FAQs on No-Contact Curbside Pickup at Perrot Memorial Library

FAQ's on Non-Contact Curbside Pickup at Perrot Memorial Library

How Does No-Contact Curbside Pickup Work?
Place holds on books and materials in the Library catalog or by calling our librarians at 203-637-1066 (Adult Desk) or 203-637-8802 (Youth Services Desk). Curbside pickup is available on Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 9:30 AM-5:30 PM, Tuesday/Thursday from 9:30 AM-7:30 PM, Saturday from 9:30-4:30 PM, and Sunday from 1:30 PM-4:30 PM. Once your holds are ready, you'll receive an email notification with a link to choose the date and time that you can pick up. When you arrive on your self-selected date/time, please look for a bag labeled with your first name and the first initial of your last name, along with the last four digits of your phone number. Adult/Teen items may be picked up from the table outside our Main Building side entrance; Youth Services items may be picked up on the table outside the Radcliffe Building entrance. For your safety, remain in your car until library staff have returned inside the Library. And, please observe all social distancing rules.



What About the Books I Currently Have Checked Out? Will I Be Fined?
Our book drop has been reopened, but there's no need to rush. Please do not worry about fines. Although we cannot apply a further global extension beyond July 1st for all items still out (without disrupting the loan periods for new checkouts), we have increased the number of renewals to 10, which should give you plenty of time to return your items without charge. If you do incur a late charge during this time, please call Judy Sgammato at 203-637-1066 x15. Our book drop is once again open 24/7, including weekends.


How Will the Books and Materials Be Handled?
To protect our patrons and Library staff, all returned items will be quarantined for 96 hours before being checked in and returned to circulation. Library staff will handle books and materials with PPE, including gloves, masks, and protective gear.



Can I Bring Book Donations?
Unfortunately, we cannot accept book donations at this time, so please do not leave them outside the Library or in our Book Drop.


Are the Perrot Memorial Library Buildings Reopened?
The Perrot Memorial Library buildings continue to be closed to the public until further notice. We continue to plan the next phase of safely reopening our buildings to the Old Greenwich community.


What If I Have More Questions?
Staff are on hand to answer your questions by phone at 203-637-1066 (Adult Desk) or 203-637-8802 (Youth Services Desk), or by email at lending@perrotlibrary.org. Feel free to contact Library staff with any additional No-Contact Pick Up questions at 203-637-1066 or at lending@perrotlibrary.org prior to your arrival. We’ll be happy to answer any questions or concerns!

Upcoming Event: Virtual Book Discussion on "The Dutch House"

Zoom Book Discussion on The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Facilitated by Sarah Darer Littman of Greenwich Pen Women

Wednesday, June 10th, 2020, at 7 PM 

A finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, The Dutch House is a New York Times bestseller and a favorite among Perrot patrons. Here's what Amazon has to say about it: "A richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love, and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are."

The Dutch House is available as an e-book and a downloadable audiobook from the Library on Overdrive.

Free registration on Zoom.com is required for participation.

For more information and to receive an invitation to this meeting, contact lending@perrotlibrary.org

Young Critics' Club's Favorite Books of 2019-2020

BREAKING NEWS!

The Young Critics' Club (YCC), our 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade book club, has just voted on its favorite books of 2019-20. Their favorite book of the year is: CHARLIE THORNE AND THE LAST EQUATION, by Stuart Gibbs!

Be sure to take a look at the rest of the group's favorites for some fabulous kid-approved picks for middle-schoolers!

Young Young Critics' Club's (Y2C2) Favorite Books of 2019-2020

THIS JUST IN!


The Young Young Critics' Club (Y2C2), our 4th- and 5th-grade book club, has just voted on its favorite books of 2019-2020. Their favorite book of the year is: WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED, by Victoria Jamieson!

Be sure to take a look at the rest of the group's favorites for some fabulous kid-approved picks for 4th- and 5th-graders!

Virtual Book Discussion on Machines Like Me

Perrot Library & The Greenwich Pen Women

present Our First-Ever Zoom Book Discussion

on Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan

Facilitated by Diane Tunick Morello of Greenwich Pen Women

Monday, May 4th, 2020 at 7 PM on Zoom

Meet Adam. Out of the box he is an artificially intelligent man, bought for amusement by Charlie, a drifter, and used as a lure for Charlie’s crush, Miranda, a liar. Adam grows from machine infancy to intellectual superiority as he ingests research, information and theories of business, economies and global history. What he does not understand — what becomes the crux of his new life — are the emotional entanglements, irrational thinking and ethical shortcuts that define human beings.

