Tompkins County Public Library

Friday, December 18, 2015

Library Announces Holiday Hours

Tompkins County Public Library may be closed for a few days this holiday season, but patrons will still have access to Library services and materials.

"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,” noting that patrons can take advantage of 24-hour online access to library resources by visiting tcpl.org and that no items will be scheduled for return during the holidays.

The Library will be closed:
·         Wednesday, December 23
·         Thursday, December 24
·         Friday, December 25
·         Saturday, December 26
·         Sunday, December 27
·         Thursday, December 31
·         Friday, January 1


Patrons are encouraged to explore educational and entertainment resources, including: Zinio, for free access to more than 100 magazines,  Mango Languages’ language-learning system, OverDrive’s free eBook and audiobook service, and TumbleBooks for children, are available 365 days a year, by logging on to the Library's website. A complete list of available resources can be accessed by selecting the “Virtual Library” link.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Library to Offer Family Science Program

Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University’s Center for Materials Research will host “Electrochemistry,” Saturday, January 9 from 1-2 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Participants will explore chemical reactions that use or produce electricity. Families will create a battery, experiment with metal on a coin, and split water into gases.

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 on the second Saturday of each month.

Families Learning Science Together programs are free and open to the public, but space is limited. To register, email ccmr_outreach@cornell.edu. Please include the name and age of all children in the email. 


More information about Families Learning Science Together workshops can be found at https://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/lending-library.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Library to Host Special Holiday-Themed Firefighter Storytime

Tompkins County Public Library will host Ithaca Firefighter Thomas Basher, Jr. for a special Holiday Storytime, Monday,  December 21 from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Basher will share holiday stories and tips for staying safe this winter.

Snacks and crafts will be provided.


For more information, contact the Library’s Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Library to Host Cupcake Decorating Party

Tompkins County Public Library will host an all-ages cupcake decorating party Saturday, December 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Creative confectioners of all skill-levels are invited to attend this fun and festive event.  Younger participants will have fun creating their own masterpieces with icing and sprinkles, while older attendees learn creative decorating techniques from a local instructor.

Cupcakes, icing and decorating supplies will be provided.

This program is free and is being held in celebration of the Library’s Winter Reading Program.  Registration is required.

For more information, please contact the Youth Services Department at 607-272-4557 extension 275 or email Youth Services Librarian Kate DeVoe at kdevoe@tcpl.org

Funding for this program has been made possible by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through the Michael Kammen Children’s Fund and a generous donation by Wegmans.


Thursday, December 3, 2015

Library to Host Human Rights Art Competition Award

Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with the Tompkins County Office of Human Rights and the Dorothy Cotton Institute, will host the 2015 Human Rights Art Competition Awards Ceremony, Thursday, December 10 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Avenue of the Friends.

The 28th Annual Human Rights Art Competition is designed to encourage students in grades kindergarten through 12 to explore issues central to universal—civil, political, economic, social and cultural—rights.  The United Nations’ 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights served as inspiration for this year’s artists.

Award recipients were announced December 3 and will be feted during the awards ceremony.  The ceremony is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be provided.


For more information, contact the Office of Human Rights at (607) 277-4080 or Mary McKeon at the Library at mmckeon@tcpl.org.

Library to Host Star Wars Party

Tompkins County Public Library’s Junior Library Advisory Council will celebrate the premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” with an all-ages Star Wars Party, Thursday, December 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Veteran fans and those new to the Star Wars franchise will enjoy games, crafts and activities, including a photo booth and lightsaber duels.  Costumes are encouraged but not required.  Snacks will be provided.

This program is free and open to the public and has been planned entirely by the Library’s Junior Advisory Council, a group of young adults dedicated to quality library service for local teens. 

Advance registration is appreciated but not required.  To register, contact Teen Services Librarian Regina DeMauro at rdemauro@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 274, or visit http://www.libraryinsight.com/EventSignUp.asp?t=609559349&jx=nnv&lmx=759689.

Support for this event has been provided by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through funding from the Phyllis and Charles Brodhead Memorial Endowed Fund and the Michael Kammen Children’s Fund.


Library to Host Young Adult Book Club

Tompkins County Public Library will host its Young Adult Book Club, a monthly book discussion group for middle and high school students, Wednesday, December 16 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room-West.

This month, Club members will discuss “My True Love Gave to Me,” a collection of winter and holiday-themed short stories.  Free copies of the book are available for new and returning members at the Library’s Youth Services Reference Desk.

Participants are encouraged to wear cozy sweaters, hats and scarves and will enjoy a hot cocoa bar during the December meeting.

For more information, contact Teen Services Librarian Regina DeMauro at (607) 272-4557 extension 274 or rdemauro@tcpl.org.


