Tompkins County Public Library

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Library to Host Talk on Plaster Casts


Tompkins County Public Library, in conjunction with its current art exhibit, IthaCasts, will host conservator Kasia Maroney for a discussion on the importance of plaster casts and preservation November 29 at 6 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Maroney, owner of the Trumansburg-based, Boston Restoration, has been restoring and conserving art and antiques for 17 years. She completed her master’s degree and a five-year apprenticeship in Boston before relocating and developing her company in Tompkins County.

Maroney will provide an illustrated look at preserving plaster casts during her library presentation.  Attendees will also have an opportunity to view the IthaCasts exhibit, on-loan from Cornell University.

One of the oldest collections in the country, Cornell’s casts have been used for teaching art history and archaeology since the late 19th century.

“IthaCasts”is curated by Annetta Alexandridis and Verity Platt, associate professors of Classical Art and Archaeology at Cornell, and features Cornell’s holdings while emphasizing three areas of image-making in the ancient world: Olympia and the Olympic games, portraiture, and religion, magic and myth on gemstones. It also includes special photography by Danielle Mericle.

For more information, contact Sally Grubb at (607) 272-4557 extension 232 or sgrubb@tcpl.org.

Library to Host Author Discussion on Freezing, Canning and Drying Food

Tompkins County Public Library will host Daniel Gasteiger for a free discussion and signing of his book, “Yes You Can!  And Freeze and Dry It, Too” November 29 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Complete with beautiful illustrations, “Yes You Can!” provides insight and instruction for preserving food for health and financial benefits, explores the most popular methods of preservation and looks at the advantages and disadvantages of each method. 

An enthusiastic speaker, Gasteiger presents his work with energy, passion and humor.  A kitchen gardener, he grows and preserves gallons of produce each year.  His experiences are chronicled on his blog, www.smallkitchengarden.net

Copies of “Yes You Can!” will be available for purchase at the event.  For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Library to Host “Connecting Creatively Through Writing”

Family members, partners, friends, and individuals are invited to explore how writing can enrich and strengthen interpersonal relationships as Tompkins County Public Library hosts “Connecting Creatively Through Writing” November 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Facilitated by veteran educator Ellen Schmidt, this workshop will offer writing exercises and inspirations for refreshing and deepening connections.

Schmidt has been teaching for 25 years and is known for her 10-week “Writing Through the Rough Spots” workshops, held in Ithaca and offered each semester at Cornell University.

“Connecting Creatively Through Writing” is free and open to the public; however, advance registration is required.  To register, contact Schmidt at  www.WritingRoomWorkshops.com or schmidt.ellen@gmail.com.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Library to Host Strogatz Discussion and Signing

Explore the connections between math and, well, everything else, as Cornell University professor, New York Times featured columnist and author, Steven Strogatz discusses and signs his latest book, “The Joy of x:  A Guided Tour of Math From One to Infinity” on November 17 at 3 p.m. in the Tompkins County Public Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

From literature and philosophy to art and popular culture, math plays a role in more ways that most people could ever imagine.  “The Joy of x” offers an insightful, delightful and user-friendly look at the most revered and revolting principles of mathematics.

The Schurman Professor of applied mathematics at Cornell, Strogatz was a recipient of MIT’s highest teaching prize, is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was awarded a lifetime achievement award for communication of math to the general public by the four major American mathematical societies.  He is a frequent guest on WNYC’s “Radiolab” and has received rave reviews and a reprisal for his New York Times series on the elements of math. 

Strogatz will discuss “The Joy of X” and bringing math to the masses during his Library talk.  Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Buffalo Street Books.

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

 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Library to Host Sicherman for Discussion, Signing

Celebrate the role of reading in the lives of women, as Tompkins County Public Library hosts Barbara Sicherman for a discussion and signing of her fascinating book “Well-Read Lives:  How Books Inspired a Generation of Women,” November 15 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

An author and historian, Sicherman is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of American Institutions and Values, Emerita, at Trinity College. She is author of “Alice Hamilton: A Life in Letters”  and “The Quest for Mental Health in America, 1880-1917” and co-editor of “Notable American Women: The Modern Period.”

