1st Saturdays At Pine Hills: Sensory Story Time

Hey Albanians! hThe Pine Hills branch of the APL is starting something new on the first Saturday of each month (2pm) - a monthly Sensory Storytime and playtime intended for kids on the Autism Spectrum, their siblings and their parents/caregivers. Come with your little ones for a soft opening.

This program will feature thirty minutes of books, songs and movement, followed by an hour of play time. Children can participate as much or as little as they want, and sitting still is not required. It's intended for kids up to age 8, but we won't even hold you to that. This will be a really welcoming, supportive, and fun environment for families. This storytime is the only one where participation is limited, to 10 families, so sign-up on the website or call the children's desk for questions, comments or any specifications you or your child might have.

Chinese New Year Celebration

Pine Hills Library- Large Meeting Room from 1-5 on 2/5. The library is located at 517 Western Avenue. For more information call 482-7911 or go to www.albanypubliclibrary.org.

Happy Anniversary Pine Hills Branch

The Times Union wrote that the numbers tell the story of the success of the Pine Hills branch of the Albany Public Library. well, perhaps in part. But I don't know how one quantifies how wonderful that space has turned out to be. Here's the library's take.

Profile of the Pine Hills Branch

Wade Abbott, a College of St. Rose journalism student, produced this story for the Times Union’s Pine Hills neighborhood blog.

What a Party!

Oh, yeah, I was THERE!!

From Stephanie Simon, Albany Public Library

The Pine Hills neighborhood welcomed the new library with open arms Saturday. Despite the snow that fell throughout the day, the library was packed with people all afternoon. Customers of all ages explored the fully renovated library, worked on the 24 public access computers, checked out the 50,000 materials, and marveled at the interior design and architectural features.

The celebration found neighbors of all ages nibbling on refreshments, enjoying musical entertainment, hearing welcoming remarks from library and city leaders, and watching a ribbon cutting ceremony by Pine Hills story time children.

It was a wonderful event and everyone at the library wishes to thank the Pine Hills community for its ongoing and enthusiastic support!!

Now that we have one library open, there are still four more to go. The next neighborhood library in line -- the Delaware Branch Library at 331 Delaware Avenue -- is expected to open to the public later this month. The Delaware grand opening celebration is set for Saturday, January 9. Stay tuned for more details!

Pine Hills Grand Opening

From Elissa Kane, APL:

It's quite incredible that after four years of community meetings, bonding, design and construction - Albany libraries are beginning to open to the public! We hope you'll join us for the momentous community occasion. We appreciate all you've done to make this happen for our city and we invite you to:

Join Us in Celebrating!!!

The Grand Opening of Albany’s New Pine Hills Branch Library
Saturday, December 5, from 1 to 5 p.m.
*Ribbon cutting ceremony starts at 2 p.m.*
517 Western Avenue 459-3180

The fully renovated Pine Hills Branch Library is a wonderful addition to this energetic Albany neighborhood. We hope that you can join us to celebrate the revival of one of the city’s great public spaces. The Pine Hills grand opening party is a true community celebration, so we kindly ask you to share this invitation with your friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

The Pine Hills Branch Library grand opening celebration features:
• Welcome and ribbon cutting
• Family entertainment
• Fun giveaways
• Craft activities for kids
• Refreshments generously provided by hospitality sponsor Price Chopper Supermarkets

Please feel free to forward this to you friends, colleagues and neighbors.

Pine Hills Library is Open!

From Stephanie Simon
Albany Public Library

Yes it's true. The Pine Hills Branch Library is open!

We quietly opened the doors to the public on Monday at noon, and quickly saw people streaming through the doors to check out the new materials, computers, furniture, and spaces the fully renovated library has to offer.

Our customers were thrilled to be back in their favorite neighborhood library and to see the dramatic changes it underwent during the renovation process. We heard so many great comments, including:
"I'm enjoying this!"
"I feel like I'm in a candy store!"
"It is wonderful, and your staff is equally as wonderful."
"Wow. This is beautiful."

The completely renovated library features: a 50,000-piece collection of books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, and audio books; 24 public access computers; building-wide Wi-Fi; two community meeting rooms; three small-group study rooms; separate spaces for teens, children, and adults; an open and airy floor plan; reading nooks, study tables, and computer desks throughout the two-story building; and "green" energy efficient and cost effective building systems.

The Pine Hills branch is located at 517 Western Avenue. The temporary phone number is 459-3180.

The library's hours are:
Monday noon to 8 p.m.
Tuesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday noon to 8 p.m.
Thursday noon to 6 p.m.
Friday noon to 6 p.m.
Saturday 1 to 5 p.m.