Free registration on Zoom is required for participation

Machines Like Me is available as an e-book on OverDrive and as an e-audiobook on RBdigital

For more information and to receive an invitation to this meeting, contact lending@perrotlibrary.org

Haiku Poetry Contest

In honor of National Poetry Month, the Perrot Memorial Library is sponsoring a haiku poetry contest open to students in grades 3 and up, as well as adults. We are seeking original haikus (3-line, 17-syllable poems) describing your experience with COVID-19--the pandemic, the closures, and their impact on your daily life.


What Is a Haiku?

A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. [Academy of American Poets – Poets.org]

Here are three examples of haiku poems from Matsuo Basho (1644-1694),  considered the greatest haiku poet:

An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.

Autumn moonlight-
a worm digs silently
into the chestnut.

In the twilight rain
these brilliant-hued hibiscus -
A lovely sunset.


How Is a Haiku Structured?

1.     There are only three lines, totaling 17 syllables.
2.     The first line is 5 syllables.
3.     The second line is 7 syllables.
4.     The third line is 5 syllables like the first.
5.     Punctuation and capitalization are up to the poet, and need not follow the rigid rules used in structuring sentences.
6.     A haiku does not have to rhyme, in fact usually it does not rhyme at all.
7.     It can include the repetition of words or sounds.


Contest Rules and Regulations

How are you coping during this trying time? Create a Japanese-style poem called a haiku (a 3-line, 17-syllable poem: lines 1 and 3 have 5 syllables; line 2 has 7 syllables) to share your experiences.
The contest is open to students in grades 3 and up, as well as adults. Poems submitted by those in high school or older will be judged by members of the Greenwich Pen Women. The poems will be judged on originality and emotional resonance.


Prizes

     •    All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
• The writer of the top poem in each age/grade category will receive a $25 gift card to Diane's Books.
Rules:
     • Your poem must describe how you feel about the COVID-19 pandemic.
     • Poems will be accepted beginning Monday, April 13, through Monday, June 1. Winners will be announced on Monday, June 15.
     • Poems must follow the haiku style.
     • Poem content should be either G or PG.
     • Only one poem per email, but you can enter up to three poems.
     • You do not have to be from Greenwich to submit a poem.


How to Submit Your Poem

Step 1: E-mail the poem to: poem@perrotlibrary.org using the Subject Line: “POETRY CONTEST (YOUR NAME)" Note: It's best if your poem is part of the email itself, and not included as a separate attachment.
Step 2: To qualify for a prize, the text of your e-mail must contain all the following information:
     a: Your full name, street mailing address, your phone number, your email address;
     b: Your age - or (if shy) an approximate age - those under 18 years old must have the consent of a parent or guardian to submit a contest poem for possible publication;
     c. Your grade level, if a student.
     d. Title of your poem. (Does not count toward your 17 syllables.)
Note: The library will let you know when your email has been received. No more than ONE poem per email, but you may submit up to three poems. Submissions that do not follow all steps are not eligible for prize consideration.


Additional Information for Contestants

Usage: Contestants agree that the Library may publish their poems and name(s) in a booklet created after the contest.
Copyright: Your poem must be your original content.
License: You retain rights to your poem, but also, upon submitting a poem in this contest, you grant the Library a non-exclusive, royalty free, irrevocable license to reproduce your poem in a booklet created after the contest and to distribute the finished booklet to Library patrons at our public service desks.
Winners: The Library has no obligation to use submitted poems for any purpose whatsoever. The Library reserves the right not to choose a winner or winners (but that's highly unlikely).
Good luck!


For more information, please email: poem@perrotlibrary.org

Library Updates

Perrot remains closed until further notice. Our book drop is closed-- please hold on to your library materials. All due dates have been extended until May 1st, 2020. 

Perrot invites you to send us your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions to retain our shared sense of community while we wait for the end of the pandemic and the resumption of our normal lives. Please share photos of your home/work activities, interesting links, your experience with our Digital Library, etc. Use the hashtag #perrotconnects Library staff will be posting using this hashtag, too.

Has your card expired? Having trouble accessing a digital resource? Email the Library at lending@perrotlibrary.org with the specifics, and we’ll take a look.

Come join our children's librarian, Mrs. Jarombek, and her friend Shep for virtual storytime! We will be posting videos to our social media weekly. Storytime for 1- and 2-year-olds will be posted on Mondays and Storytime for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds will be posted on Wednesdays.

