Tax Clinic Tomorrow

Rural Opportunities Inc. is sponsoring a second low-income tax clinic tomorrow, March 31st, during regular library hours - from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sessions, which will be held in our meeting room, are free, and no appointment is necessary.

Teen Book Festival

Attention all teens! Here's a chance to meet some of your favorite authors: Terry Trueman, Tamora Pierce, Gail Giles, Nancy Werlin, and more. Head out to Fairport High School (1358 Ayrault Road) for the Second Annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival this Saturday, March 31st. We have a couple of brochures left - on the table in the teen corner - that detail all the exciting happenings for the day, starting at 10 a.m. and ending ~5 p.m. It's going to be a *great* day!

Computer Class Finale

An update issue with the laptops meant a change in last night's computer class, moving us to the Middle School's computer lab. Here, Bob Antonucci is sharing his library's Grolier Online database with our students.

I'm so grateful for all those who helped make this School/Library collaboration such a success: Susan Salvaggio, Bob Antonucci, Jeff Lisanto, Char DeFisher, and Rob Wahl with the Interact Club. And a special "thank you" to all of the enthusiastic people who attended the three sessions - you were a great group! I look forward to seeing all of you at the Library, busily typing at our computers.

Today's Books-Sandwiched-In

This was not a mystery guest, but rather Friends President Kass Vande demonstrating the gear needed to hike through the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, a Florida location which figures prominently in Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief. Our thanks to Kass for a fun and thoroughly interesting book review.

Quote for Today

"In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. "
~Mark Twain

Twain was referring to Spring in New England, but his quote certainly applies to our area, too!

New Books

Recent additions to our adult fiction shelves are: Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult; The Fifth Vial, Michael Palmer; The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, Dinaw Mengestu; Burning Bright, Tracy Chevalier; The Double Bind, Christopher Bohjalian; The Dying Crapshooter's Blues, David Fulmer; Finn, Jon Clinch; Friends in High Places, Marne Davis Kellogg; Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill; Heyday, Kurt Andersen; and The Mercy Seller, Brenda Rickman Vantrease.

New nonfiction titles include: And Baby Makes Three: The Six-Step Plan for Preserving Marital Intimacy and Rekindling Romance After Baby Arrives, John Mordechai Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman; The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, Mark Kurlansky; Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant: A Memoir, Daniel Tammet; The Complete Book of International Adoption: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Child, Dawn Davenport; Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul, Caroline Myss; From Midnight to Dawn: The Last Tracks of the Underground Railroad, Jacqueline Tobin and Hettie Jones; Get the Trans Fat Out: 601 Simple Ways to Cut the Trans Fat Out of Any Diet, Suzanne Havala Hobbs; Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip Heath and Dan Heath; Naomi's Guide to Aging Gratefully: Facts, Myths, and Good News for Boomers, Naomi Judd; Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties, Robert Stone; Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity, Karen L. King; and The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage, Laura Schlessinger.

While many of these are already out there being circulated, OWWL Holds can be placed online using your PIN number, or by stopping by the Library.

New Documentaries

These documentaries have recently been added to our collection: Wordplay, Jesus Camp, Who Killed the Electric Car?, African American Lives, We Shall Not Be Moved, Paper Clips, and When the Levees Broke. Also now on the shelf are the first two seasons of House. All are available for OWWL Holds, either online using your PIN number or at the library's check-out desk.

Friends Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Friends of the Sodus Free Library will be held following their Books-Sandwiched-In luncheon on Tuesday, March 27th. The main business to be conducted at the meeting is the election of officers for the coming year; in addition, annual dues will be collected. New members are always welcome to join this group. Ask at our check-out desk for a membership flyer - a library can't have too many "Friends!"

March Books-Sandwiched-In

The Friends of the Sodus Free Library will be hosting their first 2007 Books-Sandwiched-In at noon on Tuesday, March 27th. Kass Vande, President of the Friends group, will be reviewing The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean. This is what Library Journal had to say about the title when it was published: "The thief in question and offbeat genesis for New Yorker writer Orlean's book is ever-quotable eccentric John Laroche, whose craving for the rare orchid eventually lands him and three Indian accomplices in a Florida courtroom--and allows Orlean to write her appreciative and lyrically funny profile of obsession and Florida." (LJ 1/99; copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.) The cost of the luncheon is $3, which includes sandwich, beverage, and dessert. Because space is limited, reservations are required, so call 483-9292 or stop by the Library to reserve your space.

Tax Clinic Tonight

The gentleman from Rural Opportunities Inc. is here waiting to help those who qualify with their taxes. Stop by the meeting room tonight between 6 and 8 p.m. for some expert assistance filling out those forms.

This is Concentration!

Although our computer class members all look very serious in these pictures, they shared lots of smiles and laughter as Jeff Lisanto, Technology Coordinator at Sodus High School, taught them how to navigate their desktops and folders, install a mouse, open programs, and more. Before the class, several of us enjoyed a light supper courtesy of District Superintendent Susan Salvaggio. In addition to Jeff and Susan, we're grateful for the contributions of Computer Technology Teacher Assistant Char DeFisher and Librarian Bob Antonucci. Thanks to all of you for collaborating with us to offer these classes, and for allowing us to meet in your beautiful library - we all felt right at home!

Citizens of the Year

Congratulations to Mary and Ernie Piekunka, chosen as Sodus' 2006 Citizens of the Year! From the Sodus Chamber of Commerce: "They both provide many hours of service and support to the Chamber as well as being volunteers at the Sodus Point information booth, the American Legion Color Guard, their church, and any other place they see a need for help. For over 60 years they have made Sodus a good place to raise their family and yours." For information on this year's Citizen of the Year and Rotary Agri-Business Banquet, contact the Chamber at 315-398-8473, or send an email to chamber14551@yahoo.com

Tame Those Computer Fears

The Library and the Sodus Central School District are working together to offer beginning computer classes to adults. Three evening sessions will be offered on Wednesday evenings, March 14, 21, and 28th, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Class 1 will cover beginning word processing
Class 2 will feature an overview of email and the Internet
Class 3 will be an exploration of NOVEL (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library)

Interact Club students will be offering a light soup & sandwich supper at 5:30 each evening for a $3 fee; there is no charge for the classes. Reservations are required for the classes and for the optional supper. Call or stop by the Library to sign up now!

IncomeTax Clinics

With grant funding, and in partnership with Wayne County libraries, Rural Opportunities Inc. is offering free information sessions to help low-income families with their tax forms. In March, two of these sessions will be offered at our library: Thursday, March 15, from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday, March 31, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information on eligibility and the content of these clinics, call ROI at 1-800-888-6770, ext. 342 or ext. 706.

Library Closed Today

Brrrr! This weather is only fit for polar bears. Stay off the roads and inside where it's warm, and we'll hope to see you at the Library tomorrow.

Don't worry about returning your books and movies; fines are not charged for days we are closed.

Board of Trustees Meeting

The March meeting of the Library's Board of Trustees will be held at 4 p.m. this Thursday, March 8th, in the Library's meeting room. All Board meetings are open to the public.

Read Across America Day

Tomorrow, March 2nd, is Read Across America Day, a celebration of reading sponsored by the National Education Association. The date ties in with the 50th birthday of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. Check out that title or another of his tongue-twisting treats and share the joy of reading with a child in your family tomorrow (and every day!).

Wednesday's Roundtable

The members of last night's panel on the Underground Railroad are, from left to right: Robert Bull, Patricia Johns, Brooks Tenney, and Peter Evans. Several audience members also participated in an informal sharing of information. Thanks to all for a very interesting evening at the Library.