Support for this event has been provided by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through funding from the Phyllis and Charles Brodhead Memorial Endowed Fund and the Michael Kammen Children’s Fund.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Library to Close December 11 for Staff Training

Tompkins County Public Library will be closed Friday, December 11 for its annual Staff Development Day.

Library Director Susan Currie said the training day will help ensure that staff members are prepared to meet the changing needs of Library patrons.

Patrons will be able to access account information and databases, place item holds and browse the library catalog by visiting http://tcpl.org/.

TCPL will re-open at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, December 12.


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

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Library to Host STEAM Book Club

Middle-graders are invited to explore science, technology, engineering, art and math through lively book discussions and hands-on activities during Tompkins County Public Library’s monthly STEAM Book Club.

Continuing Wednesday, December 16 with a discussion of “Chasing Vermeer” by Blue Balliett, the STEAM Book Club will encourage area third, fourth and fifth graders to improve their understanding of current core competencies through critical thinking and book-related activities.

“Chasing Vermeer” follows eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder as they combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.  As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer.

Club members will discuss the book and explore pendulum painting and other fusions of art and science.

The STEAM Book Club is free and open to all third, fourth and fifth graders. December’s program will be held from 3:45 to 5  p.m. in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Copies of “Chasing Vermeer” can be picked up at the Youth Services Reference Desk.

For more information or to register, contact Kate DeVoe at (607) 272-4557 extension 277 or kdevoe@tcpl.org.

Funding for STEAM programming is provided by the Ujeni Grants for Advancing Public Education Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County and the Erin Aljoe Schlather Dedicated Memorial Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

Library to Offer Family Science Program

Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University’s Center for Materials Research will host “The Science of Sound,” Saturday, December 12 from 1-2 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Participants will learn about sound through hands-on experiments and activities.
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 on the second Saturday of each month.

Families Learning Science Together programs are free and open to the public, but space is limited. To register, email ccmr_outreach@cornell.edu. Please include the name and age of all children in the email. 

More information about Families Learning Science Together workshops can be found at https://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/lending-library.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Library to Host Ornament-Making Program

Tompkins County Public Library will celebrate the holiday season with a multi-generational ornament-making party, Thursday, December 3 at 6 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Open to individuals and families of all ages, this program is free, and all materials will be provided.


For more information, contact Information and Learning Services Librarian Teresa Vadakin at tvadakin@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 272.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Library to Host Senior Theatre Troupe

Tompkins County Public Library will host an encore performance by the Senior Citizen Theatre Troupe of Lifelong, Thursday, December 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

An annual Library favorite, the Senior Theatre Troupe performs humorous and serious stories from troupe members’ lives.  They perform simply, with no lights, props or sets. The theatre being performed is developed from themes the actors pick, and the stories they tell are based on their own experiences.  The theme of their fall performance is “physical appearance.”

The Troupe is directed and coordinated by Sue Perlgut and features Natasha Tall, Carol Santucci, Sue Norvell, Deirdre Silverman, Mark Silverman, Jean Senegas, Barbara West, Eva Luby, Sandy Stein.  The plays and theatre exercises performed are developed using improvisational theatre techniques, some of which will be demonstrated during the Library performance.

For more information about the Senior Citizen Troupe, contact Lifelong at 607-273-1511.

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


The Senior Theatre Troupe of Lifelong receives grant support from the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.

Library to Host Free Writing Workshop




Explore the therapeutic value of writing as Tompkins County Public Library hosts “Writing Through the Rough Spots,” Saturday, December 5 from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Facilitated by veteran educator Ellen Schmidt, this workshop will offer writing exercises designed to help participants develop insights about themselves and others.
Schmidt has been teaching for 25 years and is known for her “Writing Through the Rough Spots” workshops, held in Ithaca, and offered each semester at Cornell University.

This program 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.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Library, Ithaca City of Asylum to Present Local Panel on the Role of Place and Displacement in Literature

Tompkins County Public Library and the Ithaca City of Asylum (ICOA) will partner for “Voices of Freedom 2015,” a moderated panel discussion on the importance of place and displacement in literature, Thursday, November 19 at 7 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

Novelist and essayist Edward Hower will moderate a distinguished panel of local authors, including Raza Ahmad Rumi, Gabriel Urza, Valzhyna Mort and Ishion Hutchinson.

Rumi, ICOA’s sixth writer in residence, joined the Ithaca College faculty as a Visiting International Scholar in Residence this fall.  A policy analyst, journalist and author from Pakistan, Rumi has become a leading public voice against extremism and human rights violations. In March, 2014 he was the target of an assassination attempt—which killed his driverby a militia linked to the Taliban. Rumi’s travelogue, “Delhi by Heart:  Impressions of a Pakistani Traveller,” was published  in 2013 by Harper Collins.

