Quote for the New Year

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives ... not looking for flaws, but for potential."
~Ellen Goodman, quote from January 1991 Reader's Digest

Nguzo Saba: Kwanzaa Demonstration

Join us on Thursday, December 29, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. for a Kwanzaa demonstration put on by the Wayne County Multicultural Arts Project, Inc. The evening will feature dance performances by Youth Inspiration, storytelling, food, fellowship, and fun. Chase's Calendar of Events defines Kwanzaa as an "American black family observance created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga in recognition of traditional African harvest festivals. This seven-day festival stresses unity of the black family, with a harvest feast (karamu) on the first day and a day of meditation on the final one. Kwanzaa means 'first fruit' in Swahili." Come learn more about it!

New Year's Closing

The Library will be closed on Saturday, December 31, and Sunday, January 1, for the New Year holiday. Be sure to come in and stock up on books and videos before Friday at 5 p.m.

Successful Bread Sale

Thanks to all who helped organize, advertise, bake, set up, and sell all the delicious breads, muffins, and cookies at our 3rd annual Christmas Bake Sale. Thanks also to all of our generous customers. Our final total was $258.55, the most successful sale yet. Everything was delicious, and we're already looking forward to the Friends' Chocolate Sale in February!

Christmas Closing

The Library will be closed Saturday, December 24, through Monday, December 26, for the Christmas holiday. Be sure to stop by and pick up a holiday book or video to share with your family.

New Books

Come in and see what's new on our shelves.

In the adult section: 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal; The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion; Dreamboat, Judith Gould; The Christmas Scrapbook, Philip Gulley; Comfort & Joy, Kristin Hannah; The Regime: Evil Advances, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins; And Only To Deceive, Tasha Alexander; Thud! A Novel of Discworld, Terry Pratchett; Soldier of God, David Hagberg; Star Wars: Dark Lord, the Rise of Darth Vader, James Luceno; The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century, Steven Watts; Delivered From Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder, Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey; Divided by God: America's Church-State Problem, and What We Should Do About It, Noah Feldman; 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann; The Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to Terrorism, Haynes Johnson; Goodnight Nobody, Jennifer Weiner; The Typhoon Lover, Sujata Massey.

For the younger crowd: Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive by Karma Wilson; Wiggle, Doreen Cronin; Mouse Went Out to Get a Snack, Lyn Rossiter McFarland; It's Quacking Time, Martin Waddell; Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors, Jenny Nimmo; Peekaboo Morning, Rachel Isadora; Christmas Tree!, Wendell and Florence Minor; Three Good Deeds, Vivian Vande Velde; Santa Claus: The World's Number One Toy Expert, Marla Frazee; A Mother's Journey, Sandra Markle.

If the titles you want to read are not on the shelf, a Hold can be placed for you.

Quote for Today

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."
~Oren Arnold

Fundraising Through Recycling

We are now collecting inkjet, laser, and toner cartridges through a fundraising program with Imagine It Recycling. This company pays the library up to $1 for each inkjet and $5 for each laser cartridge we turn in for recycling. Empty cartridges can be dropped off at the library; Imagine It then issues us a monthly check. We can also arrange for businesses and organizations to be designated as pickup points, saving your time and gas. This is definitely a win-win situation for all of us, and we're excited to see those empty cartridges piling up!

Recent Library Visitors

Families from Sodus' Early Head Start and Even Start, and children from the Sodus Cooperative Nursery School all have recently visited. We hope to see you all back at the library soon!

Christmas Bread & Cookie Sale

Pick up goodies for teachers, mailmen, paper deliverers, hairdressers, and anyone else you want to remember at Christmas. The Friends of the Sodus Free Library are sponsoring their 3rd annual Christmas Bread Sale, and this year they're adding cookies. Yummm! Everything will be wrapped and ready to give to someone special. Make sure to pick up a few things for family, too!

The sale will be held from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 15, and continue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, December 16. Any donations of baked goods will be gratefully accepted the mornings of the sale.

