Tompkins County Public Library

Saturday, December 29, 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”: Bridge Building from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Families will learn about structural engineering and what engineers have to consider when designing bridges. They will see how stresses are concentrated in materials and then try to build a drinking straw bridge to certain specifications.

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.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Library to Offer Remote Access, Enhanced Borrowing

A marriage between new technology and old fashioned customer service will ensure that Tompkins County Public Library patrons have access to their favorite books, music, DVDs and online resources this holiday season.


Library Director Susan Currie announced this week that the Library will double borrowing limits on books, cds, dvds and audio books between December 17 and December 29 and that no items will be scheduled for return between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

"TCPL is so fortunate to have patrons who not only use and support the Library, but truly rely on it," Currie said.  "That's why we want to make sure that we are meeting their needs even when we are closed."

Currie also stressed that patrons will be able to take advantage of its many online educational and entertainment resources, including Mango Languages,language-learning system, OverDrive, free music and video download service, and TumbleBooks for children, by logging on to the Library's website at http://tcpl.org--choose the “Virtual Library” link to see a complete list of resources available.

TCPL is scheduled to be closed, December 23 through December 26.  It will re-open December 27 through December 29 before closing again December 31 and January 1.  The Library will re-open at 1 p.m. on January 2.

The Library's drop boxes will be open throughout the entire holiday season.

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

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Library to Host Mother/Daughter Book Club

Girls ages 8 through 12 and the special women in their lives are invited to read and discuss books in a judgment-free group setting during the December 15 meeting of Tompkins County Public Library’s monthly Mother/Daughter Book Club.   

The Mother/Daughter Book Club is facilitated by children’s author Emily Rhoads Johnson.  Rhoads Johnson is the author of “Spring and the Shadow Man,”A House Full of Strangers” and Write Me If You Dare.

The Club provides a wonderful opportunity for participants to learn about themselves and others by discussing literature. There are no right or wrong answers during Club meetings, simply open discussions where all input is valued.

The group will meet once monthly through May from 3:30 to 4:30 PM in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

The title to be discussed for December is “Touch Blue” by Cynthia Lord.

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

Library to Screen “Lord of the Rings Trilogy”

In celebration of the much-anticipated film debut of “The Hobbit,” teens are invited to catch-up, refresh, and renew their love of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings Trilogy” with a free movie marathon December 15, beginning at 10 a.m., in the Tompkins County Public Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Experience Jackson’s film adaptations of the J.R.R. Tolkien classics, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King.”  “The Fellowship of the Ring” will begin promptly at 10 a.m. with the other films starting at approximately 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. .

Attendees are invited to stay for one or all of the films.  Refreshments will be provided.

These movies have been selected with a teen audience in mind; however, parents are encouraged to review ratings of the films prior to allowing their teen to attend. The Library does not restrict admittance based on age.

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

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Library Cookbook Still Available for Purchase


From the library table to under the tree, TCPL’s cookbook makes a perfect holiday gift.
 
A spiral-bound cookbook, “The Library Table:  Recipes from Readers, Food for the Mind,” includes nearly 180 recipes from more than 100 community members and provides a glimpse into the kitchens of library patrons, employees and trustees.
 
Food lovers will enjoy the “notes” sections, which include stories about submitted recipes, and literature lovers will devour the featured food-related quotes.
 
The book was a project of the Library and the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation and was published by Morris Press Cookbooks of Nebraska.  It includes recipes for appetizers and beverages, soups and salads, vegetables and side dishes, main dishes, breads and rolls, desserts, cookies and candies, and this and that.
 
Copies are available for $10 at the Library’s Circulation Desk with all proceeds benefitting Library outreach programs and services.
 
For more information about the cookbook, contact Debbie Collier at (607) 272-4557 extension 249 or dcollier@tcpl.org.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Library to Host Discussion of “Red Badge of Courage”

In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Tompkins County Public Library, the Tompkins County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration Commission (TCCWSCC) and Buffalo Street Books will sponsor a Community Read of the Stephen Crane classic, “The Red Badge of Courage.”  A December 6 discussion of the book will be held at 6 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Facilitated by TCPL Librarian Sarah Glogowski and Aaron Sachs, associate professor of History and American Studies at Cornell University, the discussion will explore why “The Red Badge of Courage” is the only classic work of fiction written about the Civil War, examine the timely and timeless elements of the book and offer an in-depth look at the struggles and triumphs of the book’s protagonist.

Told in limited third-person narrative, the book tells the story of Henry Fleming, a Union Army private, so overcome by fear that he flees from his unit during battle, only to find himself immersed in his own personal struggle with guilt, truth and loyalty.

Crane, who was not yet born when the war ended, received abundant praise for the realism of the book, with some veteran’s even claiming to remember fighting alongside him.

The book discussion is free and open to the public.  Copies of “The Red Badge of Courage” are available for borrowing at the Library, courtesy of the TCCWSCC and Buffalo Street Books.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Library to Screen Serials

Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with Ithaca Made Movies, will host “Serial Saturday,” a screening of short films, December 1 at 1 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Made popular in the mid-1900s, serial films—also known as chapter plays—were feature films broken into short segments or chapters.  Theaters would show one chapter, typically ending in a cliffhanger, one week and patrons would return for the next segment the following week.

Ithaca’s own Wharton Brothers studio, earned fame for its serial production of “The Exploits of Elaine,” one of the first serial films to earn more than $1 million.

This program will feature episodes of the more than 90-year-old films, “The Trail of the Octopus”, “The Masked Rider,” the locally-filmed “Beatrice Fairfax” and the newly-restored, Ithaca-made “Patria.”

“Serial Saturday” is free and open to the public.  For more information, visit http://www.ithacamademovies.com.