Urza, an assistant professor at Ithaca College, has family roots in the Basque country, which is the setting for his novel about the Basque independence movement, “All That Followed.” Before joining the Ithaca College faculty, he spent several years as a public defender in Reno, Nevada.

Mort is a poet born in Minsk, Belarus in its last decade under Soviet rule. The New Yorker describes her as someone who “strives to be an envoy for her native country, writing with almost alarming vociferousness about the struggle to establish a clear identity for Belarus and its language.” She has received the Lannan Foundation Literary Fellowship, the Bess Hokin Prize from Poetry Magazine, and the Burda Prize for Eastern European authors, and is currently a visiting assistant professor at Cornell University.

Hutchinson, an assistant professor and the Meringoff Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow in the Department of English at Cornell University, was born in Port Antonio, Jamaica. His poetry has been widely published and has won numerous awards, including the 2011 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award, the 2013 Whiting Award, and the 2011 Academy of American Poets Larry Levis Prize.

The program will begin with a short reading by Rumi and will conclude with an opportunity to meet the writers during a free reception.

For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.  To learn more about City of Asylum programs, visit ithacacityofasylum.wordpress.com.


Voices of Freedom is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties. The GAP grant is part of NYSCA's Decentralization program, along with the Artist in Community Grant and the Arts Education grant. The Decentralization program is administered in Tompkins County by the Community Arts Partnership.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Library to Host Sensory Storytime

Children ages 3 through 7 are invited to move, sing and play at Tompkins County Public Library’s “Sensory Storytime,” Saturday, November 21 at 3:30 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

This program is free and open to children of all abilities; however, it is especially designed for children with sensory integration challenges. “Sensory Storytime” features interactive books, songs, and activities to stimulate the senses and promote learning. Children who have previously struggled to sit through other storytimes may find “Sensory Storytime” a better fit.

Participants who pre-register for the program will receive a free copy of “Hug Machine” by Scott Campbell. To register, call the Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275, or email Youth Services Librarian Kate DeVoe at kdevoe@tcpl.org.

“Sensory Storytime” has been made possible by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through a grant from Elmira Savings Bank and through funding provided by the Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County and Tom and Maria Eisner’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.


Monday, November 2, 2015

Library to Host Family Science Program

Tompkins County Public Library invites parents to cultivate a lifelong love of science Sunday, November 8 as the Library partners with Cornell University’s Science, Engineering and Educational Development (SEED) program for a hands-on workshop about the physics of music and biological bonding.

Families with children ages five and older will learn about the physics of music and sound by making musical instruments. Participants will also have a chance to learn about biological bonding by making gel capsules and oobleck, a material with properties of both a liquid and a solid.

This free program begins at 2 p.m. in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.


For more information, contact the Youth Services Department at 607-272-4557 or Brenna Funfar at brf38@cornell.edu.

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Library to Host Cayuga Lake Books Anthology Launch

Tompkins County Public Library has announced the Sunday, November 8 launch of “From the Finger Lakes: A Prose Anthology,” a one-of-a-kind collection of fiction, memoir and non-fiction, published by Cayuga Lake Books.

“From the Finger Lakes . .  .” features works from 44 writers ranging in age from 23 to 93, including nationally-known authors Diane Ackerman, Paul West, Lamar Herrin, Alison Lurie, Leslie Daniels and James McConkey, and regional favorites, Carol Kammen, Gene Endres, Katharyn Howd Machan and Brad Edmondson.  Submissions were judged by acclaimed author, Rhian Ellis.

The launch will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room and will include readings from some of the authors featured in the book followed by a question and answer session.

The four editors of Cayuga Lake Books—Edward Hower, Peter Fortunato, Jack Hopper, and Ellis—will be available to discuss the press, its policies, and the opportunities it affords local writers. Planned for 2016 is a sequel to this prose anthology—a collection of local poets, which will reach out to college writing programs and local writers.

Copies of “From the Finger Lakes. . .” will be available for purchase and signing at the event.  Refreshments will be served. 

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


Wednesday, October 28, 2015

TCPL to Offer Children’s Library at Annual Kids’ Book Fest

Tompkins County Public Library will celebrate the joy of reading, the power of information and the strength of community connections by hosting the first-ever, on-site circulating library at the Family Reading Partnership’s Kids’ Book Fest, Saturday, November 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Boynton Middle School.

Members of the Library’s Youth Services staff will share books, activities and help children check-out select titles from the Library’s collection during this fun-filled family event.  Children will also be able to register for library cards and explore library science by using their imaginations to play librarian at TCPL’s mini-library.

