This October, the library is partnering with the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum and Indiana Humanities to hold a traveling community artifact exhibit. Community members can loan local artifacts and heirlooms to this exhibit, including photos, locally found fossils, locally made items, etc. These items will be displayed at the library from Oct. 7-11 (during library hours) before going to the museum from Oct. 11-21 (Click here for the museum's hours).
Items must be brought to the library by Friday, Oct. 4, with a brief postcard-sized description. We ask that contact information also be included After the exhibit wraps up, items can be picked up at the library starting Tuesday, Oct. 22. This program is made possible through a grant from the Indiana Humanities. One State / One Story: All That She Carried is presented by Indiana Humanities in partnership with the Indiana Center for the Book and the Indiana State Library as part of Indiana Humanities’ Advancing Racial Equity Project, supported by Lilly Endowment.
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Arkos architect Jeff Anglemyer speaks during the workshop to get attendees brainstorming.
On Sept. 24, Syracuse Public Library closed for a library design workshop for board of trustee members, Friends of the Syracuse Public Library, and staff. The workshop examined what elements could fit in a new library built on the Dolan Street Property. Attendees were encouraged to dream during the session, and there were some cool features, including a business center with a laminator; a fenced in space for children to enjoy; a meeting space that the public could use (including after library hours); and private study rooms. Becky’s Garden could also be expanded and feature a calming walkway. There would also be outdoor spaces designed for different age groups — adults, too!
There are no finalized designs. The architects at Arkos Design will take information gleaned at the workshop and further refine it. SPL will hold additional meetings that will be open to the public. Watch for news on SPL’s website. As the project develops, follow its progress at https://www.syracuse.lib.in.us/building-project.html. 
Free Fairfield summer library cards are back at the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library from May 1-Aug. 1! These cards are made possible by the Fairfield Schools Literacy Fund, created by an anonymous donor who wanted to stop the summer slide for students living in the Fairfield Schools district. Families and children can sign up for a card any time from May 1-Aug. 1, with cards all expiring on Aug. 31. Who Qualifies?Children, ages birth to entering 12th grade in 2024, who live in either Benton, Clinton, or Jackson townships. The Fund is only available to children. What If We Homeschool?Home-schooled children who live in Benton, Clinton, or Jackson townships also qualify for a free summer library card. What Do We Need To Bring?Families will need to bring proof of their residence in Benton, Clinton, or Jackson townships. This can be an updated driver's license, or a photo ID and utility bill. Children, 13 and older, can sign up upstairs. Younger children should sign up downstairs. To sign up for a library card without an adult, you must be at least 18 years old. If you're younger than 18, you will need an adult with you. What Services Do We Receive With A Fairfield Card?You can check out materials (excluding hotspots) from the Syracuse Public Library and other Evergreen Libraries (like North Webster, Ligonier, Milford, etc.) and access digital apps like Libby and Hoopla!
Becky's Garden will come to life in May! SPL's In the Garden group welcomes the entire community to help it create this memorial garden at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 23, in Community Roots outdoor space. This native plant memorial garden will honor long-time Syracuse Public Library librarian Becky Brower's passion for the natural world, particularly native plants and pollinators. Through its creation, we will continue to spread awareness for the valuable role played by native plants and hopefully encourage a greater appreciation for them within the community. The Becky's Garden web page will chronicle the garden's progress and provide educational resources for those wanting to learn more about its plants and native plants and animals in general, Plant DonationsFor the planting, In the Garden is seeking specific native plant donations. Group members have compiled a list of plants (see the PDF below) that will be accepted. Those interested in donating a plant from the list can email what they have to Sarah Wright at [email protected]. Space is limited, and we want to fit in as many people as possible. We will organize donations and let everyone know which of their plants we will be taking prior to the planting. Plants labeled with Becky's garden will be donated by Becky's husband, Michael, from their personal garden. 
Bringing Plant DonationsPeople can bring the plants In the Garden has confirmed they want to the library either a few days before the planting (May 23) or on the day of the planting. Please be sure to email Sarah so we know what to expect. Rock DonationsIn the Garden is also seeking rock donations to create bee habitats for our native burrowing bees like the bumble bee! Once again, email Sarah and let us know what you have.  
The Friends are partnering with the Knights of Columbus for a Bingo Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20, at Knights of Columbus Hall, 414 Sycamore St., Syracuse. Doors open at 5 p.m. with regular bingo starting at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $25 for a game packet. Food is available to purchase. Cash only. Must be 18 and older for admittance. Proceeds go to Friends of the Syracuse Library to support the library.