Her latest effort, “Well-Read Lives” chronicles the correlation between adolescent reading and future success by exploring the connections women of the Gilded Age had with books.

From Jane Addams and Alice and Edith Hamilton, who grew up in homes where books were easily accessible, to immigrants like Hilda Satt Polacheck, Rose Cohen and Mary Antin, who discovered the written word through English-language books they found in settlement homes, “Well-Read Lives” offers intimate and entertaining profiles chronicling how some of history’s most accomplished women lost and found themselves in books.

Sicherman’s program is free and open to the public.  Copies of “Well-Read Lives” will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Buffalo Street Books.

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

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Library to Offer Family Science Program

Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University’s Center for Materials Research will host “Families Learning Science Together: Density” November 10 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Participants will investigate what causes things to float or sink in water and other liquids and build Cartesian divers which operate on the same principle as submarines.


Families Learning Science Together is a free program designed to help children develop an early love of science through hands-on participation.  These programs are offered at the library once a month through April 2013.

Families Learning Science Together programs are free and open to the public, but space is limited. To register, contact Kaleigh at outreach@ccmr.cornell.edu or (607) 255-9547.

Library to Screen Avengers Movies

Avengers fans are invited to dust off their masks, press their capes and spend November 10 with their favorite Marvel superheroes, as the Tompkins County Public Library hosts a free Avengers Movie Marathon.

Teens are invited to a noon screening of “Thor,” a 2:10 p.m. screening of “Captain America” and a 4:15 screening of “The Avengers.”  Start times are approximate.

Additional teen movie marathons are being planned by TCPL for this fall.  All movies at these events have been selected with a teen audience in mind; however, parents are encouraged to review ratings of the movies prior to allowing their teen to attend. The Library does not restrict admittance to films based on age.

This program is made possible by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through generous support from the Brodhead Memorial.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Library to Launch Harry Potter Reading Club

Tompkins County Public Library and the Ithaca College Harry Potter Alliance will partner this fall to offer “The Harry Potter Reading Club.”

Designed for readers ages 7 and up, “The Harry Potter Reading Club” will meet each Wednesday from November 7 through December 5 (with the exception of November 21) from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room and feature read-alouds, crafts and an assortment of wizard-themed fun. 

The Harry Potter Alliance at Ithaca College is part of an international not-for-profit organization which uses parallels from the Harry Potter books to educate and mobilize young people across the world toward issues of literacy, equality and human rights.

Participation in the Library group is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact the Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Library Seeks Teens for Advisory Group

Area teens interested in creating a more teen-focused Library are invited to join T.A.G., Tompkins County Public Library’s Teen Advisory Group.

T.A.G. is a highly-acclaimed group, which allows area youth in grades 6 through 12 to share their feedback, experiences and ideas about improving the Library’s teen collection, programming and special events.

Teens interested in joining T.A.G. are invited to attend this month’s meeting, November 6 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.  Refreshments will be provided.

Interested teens and new members are always welcome, but registration is appreciated. For more information or to register, contact the Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275. 

This program is made possible by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through generous support from the Brodhead Memorial.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Library to Feature Plaster Cast Exhibit During Gallery Night

Explore the intricacy and history of plaster work as Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University present “IthaCasts,” an exhibit featuring items from Cornell’s cast collection, during Downtown Ithaca’s Gallery Night November 2 from 5 to 8 p.m..

One of the oldest collections in the country, Cornell’s casts have been used for teaching art history and archaeology since the late 19th century.

“IthaCasts” is curated by Annetta Alexandridis and Verity Platt, associate professors of Classical Art and Archaeology at Cornell, and features Cornell’s holdings while emphasizing three areas of image-making in the ancient world:  Olympia and the Olympic games, portraiture, and religion, magic and myth on gemstones. It also includes special photography by Danielle Mericle.

Alexandridis will talk about the exhibit and Cornell’s collection from 6:30 to 7 p.m. during Gallery Night.

“IthaCasts” is on display at TCPL through December 7.

Access to the Library during this event will be through the BorgWarner Community Room entrance, behind the TCAT bus shelter and adjacent to Gimme! Coffee on Green Street.

For more information about this or other Library exhibits, contact Sally Grubb at (607) 272-4557 extension 232 or sgrubb@tcpl.org.