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. 
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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. 
Do you have what it takes to solve SPL’s new “Five Nights at Freddy’s” themed escape room? Register to find out! Attendees will need to solve a series of puzzles in the Rosalyn Jones Room to unlock the master box to escape. T he library has four slots available for registration at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2; 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11; 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19; and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 (This last slot has been booked). Click the date you are interested in on the library’s online calendar, http://rb.gy/6udmk, and register digitally. If none of the time slots work, reach out to Michelle Parker to set up an alternative time for the escape room. Call her at (574) 457-3022, ext. 2008, or by email at [email protected].
Each month is filled with excitement as Syracuse Public Library welcomes new DVDs to its collection. Titles in red with an asterisk beside them are brand-new to the library; please note some titles may arrive later in the month. If you see a DVD that interests you, ask us to add you to the holds list.
Does a friend or family member live in the town of Syracuse or Turkey Creek Township and doesn’t have a library card? If yes, encourage them to sign up for a card at the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library this September during National Library Card Sign-up Month. Resident library cards have no added cost since they are paid for by residents’ tax dollars. Beyond gaining access to a wealth of reading materials and DVDs, SPL library card holders can visit and check materials out from any Evergreen Indiana library, including Milford, North Webster or Ligonier, to name a few. SPL patrons can also use digital resources like Libby or Hoopla to read e-books; listen to audiobooks and music albums; or watch television shows, movies and documentaries. Hotspots are another popular item at the Syracuse Public Library and help connect patrons with the internet in their homes or wherever they may roam. As a bonus, everyone who signs up for a new library card in September will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. All ages are included in the drawing. Syracuse Public Library also offers non-resident library cards, available at a rate set by the state of Indiana. Those who sign up for a non-resident library card will also be eligible to take part in the drawing. For details about our card policies, visit www.syracuse.lib.in.us/policies-and-procedures.html.  Michelle and Katie are ready to get you set up with Evergreen Indiana library cards -- as are other SPL staff members! |
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