Tompkins County Public Library

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

LIBRARY TO OFFER DOWNLOAD TRAINING

Don’t be afraid of technology---embrace it! That is the message the Tompkins County Public Library is sending to those who received eReaders or digital audio players for the holidays.

“A lot of people are really excited about what devices like eReaders and other digital devices have to offer but aren’t sure how to use them,” Library Director Susan Currie said. “Rather than leaving them in their original packages, we are encouraging people to bring them into the Library and learn how to unlock their potential.”

On Wednesday, January 26 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, Adult Services Librarian Jennifer Schlossberg will demonstrate how to transfer free audiobooks, eBooks and music from the OverDrive Digital Downloads service. Schlossberg will demonstrate downloading to a Barnes and Noble Nook, an iPad, a personal computer, an Android device and an iPod. The service is currently not available for Kindle eReaders.

This program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To register, contact Schlossberg at jschlossberg@tcpl.org or 607-272-4557 x254 before January 24th.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

LIBRARY TO HOST FALL CREEK FOLK PERFORMANCE

The Tompkins County Public Library will present the spirited sounds of Fall Creek Folk, Sunday, January 23 from 2:00 to 3:00 PM in the Ezra Cornell Reading Room.

Fall Creek Folk offers an eclectic mix of original tunes, traditional and contemporary folk music and pop songs from various periods. The band features Ceili Murphy on keyboards and Celtic whistle and library employees Amy Davis and Richie Holtz on vocals and guitar and Rich Recchia on vocals, guitar and light percussion.

This performance is free and open to an all-ages audience. For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

LIBRARY TO HOST FAMILY SCIENCE PROGRAM

Families can share a love of science and turn trash into treasure Saturday, January 22 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM, as the Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University’s Center for Materials Research presents “Families Learning Science Together:  Gadgets from Garbage.”

Participants will experience the challenges and rewards of engineering with recycled materials by transforming scrap items into functional gadgets or kinetic art. 

Families Learning Science Together is a monthly program which encourages families to share a love of science and learning through fun, hands-on activities. 

The program is free of charge and will be held in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.  Participants are encouraged to pre-register by contacting Kevin at outreach@ccmr.cornell.edu or call 254-8256.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

LIBRARY TO HOST AUTHOR, ACTIVIST LIZ WALKER

EcoVillage at Ithaca co-founder and award-winning author Liz Walker will discuss and sign her latest book, “Choosing a Sustainable Future: Ideas and Inspiration from Ithaca, NY,” Wednesday, January 19 at 6:00 PM in the Tompkins County Public Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Touted as “moving and inspiring,” Walker’s book provides, through beautifully-told stories, examples of how individuals and groups in Ithaca are working to foster sustainability through cooperation, local production, environmental stewardship, social justice and creativity.

Walker is a lifelong grassroots organizer for peace and environmental groups and is recognized as an authority on co-housing and sustainable communities.

Buffalo Street Books will be selling copies of “Choosing a Sustainable Future . . .” at the Library immediately before and after Walker’s presentation.

For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248.

LIBRARY LOVERS MONTH KICKS OFF WITH LAUNCH OF COUNTY-WIDE LIBRARY CARD


In an ongoing effort to provide quality customer service, directors of the Tompkins County libraries have announced plans to launch a county-wide library card.

Beginning February 1, patrons of  Dryden (Southworth), Groton, Lansing, Newfield, Trumansburg (Ulysses Philomathic) and the Tompkins County Public Library will be able to borrow items and use the services of any county library with a single card.  This initiative will replace current regulations which require library users to hold a card from each library they use.

Tina Winstead, director of the Newfield Public Library, said this in an important tool in making libraries more accessible to county residents.

“Each library in Tompkins County has the shared goal of promoting literacy through free and equal access to all members of our communities,” Winstead said.  “The county-wide card will help us meet that goal by serving as a type of key to the county---unlocking the resources of every library for every resident.”

Patrons will be asked to select a “home” library during the first library visit following the roll-out.  They will then be able to use the card from that library at any of the county’s six libraries.  Participants will still be required to follow the existing policies and procedures of each individual library.

The county-wide card, administered by the Finger Lakes Library System, provides access to materials from 33 member libraries including downloadable audiobooks and eBooks.  Patrons will continue to be able to return items at any county Library.

Check out http://catalog.flls.org and register for a card today at one of the six Tompkins County public libraries.

For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248.

Friday, January 14, 2011

LIBRARY ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, BOARD MEMBER

The Tompkins County Public Library kicked-off 2011 with a new executive committee and member for its board of directors.

Board member Michael Stamm will serve as board president, filling the post vacated by Henrik N. Dullea. Dullea served two terms on the board.

Stamm has served as the president of Tompkins County Area Development since 1985. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Syracuse University and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Buffalo. He is a United States Air Force veteran and has volunteered for several local committees and organizations.

Stamm noted that the Library is an invaluable community institution and said he is looking forward to serving as board president.

“The strength of a community can be measured in great part by the success of its Library,” Stamm said. “I am excited to serve in a leadership role for such a vitally important organization.”

Joining Stamm on the Executive Committee are: Marcy Rosenkrantz, vice president; John Vineyard, treasurer and Eric Acree, secretary.

