Tompkins County Public Library

Friday, January 27, 2017

Library, Foundation Announce Executive Committees


Tompkins County Public Library and the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation today announced newly-appointed leadership for their respective boards.

Library Director Susan Currie said the Library’s Board of Trustees again tapped the team of Bruce Ryan and Kenneth McClane to serve as president and vice president. Thompson Terry of Newfield will serve as treasurer, and Dr. Janet Corson-Rikert was elected to the secretary post.

Ryan, of Groton, has served as a Trustee since 2011, and is entering his second term as president. He is the dean of external relations at Tompkins Cortland Community College and holds degrees from Ithaca College, Syracuse University and Capella University.
McClane, an acclaimed author and academic, has lived in Tompkins County for nearly 50 years. He is the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of Literature Emeritus and former Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow at Cornell University.
McClane and Ryan will be joined on the Library’s Executive Committee by Thompson Terry, an independent quantitative risk analyst and owner of Thompson Terry and Associates, and Corson-Rikert a Harvard University graduate and retired associate vice president of campus health and director of Cornell University’s Gannett Health Services.
“We are honored to have such an esteemed group of individuals leading our Board of Trustees,” Currie said. “Each member of our Executive Committee embraces the mission and vision of our public library and is dedicated to ensuring that TCPL remains a treasured cornerstone of our community.”
Currie noted that in addition to electing a new slate of officers, TCPL’s Board of Trustees bid farewell to longtime treasurer Cynthia Nicholson, liaison to the Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library Jack Clark, and former secretary Peter McCracken, who pioneered the Library Foundation’s 2016 LEGO Build.
Library Foundation Executive Director Suzanne Smith Jablonski also announced the core leadership team of the Foundation’s Board of Directors—an 11-member board charged with championing philanthropic support and enhancing opportunities for the Library’s continued growth and service.
Returning President, Mickie Sanders-Jauquet, a former Peace Corps volunteer and public school educator, was elected for a second term at the helm of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Sanders-Jauquet will be joined by returning Executive Committee members, Heather McDaniel, vice president, and Enid Littman, secretary/treasurer.
McDaniel is the vice president and director of economic development services for Tompkins County Area Development. Littman has a background in accounting and works with several area real estate companies on issues related to management and development.
Foundation Board member Rick Hendrick was elected for another term and Lynnette Scofield concluded her service to the Board during its reorganizational meeting.
“With the successful conclusion of our 21st Century Library Campaign, the Foundation’s  Board of Directors is poised to help lead our library into the future,” Smith Jablonski said. “Members of our Executive Committee and Board have embraced their roles as library supporters, and we are honored to have them advocating on behalf of the incredible work of our public library.”
For information about joining the Library’s Board of Trustees or the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation’s Board of Directors, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at cwheeler@tcpl.org or (607) 275-1548.

Library to Offer Programs, Services During Renovation Closure


In an ongoing effort to meet patron needs, Tompkins County Public Library Director Susan Currie has announced plans to provide remote programs and services during the Library’s February 10 through 19th renovation closure.

“We recognize just how vital access to library programs and services is to our community, Currie said, “and our staff members have shown a sincere dedication to providing that access by organizing a series of off-site programs and service points while we are closed.”

The following programs have been planned:
·       
  • Family Storytime, Tuesday, February 14 from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Center Ithaca—children and their caregivers will be treated to a special Valentine’s Day-themed storytime, complete with fun-filled books, stories and songs.
  •  Break for Books, Monday, February 13 at noon, Wednesday, February 15 at noon and Thursday, February 16 at 8 p.m.—book lovers are invited to join TCPL Access and Circulation Services Librarian Asia Bonacci for special editions of the popular Facebook virtual book club, Break for Books. Readers are encouraged to visit the Library’s Facebook page, facebook.com/tcplny, during any of these times to share what they’re reading and learn about other titles.
  • Young Adult Book Club, Wednesday, February 15 at 4:30 p.m. at Buffalo Street Books—Students in grades six through 12 are invited to attend a free meeting of the Library’s Young Adult Book Club.  This month’s meeting will include a judgment-free discussion of “Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith.” Refreshments will be provided.  Free copies of the book are available at the Youth Services Reference Desk for new and returning Club members.
  • Digital Download Training, Thursday, February 16 from 11:30 to 2 p.m. at the YMCA of Ithaca at Tompkins County—library staff members will be on-hand during the YMCA’s Healthy Senior Fair to offer training on downloading e-Books, music and more to smartphones, e-Readers and tablets. A library card from one of the Finger Lakes Library System’s 33-member libraries is required. Information and assistance about downloads will be available throughout the closure via email at askalibrarian@tcpl.org. 

