LIBRARY TO CELEBRATE TEN YEARS AT GREEN STREET

The Tompkins County Public Library will mark ten years at its Green Street location with a weekend-long celebration Friday, November 5 through Sunday, November 7.

The celebration kicks-off at 5:00 PM November 5 with an opening reception for the exhibit "1864 to 2060: Your Library Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." Curated by Julee Johnson and Sally Grubb, the exhibit features images and illustrations of the Library's past and present, as well as artist renderings of what the Library might be like in the future.

The exhibit “Some Things Considered,” by William Benson will also be celebrated Friday night, with a presentation by Benson to be held at 6:00 PM. The art receptions are being held in conjunction with downtown Ithaca’s Gallery Night.

Festivities will continue Saturday at 10:00 AM when Justin Marcus becomes the ceremonial first visitor through the Library’s doors. Marcus, who was five-years-old when the new building opened, was the first patron through the doors of the Green Street location. He will be joined by some of his classmates who also visited the Library on its opening day ten years ago.

Patrons will also be treated to an appearance by Ezra Cornell (as portrayed by local resident Fred Antil), a scavenger hunt, a celebration-themed Family Storytime at 11:30 AM in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room, a free raffle for a Nook eReader and an anniversary cake-cutting with brief remarks at noon.

At 2:00 PM, Cornell Library Paper and Photograph Conservator Michele Hamill will provide an encore presentation of her popular program, "Preserving Family Documents and Photographs." The first 25 people to arrive for Hamill's program will receive a free archival storage box.

Library Director Susan Currie said TCPL is excited to celebrate the anniversary with the community members who make the Library such a vital part of Tompkins County.

"We are delighted to celebrate such an important anniversary with the very people who recognized the need for a new Library and lobbied for and supported the efforts to build this beautiful community institution," Currie said.

The Library moved from its former cramped and deteriorating location at 312 North Cayuga Street in November 2000 into its more patron-friendly location at 101 East Green Street---the former home of the Woolworth Department Store.

The celebration will continue at 1:30 PM Sunday with a musical performance of "FAUVEL: A Medieval Donkey Tale," by the duo Elizabethan Conversation featuring a guest performance by noted Soprano Rebecca Leistikow. Written in 14th Century French verse, FAUVEL is a politically-charged story about a donkey whose name carries special meaning. The letters of FAUVEL’s name form an acrostic with each letter representing one of the deadly sins: Flatterie (Flattery), Avarice (Greed), Vilenie (Guile), Vanité (vanity), Envie (Envy), and Lâcheté (Cowardice).

The performance, based on French texts and songs, includes the medieval French verse and English translations in a fun, interactive format.

All programs held in conjunction with the Ten Years at Green Street Celebration are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248.