In addition to selecting its administrative arm, the Library board also announced the appointment of new board member Lara Litchfield-Kimber.

Litchfield-Kimber is the associate director for the Sciencenter. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Amherst College and a master’s in plant pathology from Cornell University.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

LIBRARY TO HOST PROGRAM ON LOCAL HISTORY OF CRAFTS

The Tompkins County Public Library will host Karey Solomon for a presentation about the local history of textile crafting, Wednesday, January 12 at 4:00 PM in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Solomon, a needlework scholar and owner of Graceful Arts Fiber Studio in Burdett, will use slides, drawings and physical examples to illustrate the way Upstate New York residents historically used locally-sourced materials to create textiles for clothing and decoration.

"When people in a moderately self-sufficient circumstances need warmth, comfort and beauty, they often create these for themselves.,” Solomon said. “ In rural areas of Upstate NY, this historically meant spending part of our long winters crafting textiles using materials on-hand or easily obtained. "

Solomon teaches knitting, crochet and tatting and has spent the past 20 years designing and publishing tatting patterns.

For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

Monday, January 10, 2011

LIBRARY OFFERS NEW RESUME WRITING SOFTWARE

Tompkins County Public Library has announced the purchase of WinWay Resume Deluxe, an easy-to-use software program designed to help employment-seekers develop job-winning resumes.

Available on all 27 of the Library’s internet and word processing computers, the resume software features 14,000 sample resumes for more than 35,000 common job titles. Users will also be able to:

• Create persuasive resume cover letters, ad response letters and interview thank you letters.
• Receive expert advice in full motion video to create professional looking resumes and cover letters and negotiate salary and benefits with confidence.
• Find answers to 200+ difficult interview & salary questions.
• Access current job openings anywhere in the U.S.A. from leading job search sites.

The software is free to use for anyone with a valid Library card.

For more information, contact Lawrence Carey at (607) 272-4557 extension 256 or lcarey@tcpl.org.

Friday, January 7, 2011

LIBRARY TO PARTICIPATE IN LIGHT IN WINTER, LAUNCHES 2011 ART EXHIBITS

Art enthusiasts will have an opportunity to view the first two exhibits featured in the Tompkins County Public Library’s series “Year of Art at the Library—2011,” Friday, January 21 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM as part of the Light in Winter Festival’s Gallery Night.

Exhibits featured at the Library are “Carl Sagan’s Cosmos 30 Years On,” and Christa Wolf’s “Information Bound and Sculpted.”

Designed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sagan’s “Cosmos” series, “. . .30 Years On” demonstrates the intersection of science and art through images honoring Sagan collected by Patrick Fish.  Images of Mars provided by Cornell University’s Mars Rover Group, images of Saturn and Saturn’s ring, as captured by the Cassini Orbiter, paintings by Barbara Mink and an image of the Big Dipper by Dan Larkin round-out the exhibit.

Wolf’s exhibit, “Information Bound and Sculpted,” will be on display in the Library’s Avenue of the Friends from January 7 through March 30.  The exhibit includes small edition and one-of-a-kind artists’ books. In addition to Wolf, featured artists include::  Carol Barton, Sarah Bryant, Margo Class, Pamela Drix, Helen Frederick, Roni Gross, Pat Hunsinger, Kumi Korf, Jan Lyons, Mikhail Magaril, Russel Maret, Penny Nii, Jae Sullivan, Maddy Rosenberg, Nikki Thompson, Eriko Takahashi.

For more information about these exhibits, contact Sally Grubb at (607) 272-4557 extension 232 or sgrubb@tcpl.org.   To learn more about the Light in Winter Festival, visit http://lightinwinter.com/.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

LIBRARY TO PARTICIPATE IN LIGHT IN WINTER, LAUNCHES 2011 ART EXHIBITS

Art enthusiasts will have an opportunity to view the first two exhibits featured in the Tompkins County Public Library’s series “Year of Art at the Library—2011,” Friday, January 21 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM as part of the Light in Winter Festival’s Gallery Night.

Exhibits featured at the Library are “Carl Sagan’s Cosmos 30 Years On,” and Christa Wolf’s “Information Bound and Sculpted.”

Designed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sagan’s “Cosmos” series, “. . .30 Years On” demonstrates the intersection of science and art through images honoring Sagan collected by Patrick Fish.  Images of Mars provided by Cornell University’s Mars Rover Group, images of Saturn and Saturn’s ring, as captured by the Cassini Orbiter, paintings by Barbara Mink and an image of the Big Dipper by Dan Larkin round-out the exhibit.

Wolf’s exhibit, “Information Bound and Sculpted,” will be on display in the Library’s Avenue of the Friends from January 7 through March 30.  The exhibit includes small edition and one-of-a-kind artists’ books. In addition to Wolf, featured artists include::  Carol Barton, Sarah Bryant, Margo Class, Pamela Drix, Helen Frederick, Roni Gross, Pat Hunsinger, Kumi Korf, Jan Lyons, Mikhail Magaril, Russel Maret, Penny Nii, Jae Sullivan, Maddy Rosenberg, Nikki Thompson, Eriko Takahashi.

For more information about these exhibits, contact Sally Grubb at (607) 272-4557 extension 232 or sgrubb@tcpl.org.  To learn more about the Light in Winter Festival, visit lightinwinter.com/.