Save At Your Library

Click here for a Channel 8 story on the value of libraries - featuring our neighbor library in Williamson :)

Be Creative @ Your Library - Week 1

Start tracking your reading minutes today, and plan to join us at the Library during this first week of Summer Reading. It's time to get creative!

Monday, July 13 - Rock Painting, 10 a.m.-noon, 10th grade & up
Monday, July 13 - Preschool Story Hour, 10:45-11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, July 14 - Share-a-Book Reading Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m., 4th grade & up
Wednesday, July 15 - PJ Storytime, 7-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 16 - Fun Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m., 1st-3rd grade
Saturday, July 18 - Saturday Story Hour, 10:45-11:30 a.m.

Have You Registered?

We're getting ready for the fun. Are you? Reading starts on Sunday, July 12th, so stop by soon!

We have programs planned for all ages. Check out our Library Calendar blog for a sneak preview.

Library Board Meets Thursday

The Trustees of the Sodus Free Library will hold their monthly meeting at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 9th. (Note the time change from 4 p.m.) Board meetings are held in the Library's meeting room, and are open to the public.

Check out this site.

Registration Starts Monday

You can register for Summer Reading any time next week (if you're on vacation, come in when you get back). I hope you can join in the fun!

Holiday Closing

The Sodus Free Library will be closed Saturday, July 4th, and Sunday, July 5th.

Library Board Meeting

There will be a special, organizational meeting of our newly elected Trustees this Wednesday, July 1st, at 4 p.m. The regular monthly meeting will be held as scheduled on Thursday, July 9th. Board meetings are open to the public.

Commencement 2009

Library Board President Carol Sergeant and I attended Sodus' commencement ceremonies this morning. What an honor to have School Board President Stephanie Johnson present this year's Community Service Award to the Sodus Free Library! We're very pleased to have our library recognized in such a special way.

Congratulations to all in the class of 2009! We're very proud of all of you and wish you much happiness and success in your lives beyond high school.

Next Book Club Pick

On Thursday, our book club had a fun discussion about the essence of boyhood portrayed by Tony Earley in his Jim the Boy. We've decided that we will skip July and August and meet again at noon on September 24th, when we'll be discussing Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. You'll have plenty of time to read or listen to the book over the Summer; one of our members said the audiobook was especially well done. We hope you will join us in September!

Book Club Meets Thursday

Plan to join us for a great discussion this Thursday, June 25th, at noon. Bring your lunch, share your thoughts on Tony Earley's Jim the Boy, and help us choose the next title we'll be reading.

We are planning to continue meeting throughout the Summer. I hope you can join us!

We are closed on Sunday, June 21st in honor of Father's Day.

Friends Meeting

The Friends of the Sodus Free Library held their monthly meeting yesterday, and unanimously passed their new bylaws. "Just Paperbacks" chairperson, Lin Locklear, made her report: this year's sale brought in $273.70! Wow! At a quarter each, that's just amazing! In addition, over 100 books were given away to voters, a box of mysteries was sent to a patron's son in Iraq, and several boxes went to a "reading corner" project at Onondaga Community College.

Congratulations to Lin and her hard-working team (plus her mentor, Shirley Patchett) for a very successful sale. We're all looking forward to our annual Used Book Sale in November.

It's Flag Day

Click here for more information.

Library Board Meets Thursday

The June meeting of the Library's Board of Trustees will be held at 4 p.m. this Thursday, June 11th, in our meeting room. Board meetings are open to the public.

June 6, 1944

Click here for information about D-Day.

A Successful Vote

Thank you to all of our supporters! The unofficial results of today's vote are:

Proposition 1 to recharter the library, 149 yes, 26 no
Proposition 2 to approve the budget, 147 yes, 28 no
Trustees elected: Thomas Garlipp, Jane Hyland, Tracey Fox, Martha Miller, Manfred Lichti, John Cook, Sue Mulberry, Janet Englert, and Carol Sergeant

There is now quite a lengthy procedure, and lots of paperwork to work through, to complete the rechartering. When done, New York State will issue a new charter to the Sodus Community Library, and you will see many of the changes and improvements you've requested.

