Ridgefield High School Reading Teacher Wins Library's Battle of the Books, Stephen Schwartz is Runner Up!

The Ridgefield Library’s first virtual fundraiser in partnership with Books on the Common – The Battle of the Books as part of LYL (Love Your Library) 2020 – was a tremendous success.  James Mustich, author of 1000 Books to Read Before you Die emceed the event where Roz Chast and Patricia Marx, Mike Flynn, Stephen Schwartz, Judy Silver and Joel Third each championed a book that they love.

Judy Silver won the Battle with her book The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives and Stephen Schwartz was the runner up with his book Sum: Tales from the Afterlives.

Other books presented were:  Goodnight Baseball - Mike Flynn, The Merck Manual - Roz Chast and Patricia Marx, and John James Audubon: The Making of an American - Joel Third.  All the presenters did a wonderful job and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the program. The Ridgefield Library truly appreciates all the presenters for taking the time to choose a book and prepare a presentation for this event.  188 households registered for the virtual fundraiser and generously helped raise $8,000 for the Ridgefield Library. 

Jim and Margot Mustich’s enthusiastic work and generosity in planning this event helped to make it enjoyable and successful.

The Virtual Battle of the Books was the kick-off to LYL (Love Your Library) weekend which was a 48-hour online giving t with Fairfield County Bank generously matching a portion of donations brought in online during that period. The response from the Ridgefield Community was incredible.  The Ridgefield Library is humbled and thankful that between the Battle of the Books, the 48-hour online giving campaign and matching funds from Fairfield County Bank over $30,000.00 was raised for the Library the community loves.

Love Your Library (LYL) was conceived after the Library’s new facility opened to introduce Ridgefield townspeople to the wonders of the building and to highlight its potential to anticipate and meet the evolving needs of our community. Even today, many who are not regular users of the Library remain unaware of the breadth of services and programming available to patrons of every age. The Library is the place to discover, question, learn and connect, and is an essential partner with the Town of Ridgefield and its civic organizations in delivering the promise of this 21st Century. To learn more about our programs and services, please visit www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

The Ridgefield Library is organized as a 501 (C) 3 and must independently raise 30% of its operating budget in order to maintain the high level of services that patrons deserve and expect. The success of the virtual LYL weekend helps to fill the gap left by the Library’s inability to hold in person fundraising events this fall. The Library is also grateful for the community’s continued support of the Annual Appeal which is vital to meet this year’s operational funding goals.