Improved Catalog Searching

Have you had a chance to search our new OWWL catalog? The "Home" page now gives you the capability of typing in a keyword, title, author, subject, or series. You can then choose the format you want: books, large print, audiobooks, video recordings, music, or electronic resources. You can limit your search to our library or include all 42 libraries, gain access to your account, or move to an advanced search page (more about that another day).

Click on the OWWL library card in the right-hand column of this page to get started, or stop by and I'll give you a "Home" tour. Happy searching :)

Mark Your Calendar!

I hope you've set aside time to visit this year's Used Book Sale. Sponsored by the Friends of the Sodus Community Library, this year's sale will be in the Library's Annex at 19 Maple Avenue. We've been amazed by the number of books you've generously donated this year, and are in the process of sorting approximately 10,000 titles! This should definitely prove to be our best sale ever.

Your shopping experience will also be much improved. Rather than searching through our cramped meeting room, you'll be able to browse through several rooms which will be set up according to genre. A special treat will be the children's area in one of the front rooms.

Sale hours will be 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Thursday, November 4th, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, November 5th and 6th, and 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, November 7th. Prices remain as they were at last year's sale: $1/book ($.50 in the children's room) on Thursday, everything half price on Friday, and $2 for whatever you can fit in one of our bags on Saturday and Sunday. Parking is available behind the Library, behind the Annex, on the street (Maple Avenue or Smith Street), and in the public parking lot just south of Poppy's Pizza. See you there!

4 Stars

We've received our new issue of Library Journal, and I'm proud to say that our library has again been named a 4-star library! Based on 2008 data submitted by 7,407 public libraries to their respective States, LJ has named 258 starred libraries, assigning 3 to 5 stars to each. To read the entire article, click here or on the new America's Star Libraries logo.

Library Board Meets Thursday

The Library's Board of Trustees will hold their monthly meeting at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 14th, in the Library's meeting room. Board meetings are open to the public.

Holiday Closing

The Library will be closed on Monday, October 11th, in honor of Columbus Day. You will still be able to access your OWWL account, plus download audiobooks and ebooks at OWWL2go.

Reminder

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week:

• You will need your library card to check out anything - no exceptions
• With your card, you''ll be able to check out all the materials you'd like
• Everything you check out - even movies - will be due back in two weeks
  
• We will not be able to search our catalog, but will do our best to help you find what you need
• We will not be able to issue new library cards, update your information, place or process holds, accept fine payments, or renew/return your items (not a problem, as nothing is due for these three days)

Thursday, October 7th:

• We will delay opening until 1 p.m.
• If all goes well, we will then be able to resume normal circulation activities and share some of OWWL's new features with you

We're Going Green - Evergreen!

Over the years, there have been many changes in the way we find the titles you want and how we check them out to you. We've gone from doing everything by hand, to stamping those cards with the little metal tabs, on to a stand-alone computerized system, and, most recently, to the integrated OWWL system that includes all 42 libraries in Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, and Livingston Counties. Each step has enabled us to serve you better and opened up new ways for you to use the library. The next step is just around the corner! We are in the process of moving to Evergreen, an open-source software that will offer us more flexibility, greater efficiency and better cost control, while introducing new and exciting features for you.

To complete the transition, we will be operating "offline" on October 4th, 5th, and 6th. For those three days, the catalog won't be available for searching, renewing, or placing holds, nor will we be receiving holds in delivery. We will be open our regular hours, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. those days, and will be able to check items out to you. While we encourage you to always bring your library card with you, it will be required those three days, as it won't be possible to search our database for your information.

October 7th is "Evergreen Live Day" for all 42 libraries. Because there will be some procedures to work through that morning, we'll delay opening until 1 p.m. We appreciate your patience as we take this new leap forward in our commitment to provide you with the best service available. Stop by to pick up a brochure which details some of the improvements you'll see as we go Evergreen.

Banned Books Week

We're celebrating our freedom to read as Banned Books Week starts today. Click here or on the robot for more information about the Week, and check out our display of books that have been challenged and/or banned in the past year. We also have handouts listing the top 100 most frequently challenged books in the last decade - I think several of the titles will surprise you. While you may not feel that a title is of interest to you or even appropriate for your family, I hope that you support others in their reading choices, whatever they may be.

Book Club Change

The Book Club's September 30th meeting has been canceled. Our discussion of The 19th Wife will be held at a future date not yet determined.