The Board, staff, and I greatly appreciate your positive votes.

Library Vote - Noon to 9 p.m. Today

Quote For The Day

"Support of the Library can be seen as enlightened self interest. Your investment in the Library is an investment that improves Library services for you and also benefits the entire community."

~From Ex Libris, 2007, Volume 4 of the Williamsburg Regional Library's newsletter, Williamsburg, VA

Rechartering FAQ

Today's Frequently Asked Question is: "What are the resolutions that will be included on the ballot?"

When you come to the Library to vote on Wednesday, June 3rd, there will be three sections for you to consider. The first part asks for your vote to establish a public library district to serve the residents living within the boundaries of the Sodus Central School District. The second part authorizes the annual collection of $205,000 from the taxpayers within the District. The final proposition is the election of nine people to serve on the rechartered library's Board of Trustees.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Paperbacks Everywhere!

Paperbacks, hundreds of them, were being sorted by members of our Friends group today. Their "Just Paperbacks" sale runs from Thursday, June 4th through Saturday, June 6th during regular library hours. At 25 cents per book (or a whole bag for a $1 on Saturday), you'll just have to make time to stop by. Have fun shopping!

Book Club News

Book Club was a lively, fun meeting on Thursday as we discussed the delightful characters of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. We've decided to read Jim the Boy by Tony Earley for our next meeting, which will be at noon on Thursday, June 25th. Our three copies are now checked out, but if you'd like to join our group, we can easily have a copy delivered to us from another OWWL library - go online to place a hold, or just give us a call or stop by and we'll do it for you. I hope you'll plan to join us!

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.

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.

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.)

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!"

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Book Club Meets Thursday

Our book club will be meeting on Thursday, April 30th, at noon. We're hoping that more people will be able to come at this time than could previously attend in the evening. This month's book is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Feel free to bring your lunch along, as we'll be gathering in the meeting room. If you haven't yet read the book, come anyway, enjoy the company and the discussion, and help us choose the next book. I hope to see you there!

Your Passport to Family Wellness

"Pathways from the past, trails for tomorrow" is the motto of Trail Works, Inc., a Wayne County non-profit organization founded in 1997. If you want to learn the latest trail-related news around our County, find out about the hikes and trails in our area, or get involved in the Wegmans Passport Program, come to the Library this Wednesday, April 29th, at 7 p.m. Trail Works is working to coordinate the development and maintenance of high-quality multi-use trails that can be used year round. Join us for this multi-media program - then you'll be ready for some hiking fun!

Check out the EPA's Earth Day page. They have lots of interesting links and Earth-friendly ideas. And here is a partial list of some of the books available to you through our OWWL libraries.

A Busy Week

We're looking forward to seeing those of you who've registered for Tuesday's Books-Sandwiched-In, featuring Mary Moss-Sprague's Spring Garden Preparation. The response to this timely topic has been great, and all the spots are filled. Even if you can't come to the luncheon, I hope you'll be able to stop by for the Friends' monthly meeting at 1:30 p.m.

Thursday's Wellness seminar, Understanding Fibromyalgia, is also totally filled, but there is another fun option coming up starting this weekend.


Researcher Victor Harris is returning for a 3-part series, "Baseball: The Heart and Mind of America," on three consecutive Saturdays. Harris will be presenting The 19th Century Game on April 25th, The Negro Leagues on May 2nd, and Latinos in Baseball on May 9th. The programs will run from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.; reservations are not required.

“Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.”
~Jacques Barzun

A Great Time

A huge thanks to Friends President Lynn Griffith and her terrific team for hosting a very successful Open House at the Library yesterday. We served 63 people soup, sandwiches, veggies, and cookies, and had so much fun doing it that we're already planning for next year. Pauline Baker's soups were such a hit, that she's agreed to come back for a cooking demonstration - I can't wait!

