New Year's Closing

The Library will be closed on Wednesday, December 31st, and Thursday, January 1st, for the New Year's holiday. We will reopen on Friday, January 2nd, at 10 a.m.

I hope that Christmas was merry at your house (it certainly was at mine), and that I'll see you in the Library soon.

Want To Track Santa's Trip?

Click here to visit NORAD (North American Air Defense Command). This site also has lots of activities and games for children. Have fun :)

Holiday Closing

The Sodus Free Library will be closed Wednesday, December 24th through Friday, December 26th for the Christmas holiday. We will reopen at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 27th. Click here for a short explanation of many of our Christmas traditions from "All Things Christmas."

We're Closing

Wow, the weathermen certainly knew what they were talking about this time - the snow is really starting to come down out there! Sodus schools will be closing at 10:30 for grades 6-12 and 11:30 for grades Pre-K-5. We will be closing the Library between 11:30 and noon, so stay home where it's warm and safe. As always, you can renew materials online at owwl.org, your 24/7 library.

Quote For The Day

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."
~Margaret Fuller

Merry Story Hour Families

Speaking of sharing stories, we continue to offer preschool Story Hour every Monday morning at 10:45. This week we heard Christmas tales from Miss Valerie and a new (and rapidly improving!) reader, made wreaths, enjoyed snacks, and gathered around the tree.

Share The Joy Of Reading

The Wood Library's blogger has pointed out an interesting NPR article about sharing the joy of reading. Click here to read or listen to one family's Christmas tradition. I hope that you'll spend some time during this holiday season reading with someone you love. Let me know the titles you choose!

Brian Williams on Libraries

Did you catch this on the Nightly News Wednesday evening?

Friends Bake Sale

One of my favorite library happenings (after the Chocolate Sale, of course!) is just around the corner. Our Friends' Holiday Bake Sale will be held this Thursday, from noon until 8 p.m., and Friday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. This is a perfect time to pick up gifts for teachers, bus drivers, hairdressers, etc., so be sure to set aside time to stop by to shop the sale.

If you would like to help by donating baked goods, stop by or call us and we'll add your name to the sign-up sheet. I'm especially looking forward to Jean's delicious kuchen!

Monthly Board Meeting

The Library's Board of Trustees will hold their monthly meeting this Thursday, December 11th, at 4 p.m. Because of the Friends' Bake Sale, the Board will be meeting in the Ruth Mills Room. Board meetings are open to the public.

The Latest "Harry"

Today's the day: J. K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard has been published - with commentary and footnotes by Professor Albus Dumbledore! Our three copies have already been checked out, but the list of reserves is still quite short; go online to place your OWWL Hold, or give us a call and we'll do it for you.

February 17, 2009

Does that date sound familiar? You've been hearing it between television programs for some time now. If you use rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna with your TV, you need to purchase a converter box before 2/17/09, or you'll be missing all of your favorite programs.

Don't panic! There's still time to get $40 coupons to cover most or all of the cost of your box; click here to apply online, or call 1-888-388-2009. For more information, click here. Now is a good time to take care of this, before December flies past (it's picking up steam already, isn't it?).

Reminder

Don't miss Michael Czarnecki's Stories From a Life, 7 p.m. in the Library's meeting room.

Sisters (and brothers!) Welcome

Bring your preschooler to our Story Hour, held every Monday from 10:45-11:30 a.m. for weekly stories, crafts, and fun with Miss Valerie. At a recent Story Hour, two of our children were accompanied by their baby sisters - you're never too young for a good story!

Be Informed

December 1st is World AIDS Day. Click here for more information.

Get Out Your Calendars

Poet and memoirist Michael Czarnecki will return to the Library at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3, to present Stories From a Life, a memoir storytelling program. Czarnecki has said that his program is going to be “a mostly spontaneous creative nonfiction storytelling program that draws on experiences from all stages of my life.” And what a life! Along the way he has “hitchhiked 30,000 miles, backpacked in the mountains, made several cross-country journeys, raised a family, quit other work to make my living as a poet, homesteaded, etc.” Registration is not required for this free program; for more information, stop by the Library or call (315) 483-9292. This memoir program will be followed by two of Czarnecki's Palm-of-the-Hand Memoir Writing workshops in January and February, 2009. All three evenings are made possible with funding from the Friends of the Sodus Free Library.

Holiday Closing

The Library will close for the Thanksgiving holiday at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26th, and remain closed Thursday, November 27th, and Friday, November 28th. We will reopen at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 29th.

Some Recent Visitors

What a joy to have all these young people in our library!

Friends Meeting

The Friends of the Sodus Free Library will meet at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18th, in the Library's meeting room. The main item of business will be the final planning of our Holiday Bake Sale. I hope you can join us!