We are hosting a grand opening celebration--including a ribbon cutting ceremony, refreshments, entertainment, activities, and giveaways--for the entire neighborhood on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Come check out the new Pine Hills Branch Library and explore what's in it for you!

One Step Closer to Opening New Libraries

From self-described bookworm Stephanie Simon, Albany Public Library

It's been a whirlwind of activity at Albany Public Library these past few months. We're really kicking into high gear with the opening of our first new library--Pine Hills--very shortly. In preparation for opening the doors, we have been finalizing staffing plans, training on new systems, installing computers, tweaking the collection, and lots of last minute items.

New Branch Hours Established

The library Board of Trustees approved a new set of branch hours at its meeting Nov. 10. As requested by many customers, all branches will have the same hours and they will be open year-round on Saturdays. The new hours (which total 40 hours per week) are:

Monday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday 10 am. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Customers have also asked for expanded hours at the branches. As we open the five new libraries over the next six months, we will be evaluating the changes these new locations are creating across the library system. Our goal is to responsibly and intelligently expand hours as we better understand how you use the new libraries.

To Open, We Must Close

With work nearing completion on the new Delaware and Howe Branch Libraries, we are ready to close the current branches serving those neighborhoods.

The current Delaware branch (at 485 Delaware Avenue) will have its last day of service on Saturday, Nov. 14. The new Delaware branch (at 331 Delaware Avenue) will open its doors in December. A grand opening celebration is planned for Saturday, Jan. 9, from 1 to 5 p.m.

The transitional Howe branch (at the Albany Housing Authority building on South Pearl Street) will have its last day of service on Saturday, Nov. 21. The fully renovated Howe library (at Schuyler and Broad Streets) is planned to open in February. A grand opening celebration (to be announced soon) will be held at Howe too.

Staff from both of these locations will be busy getting their newly renovated branch libraries ready to open the doors to the public. The transformations of these two buildings is amazing. We can't wait for you to see them both!

Sneak Preview of Delaware & Pine Hills

The verdict is in...people are loving our new Albany libraries! Several dozen library supporters got their first chance to see the fully renovated Delaware and Pine Hills Branch Libraries at a recent special sneak preview fund raiser hosted by the Library Foundation.

As people toured the not-yet-open libraries, we heard the same words over and over again: beautiful, welcoming, comfortable, well-designed, innovative, wonderful. Once you get a chance to see these buildings, I think you'll like them too!

At Pine Hills, attendees got to check out the brand new Dewey-free collection of books. And a few youngsters had their first chance to look through the fully stocked children's collection. Everyone will get to see the new Pine Hills when doors open very soon (sometime this month). A special grand opening party at Pine Hills--including a ribbon cutting, entertainment, refreshments, and giveaways--is set for Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. Please join us to celebrate the grand opening of Albany's newest library!

As you can see, the changes are coming fast and furious now. Our branch library hours are set, Pine Hills will be open in a matter of days, and Delaware's opening is right around the corner in December. Stay tuned for more updates on all the great happenings at Albany's new neighborhood libraries!

Come See Your New Pine Hills & Delaware Libraries

(Purloined from Eliisa Kane of APL)

Even though everyone's invited to the Pine Hills Grand Opening Celebration on December 5th and the one at Delaware on January 9th, we know there are lots of you who can't wait to get into the libraries before they open.

So, we've arranged for your very own Sneak Preview of both the Pine Hills and Delaware Branches on Thursday, October 29th, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., before we open to the public. This fundraising event, hosted by the Albany Public Library Foundation, gets you inside with the freedom to check out all the nooks and crannies. You'll marvel over the skylights and windows at Delaware and the huge light monitor and staircase at Pine Hills. All the while enjoying the tasty treats from New World Bistro Bar and Café Madison & Juniors.

It's easy to register online - right here.

Dewey Free

Purloined yet again from APL's Stephanie Simon:

Most of our library patrons are browsers. They wander the stacks, pulling book after book off the shelves, checking out titles, scrutinizing story descriptions, looking at author bios, and skimming pages. All in a search for just the right book to take home for a few hours of entertainment.

Here at APL, we're about to make the library browser's search for that perfect book so much easier. All you need to remember are two little words: Dewey free.
So, What is Dewey Free Anyway?

Dewey free is the common name for a library collection classification system that uses words instead of numbers to categorize and organize nonfiction books. Instead of using the traditional Dewey decimal system of numbers, books are organized, labeled, and shelved by subject areas -- just like in your neighborhood bookstore.

