number of people in the facility.   While time restrictions on visits will be lifted, patrons are advised to limit the amount of time they spend in the facility. The use of the library facility and programs are open to all individuals regardless of vaccination status.

Curbside Service :   This service will be suspended beginning July 12, 2021.   If you have issues that prevent you from going inside, please call the library when you arrive and request that materials be brought outside for you.   If you don't have mobile phone access, call when you are ready to leave home, and let staff know when you will arrive.

Programming:  At this time, programming will continue to be virtual unless an outside event is planned.  Storytime sessions will be held outside dependent upon weather, into October.  Check with the chidren's librarian for information - Catherine Baer, cabaer [at] rgpl.org.  One study room, the storytime room, and the meeting room will not be available for public use until further notice.   

Study Room:  Beginning July 26, one study room will be available for bookings.   Bookings must be made in-person.   Maximum of two people may be in the room at one time.  Two hour limit. 

If you are feeling ill in any way, we ask you to show care for the community by not coming into the library building until you are feeling healthy again.  We encourage everyone who is eligible, to get vaccinated. 

We are optimistic about the direction of the pandemic. The Library continues to monitor the pandemic and may be required to make alterations as needed and deemed necessary. 

If you didn't know the library has jigsaw puzzles to check-out, well, now you do!   There are puzzles for the aspiring dissectologist and some for the expert.  Thanks to donations over the past year, the collection is growing, and, there are even some puzzles for the youngsters.

Song for a Whale, by Lynne Kelly

The story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him.

From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she's the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she's not very smart. If you've ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.
When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?

The Tween Book club read Song for a Whale, by Lynne Kelly for their February 2021 book discussion. The author graciously agreed to answer questions from the group. Take a look at the interview, which includes a link to a fascinating article, complete with recordings of whale sounds.

The library, along with members of the Cross Plains-Berry Historical Society and volunteers, has begun digitizing the Historical Society's archives that are housed at the library.   This project is made possible through a grant from the South Central Library System who is also providing training and assistance.   Some digitized oral history archives may alread by accessed online at the Recollection Wisconsin and Digital Public Library of America sites.   While this project will take a significant amount of time to complete, we hope you will enjoy the amazing area history as it becomes available.  Here are the links to the sites:

Recollection Wisconsin: https://recollectionwisconsin.org/

Digital Public Library of America: https://dp.la/

Check out this interview with the author of one of our favorite reads, The True Meaning of Smekday. We have often read the book for an end of the year selection (just because we like it so much). Adam Rex offered to answer questions for our group, take a look at what he had to say.

Please read and share our behavior guidelines with your children.

Are you about to embark on a new adventure like potty training your child? There is help waiting for you in the Parent Zone of our children's department. Take a look at the variety of resources this special collection has to offer.