Please Help Our Libraries

Governor Paterson recommends an immediate $20 million dollar cut in library funding. This cut will be devastating to library services throughout the state.

• Learn More
• Show your support for libraries by fax
• Send a letter today to the legislature

Click on the links above or join us as we rally on November 18th in Albany. Libraries need your support!

Monthly Board Meeting

The monthly meeting of the Sodus Free Library Board will held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 13th, in the Library's meeting room. The public is always welcome to attend Board meetings.

Veterans Day Closing

The Library will be closed Tuesday, November 11, in honor of Veterans Day.

Book Sale Leftovers

Our sale was amazingly busy, but there are still some good titles left. Stop by on Monday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. - we'll be selling leftovers for $1/bag.

Busy Saturday

Although we've already sold over 2,000 books and plenty of AV materials, there are still some really good buys waiting for you at our book sale. The savings will increase tomorrow, November 8th, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., when you can fill a bag for $2! Plan on filling more than one :)

When you're done shopping the sale, head to Monroe Community College for the Rochester Children's Book Festival. Children of all ages will be able to meet 44 authors and illustrators, purchase their books and get their signatures, attend readings, and do fun crafts. Teens are offered an exciting program on Writing Fantasy, which will be presented by popular authors Bruce Coville and Tamora Pierce. Festival times are 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Have a fun day!

Book Sale Countdown

Monday:

Tuesday:













Wednesday:












The sale starts at noon on Thursday, November 6th. See you there!

Exercise Your Right

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Be Informed

We've all heard plenty about most of the candidates running for various offices tomorrow. With the ad blitzes, the judicial vote can be forgotten until we're standing in the voting booth. To be informed about judicial candidates, click here. Wayne County information can be found here. Also remember that FactCheck.org researches the truth behind all those political ads.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be."
~ Thomas Jefferson

Are You Ready?

The members of our Friends group are working hard to prepare the best used book sale we've ever had at the Library. Starting on Monday, they'll be sorting through thousands of donated and discarded books, separating them into genres, and alphabetizing by author to save your time. The bargains start selling at noon on Thursday, November 6th, and continue until 4 p.m. Sunday, November 9th. Sale hours are:

Thursday - noon to 8 p.m.
Friday - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (everything will be reduced to $2/bag)
Sunday - 2-4 p.m. (all leftovers will sell for $1/bag)

Go mark your calendar now!

Reminiscing at the Library

The Farmerettes, the opera house, Saturday night concerts - all these and more were remembered when this lively group came together at the Library. Town Historian Sandy Hopkins and Library volunteer Shirley Patchett arranged the gathering in the hopes that we can preserve these memories for future generations. (Shirley even baked an apple pie and some of her delicious cookies!) Watch this blog and Shirley's "Shhh" column for an announcement of the next time this group will meet.

Story Hour Celebration

Wow - You never know what or whom you might see at the Library!

Please Share With Us

Our Library is conducting a community survey. I hope you'll take time to share your opinions with us, either by filling out the orange survey in today's issue of the Sodus-Williamson Pennysaver, or by clicking on the survey link in this blog's right column.

There are only 7 questions to answer, so we're asking for just a minute or two of your time. Additional comments are also welcome, and boxes are provided for those. Thanks for your help as we plan our future services; your feedback is valuable to us.

Halloween Story Hour

Preschoolers and their parents are invited to a Halloween Story Hour at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, October 27th. Costumes are optional, but fun is guaranteed!

Book Club Meeting

The Friends of the Sodus Free Library are ready to start a new book club session. Come to the Library at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 23rd, to help plan for some great Fall reading. The first title will be The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick, this year's Writers & Books "Big Read" choice; book discussion on Ozick's book is scheduled for 7 p.m. on November 20th. Everyone is welcome.

2008 Pioneer Award

Each October, people from throughout our Pioneer Library System gather for an annual meeting and banquet, an inspiring program, and the presentation of County awards and a Pioneer Award. This year, I was extremely honored to receive the latter, which is an award for library advocacy and support. Joined last Wednesday evening by my family, staff, and Trustees, I was (and still am!) totally overwhelmed by this recognition.


Thank you to those who nominated me, those who made the award decision, and those who have been so generous with their congratulations, including the Williamson Public Library's Board, Director, and staff for this beautiful white and green floral and gourd arrangement, and the trio of gentlemen who sent me Candy Kitchen chocolates. The biggest "Thank You!" goes to my staff and Trustees for their day-to-day support as we work together to continually improve our Library in its mission to meet the needs of our community.

And now, Mom, Jeff, Carol, Pauline, and Christina, I have blogged about the award!