The scavenger hunt winners were:

Audrey Ferris, 2 gift certificates for the April 21st Books-Sandwiched-In
Hope V. and Jair V., childrens books
Giovanni S., teen book

It's A Special Week For Libraries

Celebrate National Library Week with us. Click here for a public service announcement from the American Library Association.

Attend our Friends' Open House from 4:30 to 6:30 this Tuesday, April 14th. Plans include a scavenger hunt, tours of the building, various demonstrations, and more. Be sure to stop by the meeting room for soup and a sandwich. The Friends, staff, and I hope you can join us for this fun event!

Holiday Closing

The Sodus Free Library will be closed Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12, for the Easter holiday. We will reopen at noon on Monday, April 13.

Library Board Meets Thursday

The monthly meeting of the Sodus Free Library's Board of Trustees will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 9th, in the meeting room. The public is always welcome to attend these meetings.

Why No Postings?

It looks like I have some catching up to do! I've been away at the 2009 Computers in Libraries conference, soaking up lots of interesting technology information, and sharing this blog in a presentation within a day-long Innovation in Smaller Libraries track. Held in Crystal City, Virginia, CIL 2009 was a great experience, and I'm grateful to the track moderator Janie Hermann for asking me to present, to my co-panelists Aaron Schmidt and David Lisa, to Information Today, Inc. for paying my registration fee, and to our library's Trustees for sending me. It was a great experience!

Quote for the Day

Today we added a new biography to our children's shelves, Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln, by Doreen Rappaport. It's a beautiful book, and I just love this quote:


"The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll git me a book I ain't read." ~A. Lincoln

Happy Anniversary, Eric Carle!

March 20th is the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, long a favorite of our Story Hour children. Click here for a video of Carle discussing how he came to write the book, the processes he used, and a bit of his philosophy.

New Officers Serving Friends

After a well-attended and thoroughly delightful Irish presentation by Michele Kerr at their Books-Sandwiched-In yesterday, the Friends of the Sodus Free Library met for both their monthly and annual meetings. Newly serving are President Lynn Griffith, Treasurer Pauline Dodge, and Secretary Bette Bugni. Former President Kass Vande will temporarily fill the office of Vice President until a replacement can be found. If you're interested in joining this group, stop by the Library and pick up a membership brochure. We'd love to have you join us!

Watch Our Library Story

Books-Sandwiched-In

There are just a few spaces left for the Friends' St. Patrick's Day Books-Sandwiched-In, featuring Michele Kerr of Destination Tours and Travel, Inc. Starting at noon on Tuesday, March 17th, the luncheon is sure to be an interesting (and delicious!) time for all. Don't wait to call or email us with your reservation!

The luncheon will be followed at 1:30 p.m. by the monthly meeting of the Friends of the Sodus Free Library; the annual meeting and election of officers will be held at 2:30 p.m.

Library Board Meets Thursday

The Sodus Free Library Board of Trustees will hold their monthly meeting this Thursday, March 12, at 4 p.m. Board meetings are open to the public.

Looking For A Job?

We can help!

• Every Tuesday, we receive an updated list of local job openings in Wayne and Ontario counties from Workforce Development.
• Our LearningExpressLibrary has tutorials on resume writing and interviews, plus lots of practice examinations, etc. You just need your library card's barcode number to access this great resource.
  
• Click here for a list of resources that our Library System has put together.
• In addition, there are two free workshops coming up, as a joint effort between Career Development Services and the Pioneer Library System. Session 1 will feature Assess Your Strengths and Develop a Winning Resume, and will be held on March 28th. Session 2, on April 4th, will cover Where to Look for a Job and Interviewing Tips. Both sessions will be held at the Lyons Public Library, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, or to register, contact the Lyons Public Library at 315-946-9262, or email lyonslibrary@owwl.org. Workshops are limited to 20 participants, so call them now if you're interested.