WANSINK TO KICK-OFF LIBRARY APPEAL

Tompkins County’s bleak economic forecast coupled with increasing public demand for Library services have resulted in additional dependence on the success of the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation’s Annual Appeal.

Designed to encourage support from individuals and families, businesses and others, the Foundation’s Annual Appeal is one of the key activities undertaken by the Foundation to meet its 2010 fundraising goal of $300,000. The goal for the Appeal is $75,000.

Caroline Cox, president of the Foundation’s board of directors, said funds raised during this year’s Appeal will support three primary priority areas during 2011: programs and services for children and teens, new acquisitions, and public programming and the arts.

“The needs to be supported through this year’s appeal are compelling,” Cox said. “TCPL is a primary source for literacy and out-of-school learning for our young people. Our collections inspire, illuminate and transport readers, listeners and viewers, many of whom would not otherwise be able to afford books and audio-visual materials. And our programs in the arts, humanities and sciences -- all free and open to the public -- are what make our Library the true cultural center of the county.”

Cox will join local business owner, Jennifer Engel, and renowned author and food psychologist Brian Wansink as they kick-off the Annual Appeal Sunday, September 19 at 1:00 PM in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Engel, the owner of Cat’s Pajamas in the DeWitt Mall, will serve as chair of this year’s Appeal. A longtime Library supporter, Engel expressed her appreciation for TCPL’s contributions to the vitality of the community—especially children and families.

”The Library has always been a vital part of my family’s life,” Engel said.“When my kids were little, we spent countless hours exploring the Library together. As teens, they visited on their own and often sought the help of the expert librarians.”

Following brief opening remarks by Engel, Wansink will discuss his groundbreaking research on the concept of mindless eating—the propensity to eat based on environmental cues and habit rather than hunger. His book of the same title is an international bestseller and helped earn him the nickname “The Sherlock Holmes of Food.”

Wansink, John Dyson professor of consumer behavior at Cornell University, is the founder of the Food and Brand Lab and the Consumer Education Foundation, which have been credited with the creation of the Small Plate Movement and the launch of 100-calorie packs.

Wansink’s presentation is free and open to the public.

For more information, or to contribute to the Annual Appeal, contact Suzanne Smith Jablonski, executive director of the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation, at (607) 272-4557 extension 231 or ssmithjablonski@tcpl.org.

You can listen to the September 16th WHCU podcast where Professor Wansink discusses the value of the library and his latest work on mindless eating. at http://www.whcu870.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=4921716