Because Writers & Books' upcoming "Big Read" will feature The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, we are reading that next, discussing it at our October 28th meeting. Click here for more information about the book and the W&B events that are planned.

Books-Sandwiched-In

Join us at noon on Tuesday, September 21st, for a Books-Sandwiched-In luncheon featuring popular Sun & Record columnist, Chris Kenyon. Chris will share slides of some of the beautiful outdoor spots Wayne County offers. The signup sheet is filling up fast, so either stop by the Library or give us a call at 483-9292 to reserve your spot. A delicious lunch and a great program, all for $3 - our Friends group provides one of the best deals you'll find in Sodus.

Enjoy the luncheon and stay for the Friends meeting, following at 1:30. We'd love to have you join us!

Book Club Resumes This Month

It's been a great Summer, but Fall also brings interesting times at the Library. Our Book Club will resume meeting at noon on Thursday, September 30th, to discuss The 19th Wife by David Eberschoff. Feel free to bring your lunch with you. We are an informal, fun group, and look forward to having you join us for an interesting discussion.

Library Board Meets Thursday

The monthly meeting of the Sodus Community Library Board of Trustees will be held at 4:15 p.m. this Thursday, September 9th, in the Library's meeting room. Board meetings are open to the public.

Holiday Closing

The Library will be closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for the Labor Day weekend. We'll reopen at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 7th. As always, our OWWL catalog and OWWL2go downloadable audiobooks and ebooks are available 24/7.

Family Fun Pack Drawing

It's September 1st, and time for our Family Fun Pack drawing. Every Summer Reading participant had one chance for each Time Tracker they completed, including those entered online. Out of 117 Time Trackers in the drawing, the one picked belonged to ......

Atiana B.

Congratulations! We hope you have fun with all the goodies in the Pack :)

Thanks For Making A Splash

Did you have fun reading with us this Summer? We all had a great time! I'd really appreciate it if you would each write one comment about this year's Summer Reading and leave it at the library desk.

You can continue to add minutes online until midnight on Saturday, August 21st. You then have until August 31st to turn in your remaining Time Trackers and completed Bingo sheets. We'll add those final Tracker minutes to your totals and have the drawing for the Family Fun Pack on September 1st. Good luck!

Make A Splash - Read! Week 6

Although you have until the end of the month to turn in your completed Bingo cards and/or pick up prizes, this is the last week of Summer Reading programming. We have another great week planned:
Monday, August 16th, 10:45-11:30 a.m. - Preschool Story Hour *
Tuesday, August 17th, 1:30-2:30 p.m. - Share-a-Book Reading Club ***
Wednesday, August 18th, 7-8 p.m. - PJ Storytime/milk and cookies *&**
Thursday, August 19th, Noon-1 p.m. - Family Picnic **all** (Bring your sandwich; we'll provide beverages and dessert)
Thursday, August 19th, 1-2 p.m. - Make A Splash Finale Program starring Andy (The Music Man) Morse **all**


This finale program is made possible with partial funding from Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Note: Andy's musical performance is open to everyone, not just Summer Reading participants.

* For Preschool-Kindergarten
** For 1st - 3rd Graders
*** For 4th Graders and Up
**all** ALL ages are welcome

We're Recognizing Sodus Authors

I hope you will be joining us at 2 p.m. tomorrow, August 15th, for a great Friends event. We'll be recognizing authors who have lived or are currently living in Sodus. Books and articles will be on display, and some of the authors will have copies of their works for sale. Refreshments will be served immediately following the recognition. The entire event will take place in the Library's Annex at 19 Maple Avenue. See you there!

Make A Splash - Read! Week 5

Come join us this week for more reading fun:

Monday, August 9 - Story Hour *, 10:45-11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, August 10 - Share-a-Book Reading Club ***, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 12 - Fun Club **, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Friday, August 13 - Game Day **all**, 1:30-3 p.m.

* For Preschool-Kindergarten
** For 1st - 3rd Graders
*** For 4th Graders and Up
**all** ALL Ages Welcome

Make A Splash Minutes

Are you keeping track of the minutes you read? Remember, all the names on the Time Trackers, including those you enter online, will be put into the drawing for our Family Fun Pack. You want to be sure your name is in the bowl.

So far, our 7th-9th grade group is ahead with 7,622 minutes recorded, with the 4th-6th graders gaining on them with 5,652 minutes read. There is still time for the preschool-Kindergarteners, with 2,745 minutes and the 1st-3rd graders with 3,905. Parents of these younger groups, bring in those Time Trackers so we can record your minutes!