The 18th annual Kids’ Book Fest, a community celebration of children’s books is a free event designed to share the joy of reading together.  This year’s event will celebrate Eric Carle’s classic book, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”  By connecting children and families with books, stories, and words in positive, memorable ways, Kids’ Book Fest encourages families to make reading part of every day and helps create a lifelong love of literacy and learning.


For more information, contact the Library’s Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Library to Host Berry and Brown for Gratitude Retreat

 Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with the United Way of Tompkins County, will present “The Art of Gratitude:  Thanking Our Community,” a free talk and inspirational retreat facilitated by James Brown and Michelle Courtney Berry, Thursday, November 19 from 10 a.m. to noon in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Brown, president of the United Way of Tompkins County, and Berry, president of Courtney Consulting Enterprises, LLC, are pleased to present this moving, enlightening and free program. This will mark the second year the two have collaborated to inspire the community in the month of November.

This program will encourage participants to explore both the art of being thankful and the health benefits of expressing gratitude. Brown will thank community volunteers for their role in "living united" while unveiling a fun initiative that allows participants to share thanks with others around the nation. 

Berry, a life coach, stress expert and inspirational performer will offer insights and moving testimony about how expressing gratitude can lead to greater levels of happiness, personal abundance and improved health and wellness. 

This program is free and open to the public, however, advance registration is required.  


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




Thursday, October 22, 2015

Library to Host Spanish Language Storytime “Cuentos en Español”

Tompkins County Public Library will present “Cuentos en Español,” a Spanish-language storytime for toddlers and their caregivers, Tuesdays, October 27 through December 22 from 4:30 to 5 p.m. in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Spanish-speaking families and those interested in the Spanish language, are invited to attend these special storytimes.  “Cuentos en Español” programs will include stories, songs and rhymes.  Each storytime will be followed by an unstructured playtime for participants.


These programs are free and open to the public. No registration is required. For more information, contact the Youth Services Department at (607) 272-4557 extension 275.

Library to Host Civil Rights Champion Dorothy Cotton

Tompkins County Public Library is honored to host “A Community Conversation with Dr. Dorothy Cotton,” Thursday, November 5 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

A pioneer of the civil rights movement, Cotton served beside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as director of the Southern Christian Leadership Council’s (SCLC) Citizenship Education Program.  Her library presentation will include personal reflections of her work, as well as a reading of passages from her acclaimed book, “If Your Back’s Not Bent: The Role of the Citizenship Education Program in the Civil Rights Movement,” by local dignitaries.

This program will be facilitated by community advocate Aloja Airewele, who will also serve as percussionist while Cotton sings a selection of freedom songs.

Cotton served as one of the highest ranking woman in the SCLC from 1960 to 1968, working directly with King and other civil rights champions to promote integration and equality.  Following King’s death, she served as vice president for field operations for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, where she was a leader and senior trainer for the Center in areas of nonviolence and empowerment for leadership.  Under the Carter administration, she served as the Southeastern Regional Director of ACTION, the federal government’s agency for volunteer programs from 1978 to 1981.


Cotton’s inspiring presentation is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Library to Host Silent Horror Film Matinee

Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with Ithaca-Made Movies, will present an afternoon of silent horror films, beginning at 1 p.m., October 31, in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Ithaca-Made Movies Founder Terry Harbin will host this free screening, which will feature the 1929 silent, science-fiction film, “The Seven Footprints to Satan, starring Ithaca actor Creighton Hale and Thelma Todd, episodes of the recently-located 1918 serial “The House of Hate,” starring acclaimed “Serial Queen” Pearl White, and the Wharton Studios production “The Mysteries of Myra.”

The films are most suitable for an adult audience and are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Harbin at (607) 272-4557 extension 238.





Library to Host Hubberman for Special Family Storytime


Children and families are invited to share stories, sing and celebrate, as Tompkins County Public Library recognizes the work of Brigid Hubberman, outgoing executive director and founder of the Family Reading Partnership, during a special Family Storytime, Saturday, November 7 at 11 a.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Hubberman, a former member of the Tompkins County Public Library Board of Trustees and current member of the Library Advisory Council, has championed a culture of early literacy in Ithaca and surrounding communities for 18 years through her visionary work with the Family Reading Partnership.  Hubberman announced plans to leave her position earlier this month and will be pursuing opportunities to promote the importance of books and joy of family reading at the national level.

Tompkins County Public Library Director Susan Currie praised Hubberman’s efforts and said TCPL’s special storytime is a small way to recognize the enormous impact of her work.

“The Library has been fortunate and honored to work with Brigid in sharing the magic of reading and the importance of early access to books for nearly two decades,” Currie said.  
“While we are saddened by her departure, we are delighted that her pioneering efforts will continue to impact local families for years to come.”

The public is invited to join Currie in feting Hubberman as she serves as guest reader during Family Storytime.  Refreshments and crafts will be provided.

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