Albany's branch collections are just the right size for Dewey free to work and make a customer's library experience more intuitive and user friendly. Dewey free allows us to group similar subjects together and make more natural selections for displaying complementary books. Ample signage, a well-trained staff, and computer terminals will point customers in the right direction to find just what they need.

We've been working hard on the Dewey-free system. Staff members have been recategorizing and relabeling the existing branch collections, which will be moved into the renovated sites soon. We also have a big shipment of new books from Baker & Taylor arriving at Pine Hills next week. Things are also moving along at the other four branches under construction and renovation. The North Albany Branch Library will be converted to Dewey free sometime next year.

APL staff is committed to making Dewey free work at our branch libraries and helping our customers get the most out of their library experiences. Other libraries that have gone Dewey free have seen great success in terms of increased circulation and customer satisfaction.

We expect you're going to love the new Dewey-free branch libraries!
Our first renovated library -- the Pine Hills Branch Library at 517 Western Avenue -- is having a grand opening party on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. Come check it out and see how great a Dewey-free library can be!

From one bookworm to another,

Stephanie Simon
Albany Public Library

Countdown Begins for Pine Hills Opening

Purloined from APL's Stephanie Simon

Renovations at the Pine Hills Branch Library are almost complete. The fully updated building now features an open floor plan and grand staircase. The 1st and 2nd floors are bathed in sunlight from the new rooftop light monitor. Glass-panel windows have been installed to define the lobby area, walls have been painted, and cabinetry and flooring installed. Landscaping is nearing completion. The building also has new bathrooms, lighting, and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system. We're poised to begin moving the furniture, collections, computers, and other technology into the building this month. We expect to open the library to the public in mid-November.

A special grand opening celebration is planned for Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. for the whole community. We'll have a ribbon cutting ceremony, entertainment, refreshments, and giveaways. This party is a great way to see the newly renovated library and all that it has to offer. Please mark the date on your calendar and make plans to join us at your new Pine Hills Branch Library!

Rest of the New Libraries Not Far Behind

We've got four other new neighborhood libraries opening, one right after the other. Here's a quick update:
• The Delaware Branch Library on Delaware Avenue is expected to open in December, with a grand opening celebration for the community set for Jan. 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. Building renovations are finishing up, and we'll start moving into the library in the coming weeks.
• The Howe Branch Library on Schuyler and Broad Streets is expected to open to the public in February. A new addition is being built, the windows have been refurbished, new electrical and heating/cooling systems are in place, and interior work is continuing.
• The Bach Branch Library on New Scotland Avenue is projected to open in the spring. Geothermal wells are in place, the steel structure is up, and crews are framing the interior.
• The Arbor Hill/West Hill Branch Library on Henry Johnson Boulevard is also expected to open in the spring. As with Bach, the geothermal wells are dug, steel structure is in place, and interior framing and systems work is underway.

Pine Hills Library temporary site announced

The news we've all been waiting for . . . yes, you guessed it, we have formally secured a temporary site for the Pine Hills Library. The Elks Lodge, located at 25 South Allen Street, across the street from the Post Office and just a stone's throw away from our permanent location, will be our APL home in the Pine Hills neighborhood until the transformed library re-opens. The Elks Lodge location is expected to open in mid-June. Keep an eye on its progress here.

Hey, a great big shout out to everyone that attended the auctions at the Howe and Pine Hills libraries. Your enthusiasm for owning a piece of history brought in $9,000. Thanks for supporting your favorite libraries . . . a wild time was had by all!

Crafting Free For All

Help the Pine Hills branch use up its craft supplies before it closes for renovation!

Beginning January 23 through February: every wednesday afternoon from 4 to 5 pm
Directly after Read to Me Storytime

We'll provide some ideas, but bring your imagination with you.

The Far East on Western Avenue

The Chinese Collection at Pine Hills Branch

In the Capital Region area, there are nearly five thousand Chinese and Chinese-Americans and more are joining our community every day. With this growing population in mind, the Albany Public Library has established a collection of Chinese materials at the Pine Hills Branch.

Librarian Xiaofei Li, who has worked at the Branch for the past four years, manages the collection of approximately one thousand books, sixteen magazine subscriptions and three hundred Chinese language movies. "This is the biggest popular collection of Chinese language materials in Upstate New York, and we are adding to it all the time," says Li. One of the most popular categories in the collection is the children's collection. "Parents who have adopted children from China are taking out the books, and so are people who speak Chinese fairly well but want to work on their Chinese."

Xiaofei hosts a weekly discussion group for immigrants called "Connecting With America." Attendees include immigrants from many countries including Korea, the Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Africa and India. The group meets every Friday at 4:30PM at the Pine Hills Library. For information, call Xiaofei at 482-7911 or visit the APL website.