Due Dates Extended

All items due between March 9-31 have been extended to April 1 due to the library closing. All items currently on hold will remain available for 1 week after we reopen to give our patrons time to pick up. All library cards expiring in March have been extended to April 30th. Since fines will not be assessed during this period, we urge you to please hold on to your library materials until we reopen! We will be updating as we know more. Thank you for your patience.

Early closing today, March 12th

Perrot will be closing at NOON today, Thursday, March 12th. We will have further updates soon about our hours in the days to come. 

Children's Programs Cancelled through 3/20

Because Greenwich schools are closed starting today (3/12/2020) through the end of next week, ALL children's programs at Perrot have been CANCELLED through 3/20/2020. We should have more details next week about the status of the rest of the winter/spring program session.

Perrot will be open its regular hours for now, but we will update on our website and social media if that changes.

PLEASE do not come to the library if you are not feeling well.

Thank you for your understanding.

Program Cancellations at Perrot

Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the First Selectman has advised all Town of Greenwich departments to postpone or cancel any large public meetings or events where crowds of people may congregate. Consequently, the following events have been cancelled: Book Discussion on Machines Like Me with Greenwich Pen Women on March 16th, the Luminism Program on March 18th, and our Sing WIth Me children's programs on March 26th, April 16th, and April 30th. A decision about the remainder of our children's programs will be made shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please call or message us if you have any questions. Thank you.

Upcoming Event: Talk on Luminism with Peter Layne Arguimbau

CANCELLED
MAY BE RESCHEDULED AT A FUTURE TIME

Upcoming Event:

Luminism: The Last Movement of the Renaissance

with artist and gallery owner Peter Layne Arguimbau

Wednesday, March 18th, 2020, at 7:30 PM

Perrot Memorial Library

Join us in learning about luminism, a style of 19th-century American landscape painting that focused on light and atmosphere, with local artist and gallery owner Peter Layne Arguimbau. The term "luminism" was coined in 1954 by John Baur, director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, who noticed a unique quality of light in four painters of the Hudson River School: Martin Johnson Heade, Sanford Robinson Gifford, Fitz Henry Lane, and John Frederick Kennett. Arguimbau will trace the roots of the luminist movement across history, from Rembrandt and other Dutch masters to the 20th century. This lecture is part of Arguimbau's upcoming book, Finding Rembrandt's Lost Secret: The Origin of Renaissance Art. 

Upcoming Event: Book Discussion on Machines Like Me

CANCELLED

MAY BE RESCHEDULED AT A FUTURE TIME

Upcoming Event:
Book Discussion on Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan
Facilitated by Diane Tunick Morello of Greenwich Pen Women
Monday, March 16th, 2020 at 7 PM
Perrot Memorial Library

Meet Adam. Out of the box he is an artificially intelligent man, bought for amusement by Charlie, a drifter, and used as a lure for Charlie's crush, Miranda, a liar. Adam grows from machine infancy to intellectual superiority as he ingests research, information, and theories of business, economies, and global history. What he does not understand--and what becomes the crux of his new life--are the emotional entanglements, irrational thinking, and ethical shortcuts that define human beings. As Charlie and Miranda begin to use Adam for their own purposes, we as readers wonder how human beings and humanoids will thrive. In Machines Like Me, author Ian McEwan (Atonement) weaves the noble views of Adam into the messy lives of Charlie and Miranda. To serve his purpose, the author plots out the tale on an alternative timeline in which Alan Turning--the computer genius who introduced artificial intelligence--did not commit suicide in 1954 and is instead alive in 1982 to witness what happens when humans by origin and humans by programming collide.

Copies of the book are available for checkout at the Circulation Desk. Seating for the event is limited!

Snow Date is Monday, April 6th, 2020

Upcoming Event: Sheri Koones on her new book, Downsize: Living Large in a Small House

Upcoming Event: 

Sheri Koones on her new book, Downsize: Living Large in a Small House

Wednesday, March 4th, 2020 at 7:30 PM

Perrot Memorial Library

Perrot welcomes back best-selling author and Greenwich resident Sheri Koones with a talk about her newest book. Downsize: Living Large in a Small House shows how small houses can be comfortable, practical, energy-efficient, and beautiful. Koones is an expert on small houses, energy efficiency, and prefabrication, whose previous books include Prefabulous, Prefabulous Small Houses, Prefabulous + Sustainable, Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid, and Prefabulous World.

Take Your Child to the Library Day

Stop by for Take Your Child to the Library Day, this Saturday, February 1st, 2020. We'll have stickers to give out, bookmarks to color, and a raffle to enter!