The Cranbury Public Library is excited to announce that we are joining the Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium or LMxAC. On April 22 we will be switching to a new library catalog and offering many more electronic services.
LMxAC is a consortium of 34 libraries in central New Jersey that pool their resources to provide collections, services and programs far beyond what Cranbury Public Library has been able to offer in the past. By joining LMxAC, Cranbury will be providing residents with access to over 3 million physical items in the shared collection, a new online catalog to search with more features, and a greatly expanded selection of digital materials to download and stream.
What does that mean for you?
Lots of new online content such as magazines, movies, music, TV, ebooks, eaudiobooks and comics all available instantly.
The ability to search Cranbury’s catalog as well as other Middlesex Library catalogs in one easy search.
More print items available with the ability to place holds on items owned by any of the 34-member libraries. These items will be shipped to Cranbury for you to pick up and can be returned at any LMxAC Library.
An integrated library account that shows both the print and digital content you have checked out.
Easily use your Cranbury card at nearby Monroe and Plainsboro libraries as well as all 34 LMxAC libraries.
What stays the same?
The way you use the Cranbury Public Library and the service our staff provides.
Your library card number. (But you will need your card to check out items – especially at other libraries.)
Loan periods for Cranbury items.
Cranbury cardholders still have priority for all Cranbury materials.
What will be different?
The online catalog you use to search for materials.
You will need a PIN to access your online account. Initially your PIN will be the last 4 digits of your phone number. (You can change this once you log in for the first time.)
You will have the same access to eLibraryNJ titles but you need to selectLibraries of Middlesex Automation Consortiumas your library.
I know this sounds like a lot of new information but we’re here to help. Look for upcoming Zoom classes to demonstrate how the new catalog works. Check out our new library webpage Using LMxACfor information, links and online tutorials. And remember the staff is always available to answer questions by email and phone.
Marilynn Mullen
National Library Week is April 4 - 10
April 4-10 is National Library Weekand the Cranbury Public Library is offering you a chance to browse some of our new books!
Throughout the week, weather permitting, we will bring our newest titles outside the library for you to look at and checkout. On different days we will feature titles for different ages and genres. See the schedule below:
Date
Time
Items to Browse
Monday – April 5
11 am to 2 pm
New adult mysteries and thrillers
Tuesday – April 6
3 to 6 pm
New adult Fiction A-Z
Wednesday – April 7
11 am to 2 pm
Picture books and our newest read-alongs
Thursday – April 8
3 to 6 pm
New adult nonfiction
Friday – April 9
11 am to 4 pm
New DVDs and audiobooks (Playaways)
Saturday – April 10
10:30 am to 1:30 pm
New kids and teens books
To browse the outside collection, we will require participants to wear masks and follow good social distancing practices. If the weather does not co-operate we will not be able to bring our materials outside. In that case, library members may always browse our collection online and place reserves using our catalog or by calling the library at 609-722-6992.
Special Storytime - Outside and in person!
Wednesday, April 7 at 11:00 a.m.
Join Miss Laura in front of the library on Wednesday morning to hear stories read aloud. Afterward you can look at, and check out, our newest picture books and read-along books. Wear a mask and stay at least 3 feet apart to keep everyone participating safe. Rain cancels. Register online.
Online Classes for Youth
LIVE Online Saturday Storytime!
CranPals Online!
Saturdays at 11:00 a.m.
The CranPals are taking their well-received reading program online! This spring, each Saturday morning at 11:00 AM, a CranPal will be sharing stories via Zoom. CranPals are local residents looking to share their love of reading with kindergarten age children. Each week a new CranPal will read several stories and talk about the books with participants. Register online.
Chess Club 2.0 For Kids and Teens!
Mondays at at 3:30 p.m.
Learn to play chess, or improve your chess game! Some meetings will include a guest instructor. Check out ourEvents Calendarto see club meeting dates, further information and to register. Online registration including an email address is required. Ages 8 - 19.
It's Story Time any time!
We are sharing children's storybooks on video! Check out our Storytimes Online page for a list of stories you can listen to anytime!
This presentation will focus on three of America’s greatest female artists: Georgia O’Keeffe, Mary Stevenson Cassatt, and Hildreth Meière. Georgia O’Keeffe, considered to be the “Mother of American Modernism”, was an American artist best known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. Mary Stevenson Cassatt, known for her paintings and prints of women’s social life and mother and child, has been called “one of the three great ladies" of Impressionism. Hildreth Meière was a mosaic artist and muralist who left her mark on many New York City structures All three women had to overcome gender barriers in their respective field to emerge as three of the greatest artists of their time.
The presenter is Mario Medici, a retired information technology executive with 50 years of business experience, 30 of which were with the airline industry. Having traveled the world extensively, and with a love for amateur photography, Mario also lectures on the sights and attractions of New York and New Jersey with a concentration on their historical, architectural, and artistic aspects. Mario currently lectures at Bergen Community College's Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR); clients include schools, community organizations, and libraries. Mario is also a licensed New York City Sightseeing Guide and holds an MBA in Finance.
New York of the 1850s was a time when the Irish fleeing the famine in their home country arrived in great numbers only to settle in ethnic ghettos. With no skills or education, little English, and of Catholic faith in a Protestant culture they faced discrimination for the available factory jobs. Many children became homeless and worked as shoeshine boys. Horatio Alger wrote novels about these boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of comfort through hard work, determination, and honesty. We will read excerpts from Alger’s most famous novel Ragged Dick and learn about the Gilded Age, the Newsboys Lodging House, Barnum’s Museum and New York City during this period.
Presenter: Rick Feingold teaches American Business History at Bergen Community College and holds an MBA from Penn State University and a BA in History from Rutgers University.
We are reading Jar City byAmaldur Indridason. Send and email to mullen@cranburypubliclibrary.org to join the discussion group via Zoom.
Afternoon Book Discussion
Wednesday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.
We are reading House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea.Send an email tomullen@cranburypubliclibrary.orgto join the discussion group via Zoom.
Spinning Yarns
Tuesdays, April 6 and 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Join us online for an hour of knitting, crocheting, crafts and conversation. All levels welcome. Email Heidi at bloomleeds@cranburypubliclibrary.org to request to join the group.