After April 15, users with devices running Android OS 7.1.0 or earlier will be required to update their operating system or switch to another supported device to continue using OverDrive services. Starting the week of March 25, impacted Libby users will see a message to update their OS or switch to another supported device to continue using the app. This message will include steps for how to use a setup code to easily copy their library cards, loans, holds, and tags to another device.
In an email announcing this change, Overdrive stated, "We apologize for the inconvenience this will have on users with impacted devices. This change is necessary to uphold OverDrive’s standards of security and patron privacy and our commitment to delivering a quality experience to all libraries and their users." The same email noted that usage on Android OS 7.1.0 and earlier has been declining and accounts for approximately 1.5% of all OverDrive users, with Libby users being the most impacted. Note that Google has also discontinued support for these earlier versions of the Android OS. 
Syracuse Public Library has added a new resource for parents and their preschool-aged children: TALK. TALK: Text and Learn for Kindergarten is a text messaging service. It sends developmentally leveled activity suggestions based on the five Every Child Ready to Read practices to parents and caregivers with children 5 and under. The more parents and caregivers talk and list to young children, the easier it is for them to learn to read and write when they start kindergarten. Simple activities, such as singing and play, can help children develop cognitive and language skills. Unfortunately, not all parents have time to develop learning activities for their little ones, creating a school readiness gap that impacts children from under-resourced families disproportionately. A text messaging service aims to change this, helping children learn through simple, everyday interactions. TALK: Text and Learn for Kindergarten sends two text messages each week suggesting activities that parents and caregivers can easily incorporate into daily routines with their children. The service also notifies parents of free activities and services at the library. TALK is available to parents and caregivers in Michigan and Indiana with children ages 5 and under, and officially launched in Syracuse in January 2024. Parents can sign up by texting TALK to 75547 or visiting www.textandlearn.org.  Magazine fans, rejoice! It's never been easier to uncover new magazines on Libby! When you discover a magazine in our Libby collection, you can now open it and start reading with one tap! Magazines also appear on a new dedicated section of a user's Shelf called the Magazine Rack. From the Magazine Rack, you can access the latest issue of your magazine subscriptions and any other issues you choose to keep. This helps you find your favorite magazines from your library in one convenient place.
To save space on a user’s device, magazines are not automatically downloaded for offline use. Instead, users can manually choose which issues to download. Other updates include:
The library’s Board of Trustees welcomed Jeff Anglemyer, senior principal architect at Arkos Design of Mishawaka, to its Nov. 20 meeting. He shared a feasibility study for the Dolan Drive/Main Street property, which focused on how the lot might be used rather than presenting any official designs.
One of the library’s prime goals is to build a single-floor structure to capture both construction and long-term HVAC savings; improve accessibility; and lessen staffing challenges. The study presented by Anglemyer largely showed how that might be accomplished on the site. For right now, the library is waiting for the removal of a buried tank on the Dolan Drive property, which is expected to occur on Jan. 18 and 19 with the assistance of a grant from Michiana Area Council of Governments. Ownership of the property will not pass to the library until after the tank’s removal because of the grant. If all goes well, further design work will occur after the transfer of property ownership. We will keep everyone informed throughout this process. 
By Kim Blaha | SPL Executive Director The Board of Trustees and I have been planning for our new library building. It has been a long, slow process so far, but we are making progress. The shortest amount of time after we acquire the property and approve architectural drawings to moving into the new building is 3 years if everything goes smoothly. Here are some things that have been or need to be done before we can start building. Obtain a building site: Almost completed
The Town of Syracuse has offered us the property at 705 N. Dolan Drive as the site for our new library building. A deed has been drawn up by the Town Attorney, Jay Rigdon, and is in the process of revision, according to the recommendation of the Library’s Attorney, Steve Snyder. Environmental Site Assessment Studies, Phase I & II: Done Possible site clean-up: In process Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) has provided us a grant to have two Environmental Site Assessment studies completed. Phase I, completed in February, involved research into the history of the property to determine the likelihood of soil and water contamination at the site. According to the report, “Past property uses included the Syracuse Fire Department, municipal water pump house, and the municipal wastewater treatment plant and lagoons. Operational equipment associated with these uses could indicate the ‘likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products’ as noted in the standard.” Phase II was completed in July. This study included soil boring and groundwater sampling. The report noted that some elevated levels of arsenic and lead in the groundwater were found, but nothing so drastic as to require action. There is a suspected underground storage tank on the property that will have to be removed if it is determined to be present. We are working with MACOG to see if there is any more funding for that process. The next steps will be choosing an architect and finding the funding for construction. We have been working with Arkos Design, who did our feasibility study, and they have provided some rudimentary drawings of possible building design and placements on the property. We will be working with Baker Tilly for building project funding advice and searching for grants and donations. After we move to the new building, we will sell the old library building, and use the funds to pay down the debt. |
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