Thursday, May 28, 2009

Thursday's Programs

Will I see you at noon on Thursday for our Book Club's discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? Bring your lunch along if you'd like.

There is also still room in Dr. Teon Kowalyk's "Natural Approaches to Preventing and Handling Arthritis" program at 6 p.m. Registration is required; just give us a call and we'll add you to the list. Pizza and veggies will be provided.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Rechartering FAQ

Today's Frequently Asked Questions are: "Who can vote?" and "How do I vote?"

To vote on our rechartering resolution, you must be at least 18 years old, have lived in the Sodus Central School District for at least 30 days, and be a United States citizen.

You can vote by stopping by the Library between noon and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3rd; voting will be done by paper ballot in the Library's reference room. If you'll be out of town on June 3rd, stop by the Sodus Central School's District Office and request an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots must be received by the day of the vote.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Remember Our Soldiers

In 1918, as the temperature neared 105 degrees, 18,000 officers and soldiers at Camp Dodge, Iowa, posed for this picture in their woolen uniforms. On Friday, one of our patrons brought this picture to our attention; I thought it was especially appropriate to share with you this Memorial Day weekend. Click here for more information and to see additional pictures. (Click on the picture to enlarge the image.)

Friday, May 22, 2009

Quote For The Day

"Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest."
~Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson

I love this quote :)

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Holiday Closing

The Sodus Free Library will be closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, May 23, 24, and 25, for the Memorial Day weekend, reopening Tuesday, May 26th.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Positive Vote

Thank you to the voters in the Sodus Central School District for passing our budget proposition, 330 to 104; we really appreciate the support. Please remember our public information meeting this evening at 7 p.m., and our rechartering vote on June 3rd.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Public Meeting Tomorrow

Our public information meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20th. If you have any questions about our rechartering vote, please come to this meeting.

School Budget Vote

Remember that the school district vote is today, May 19th. Proposition #3 provides $62,000 for our budget, if we do not recharter.

If, however, our rechartering resolutions are approved on June 3rd, this funding will be part of the total approved budget, not an additional amount.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Rechartering FAQ

Today's Frequently Asked Question: "How would a public library district benefit me and/or our community?"

If the voters approve the rechartering resolutions, we will be able to act on many of the suggestions brought up by the library's long-range community planning committee, by respondents to our recent survey, and through everyday conversations:

  • More books, audiobooks, magazines, movies, etc.
  • Expanded, more consistent hours of service
  • Popular programming for all ages
  • Maintenance and timely upgrading of computers
  • Improvements to the building and parking lot
  • Assured continued growth of this valued community asset

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

We're Honored

Quoting from Library Journal: "Library Journal’s new national rating of public libraries, the LJ Index of Public Library Service, identifies 256 "star" libraries. Created by Ray Lyons and Keith Curry Lance, it rates 7,115 public libraries. The top libraries in each group get five, four, or three Michelin guide-like stars."

I'm proud to say that our library has earned a four-star rating from this study. Stop by soon to see for yourself the value we bring to you and to the community. As our video states: "At Sodus Free Library, the world is yours!"

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Library Board Meeting

The May meeting of the Sodus Free Library Board of Trustees will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 14th, in our meeting room. Board meetings are open to the public.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Rechartering FAQ

Today's "Frequently Asked Question" is: "What will it cost me?"

If the voters approve the rechartering resolutions, the property owners living in the Library's new service area (within the boundaries of the Sodus Central School District) would pay just under 50 cents per $1,000 of the assessed value of their property. For example, a homeowner with a property currently assessed at $50,000 would pay $24.80 a year. At this rate, the funds collected would total $205,000. An additional $20,000 would be contributed from the Library's investment account, for a total 2009-2010 budget of $225,000. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Exciting News!

Miss Valerie, our Story Hour Lady, has a beautiful new baby boy, Benjamin (8 lb. 11 oz!), born yesterday. Congratulations, Valerie, Ryan, and Isabelle!

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Holiday Closing

The Library will be closed on Sunday, May 10th, in honor of Mother's Day. The OWWL catalog and our online databases are available 24/7.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Four Weeks From Today

On June 3rd, we're asking the community to come to the Library to participate in a rechartering vote to ensure the continued growth of the services, materials, and programs that we provide.

The Sodus Free Library is currently chartered by New York State to serve the 1,735 people residing in the Village of Sodus. As all of you who use our library know, we serve a great many more than that. The proposition before the voters would establish a new public library district to serve everyone who lives within the boundaries of the Sodus Central School District. Nine Trustee positions will also be voted on, as will the library budget.

I'll be blogging information about the vote over the next four weeks, but if you have any questions at all, please stop by, send an email, give me a call, or just comment here. This is an important step for your community library, and I want to be sure that you have all the facts you need before you vote on June 3rd.

Monday, May 04, 2009

Next Book Club Pick

Our Book Club had a good conversation on Thursday, and we all hope you can join us for next month's meeting. We'll get together at noon on Thursday, May 28th, to discuss The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, an epistolary novel of the Channel Islands after World War II.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Don't Be Upset When It Doesn't Work!

For the two hours between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 3rd, you won't be able to access either our online catalog or any of our online databases, because of server maintenance taking place at the Pioneer Library System. Don't panic! Shortly after 11 o'clock, service should resume and will again be available 24/7. Thanks in advance for your patience during this scheduled downtime.

Can't Get Enough Baseball?

Don't forget our program on The Negro Leagues, Saturday, May 2nd, from 11:30 to 12:30.