Snow Days

As the snow starts to fall and the highways get slick, we wanted to let everyone know that when Sodus schools are closed due to weather, we will also be closed. When this happens, all materials due on that day will be extended until the day we reopen. If you're in doubt about traveling or about whether we're open or not, please call us at 315-483-9292 before you head out on those slippery roads!

Fundraising Opportunity

As television, radio, and newspapers have recently reported, the holiday shopping season is in full swing. Many of us prefer to avoid the crowds and the chaos by shopping online. There is now a unique opportunity to combine year-round online shopping with fundraising for libraries.

For all purchases made through the Shop for the Library website, participating merchants will donate a portion of the sale to libraries. More than 750 online merchants are participating, including Target, Macy's, Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, Sears, Gap, CompUSA, Eddie Bauer, Dell, Staples, Sharper Image, and OfficeMax. Check out the entire list at the website, shop from the comfort of your home, and help raise funds for the library at the same time. There is no charge to join, and you will pay the same prices you would at the stores' websites.

Join today, and remember to specify the Sodus Free Library as your choice to receive a percentage of your purchases. We'll report any funds received on this blog, so that everyone can see the benefit of shopping for the library.

December Board of Trustees Meeting

The Board of Trustees will meet at 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 8, in the library's meeting room. All Board meetings are open to the public.

Quote for Today

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily."
Gerald Good

Successful Book Sale

The Board, staff, and Friends of the Sodus Free Library thank everyone who had a part in making this year's Used Book Sale an outstanding success. We're especially grateful to Kass Vande and Shirley Patchett for the many hours they spent before, during and after the sale, organizing not only all of the "product," but also the workers. We continue to be amazed at what Shirley can do with a few pieces of cardboard and some duct tape!

Thanks, too, to all those who donated books and AV materials; the Butler Correctional Facility crew who carried all the books up from the basement; all those who helped set up, sell and take down: Mark Vande, Dan Patchett, Bonnie Bolling, Pauline Dodge, SallyAnn Danforth, Audrey Ferris, Bob and Dottie Hicks, Gib and Carol Sergeant, Chris Maroney, Lucinda Dodge, Jo-Ann Hill, Lukas Hampton, Scott Ginett, Laura Jonasse, Julie Schuldt, Jean Seymour, Jovan Parker, Jade Patchett, Kerri Gee, Hannah and Jane Jonasse, and Nathanael Derenbacher; our many customers; Market Place for donating the bags for our $1/bag days; local merchants and newspapers for helping us advertise; the Salvation Army for accepting our leftovers, and John Cook, Bette Bugni, Scott Ginett, and Kenny Savory for delivering those leftovers to the Newark store.

This year's record-breaking sale brought in $1,300.75, which will be used by the Friends group to purchase needed items not covered by the library's budget. We definitely have blessings to count - thanks to all of you!

Thanksgiving Closing

The library will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, and remain closed Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25. We will reopen at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 26. We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you are all able to set aside some time during the holiday to count your blessings.

Children's Book Week

Just IMAGINE - imagine all the places our children can go and the people they can meet through reading! For the 86th year, librarians, teachers, booksellers, authors, and readers are celebrating Children's Book Week. As it has since 1944, the Children's Book Council is sponsoring CBW, "encouraging young people and their caregivers to discover the complexity of the world beyond their own experience through books." Special activity sheets and a free book raffle are available all week, so be sure to schedule a library trip for your children during the week of November 14-20.

November Board Meeting Change

The November Board of Trustees meeting has been changed to 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 17th.

November Books-Sandwiched-In

Join us at noon on Monday, November 21st, as one of our favorite reviewers, Jean Seymour, discusses the national bestseller, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The following is quoted from Publishers Weekly: "Hosseini's stunning debut novel starts as an eloquent Afghan version of the American immigrant experience in the late 20th century, but betrayal and redemption come to the forefront when the narrator, a writer, returns to his ravaged homeland to rescue the son of his childhood friend..." Call (315-483-9292) or stop by the library to reserve your spot for this program; $3 per person includes a sandwich, beverage, and homemade pie.

Quote for Today - Remember to Vote!

"To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain."
Louis L'Amour

Book Sale Reminder

Volunteers are working overtime, unpacking and sorting approximately 7,000 books for our annual used book sale, opening at noon on Wednesday, November 9th. Be sure to set aside time to stop by and pick up some great bargains.

November Board of Trustees Meeting

This month's Board of Trustees meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 10th. Because the Friends group is using the meeting room for their annual used book sale, the meeting will be held upstairs in the Ruth Mills Room.

Veterans Day Closing

The Library will be closed Friday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day. To learn more about the history of this holiday, click here

Whoooo's That?

Our friend and artist, Shara, and the OWWL pumpkin she created for us ....

Happy Halloween from everyone at the Sodus Free Library!

Annual Used Book Sale

Make plans now to attend our annual used book sale. Over the last year, we have received hundreds and hundreds of donated books and AV items, and there will be great bargains for all ages. All children's books and mass-market paperbacks will be sold for 25 cents each, adult fiction and nonfiction for 50 cents each, videos, puzzles, and CDs for $1, and audiobooks for $2. The sale, sponsored by the Friends of the Sodus Free Library, will start at noon on Wednesday, November 9th, and continue during regular library hours on Thursday, November 10th. The Library will be closed on Friday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day, and will reopen for $1/bag day from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, November 12th. The $1/bag sale will continue from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, November 13th. Don't miss out on finding a treasure for your collection - get up from your computer and go mark the sale on your calendar right now!

Quote for the Day

"I must say that I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a book."
Groucho Marx

Teen Read Week

Get Real @ your library® during Teen Read Week, October 16-22. Drop by today for a page-turner and read for the fun of it! We're joining hundreds of libraries, schools and bookstores across the country who are encouraging teens to celebrate Teen Read Week 2005, a national literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association. This year’s theme, "Get Real! @ your library®," encourages teens to explore the world of nonfiction books, such as biographies, self-help books, strange but true stories, and more. When you check out your book, remember to enter the free drawing - for teens only!

New Children's Books

The following children's books were added this week: Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz; Angel Coming by Heather Henson; Auction! by Tres Seymour; Brand-New Pencils, Brand-New Books by Diane DeGroat; Bones and the Cupcake Mystery by David A. Adler; Cat Poems by Dave Crawley; City 1 2 3 by Zoran Milich; Hamsters to the Rescue by Ellen Stoll Walsh; Julio's Magic by Arthur Dorros; The Milkman by Carol Foskett Cordsen; Miss Bindergarten Has a Wild Day in Kindergarten by Joseph Slate; The Missing Manatee by Cynthia DeFelice; Oscar's Half Birthday by Bob Graham; Poems to Dream Together/Poemas para Sonar Juntos by Francisco X. Alarcon; Reaching for the Moon: My Journey to the Moon by Buzz Aldrin; Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries by Donna Jo Napoli; and Ste-E-E-E-Eamboat A-Comin'! by Jill Esbaum. Stop by the library to pick up one (or more) of these new books and spend some time reading to an important child in your life. Remember, Reading Makes You Feel Good, which also happens to be the title of another new book, written by Todd Parr.

Quote for the Day

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main... and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life."
Walt Disney

America's Top 100 Libraries

The 2005 HAPLR (Hennen's American Public Library Ratings) Index has been published, and the Sodus Free Library has once again made the list of America's Top 100 Libraries! Using six input and nine output measures garnered from libraries' State reports, the author of the Index, Thomas J. Hennen, computes scores for each library in the country according to population categories. Hennen compares his Index to the ACT or SAT test, with a theoretical minimum score of 1 and a maximum score of 1,000; most libraries scored between 260 and 730. With a score of 897, our library is rated #2 out of 1,598 libraries in the category chartered to serve populations between 1,000 and 2,499 people. We are all very pleased with this honor, and thank Mr. Hennen for his recognition of our efforts. For more information, read Great American Public Libraries: The 2005 HAPLR Rankings in the October 2005 issue of American Libraries, or visit the HAPLR site at www.haplr-index.com.

Friends of the Sodus Free Library Meeting

The next meeting of our Friends group will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 20th. The main topic for discussion will be the annual November used book sale. Come join us; we're always looking for new Friends!

October Books-Sandwiched-In

Join the Friends of the Sodus Free Library at noon on Monday, October 17th, as Jean Seymour shares the rich history of the Sodus Bay Lighthouse. While Congress appropriated funding to build the first lighthouse tower and keeper's residence in 1824, by 1869 both structures had deteriorated to the extent that additional funding was designated to build a second lighthouse and to replace the original buildings. The present station was completed in 1871 and was in use until its closing in 1901.* Call 315-483-9292, or stop by to make your reservations. The program's cost is $3, which includes sandwich, beverage, and a slice of homemade pie. The Library opens at 10 a.m. on Mondays, so come early and browse the shelves.

*Information from the Sodus Bay Historical Society

Holiday Closing

The Library will be closed on Monday, October 10, in honor of Columbus Day. Stop by and pick up a book about Columbus' voyages.

New Nonfiction

Several new nonfiction books were put on the shelves today. They include: Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream by Barbara Ehrenreich; Growing Up Too Fast: The Rimm Report on the Secret World of America's Middle Schoolers by Dr. Sylvia Rimm; Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers; My Detachment: A Memoir by Tracy Kidder; Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned by Alan Alda; Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War by Anthony Shadid; Talking Back: To Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels by Andrea Mitchell; and Where God Was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion by Bruce Feiler. Stop by the Library or call to have any of these titles put on hold for you.

New Oprah Book Club Selection

Oprah Winfrey departed from choosing classics for her book club today, when she chose A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Frey's book is nonfiction, and details his addiction and rehab. Oprah says "It's a gut-wrenching memoir that is raw and it's so real." To reserve a copy of this title, call or stop by the library, or go to owwl.pls-net.org to place your hold.

Board of Trustees Meeting

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held in the Library's meeting room at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 13th.

Evening Program

Victor Harris is returning to the Sodus Free Library with a new lecture entitled "Burn This Hand First: Heresy, Common Prayer, and the King has a Nosebleed!" While church/state controversies simmer in the contemporary arena, Harris will examine the origins of the conflict and how it evolved during the chaotic succession crises of the English monarchy. Central figures such as Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and James II will receive comprehensive examination, and a supporting cast of “Praise God” Barebone, Titus Oates, and James Nayler will be included in the discussion. Harris earned his Bachelor's degree in History and Master's in Library Science at SUNY Geneseo. He taught history at the high school level for several years, received the University of Rochester Excellencein Teaching Award, and now works for the New York State Research Foundation. He researches, writes and lectures on historic and literary topics. There is no registration or fee for this event, scheduled for Tuesday, September 27th, at 7 p.m.

Banned Book Week

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

“[I]t’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.”—Judy Blume

September Books-Sandwiched-In

At noon on Monday, September 19th, the Friends of the Sodus Free Library will present a Books-Sandwiched-In featuring Friends' President Kass Vande. Kass will be reviewing Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry, a novel of familial love and obligations set in Bombay, Inda. As Kass has made several trips to India visiting her daughter Kasha, she will also be showing slides of the area. The cost of $3 includes sandwich, beverage, and a slice of homemade pie. The library opens at 10 a.m., so come early and browse around; the doors to the lunch room will open at 11:45. Registration is required, and can be made in person at the library or by calling (315) 483-9292.

Library Card Sign-Up Month

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month - a time when the American Library Association and libraries across the country remind parents that the most important school supply of all is @ your library®--it's your library card.