The Library has also partnered with the Tompkins County Office for the Aging to make tax forms available at the COFA office, 214 West State Street, during the closure.

A cache of resources are also available through the Library’s website—tcpl.org--including digital downloads of eBooks through the OverDrive Digital Download Service, Hoopla’s streaming video platform, TumbleBooks, which offers animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books and more for young readers, and Zinio, the world’s largest newsstand.

No library materials will be due during the closure and DVD borrowing limits will be doubled.

The Library’s renovation project is being overseen by Tompkins County Facilities, with design services by QPK Design. Bouley Construction will serve as the project’s principle contractor.

Made possible through public support of the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation’s 21st Century Library Campaign, a New York State and Municipalities Program Grant, sponsored by Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, a New York State Public Library Construction Grant sponsored by the Finger Lakes Library System, and County maintenance funds, Library renovations will also include the construction of a digital learning lab, a teen center and additional public meeting space, to be completed this spring.

For more information about the closure or upcoming renovations, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at cwheeler@tcpl.org or (607) 275-1548.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Library to Circulate Storytime Kits


Families can now experience the fun of Tompkins County Public Library’s popular storytimes from the comfort of their own homes with “Storytime-To-Go” kits.

Available in the Library’s Youth Services Department, “Storytime-To-Go” kits contains five thematic books, a CD, companion toys or puzzles, song/rhyme cards and activities and resources to help caregivers and educators create and share engaging learning experiences through storytimes.

“We want to inspire every family to talk, sing, read, write and play with their children as often as they can,” said Youth Services Librarian Kate DeVoe. “We hope that having these new kits, bundled and ready to go, will make that as easy and fun as possible.”

Kits can be borrowed for three weeks and are available in a variety of themes for multiple age groups.  Available kits, include: Backyard Science, Funny Books, Ready to Read, Hands on Learners: Baby and Toddler, Building and Engineering and Crafty Kids. Read-Along Songs and Read-Along Songs for Babies kits are also available through support from the Family Reading Partnership.

For more information or to borrow a kit, visit the Library’s Youth Services Department or call (607) 272-4557 extension 275.

Funding for “Storytime-To-Go” kits has been made possible by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through generous support from the Helen T. Howland Foundation of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Library to Host Teen Writing Workshops


Young adults are invited to exercise their creative muscles during weekly teen writing workshops at the Tompkins County Public Library, Thursdays, February 2 through April 20 at 4:45 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

These hour-long classes will be facilitated by Ithaca College writing students, Amanda Livingston and Alexa Salvato, and include exercises, prompts and opportunities to workshop original pieces.

Each session will be unique, and participants are encouraged to sign up for one or all of these inspiring workshops.

These workshops are intended for students in grades 6-12.  Advance registration is preferred but not required. To register, visit http://www.libraryinsight.com/EventSignUp.asp?t=964001714&jx=nnv&lmx=921784.

Workshops will not be held on Thursday, February 16th or Thursday, March 16th.

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

Library to Screen “The House I Live In”


Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with the Multicultural Resource Center’s New Jim Crow Community Read, will host a free screening of “The House I Live In,” Thursday, January 26 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s top documentary honor, “The House I Live In” explores the financial and societal costs of the government’s war on drugs, while making a case for drug use as a public health crisis not a criminal justice pandemic.

This film is intended for an adult audience.

Since March 2016, the Multicultural Resource Center’s Community Read has galvanized more than 30 community organizations in the development of a plan to study and ultimately take action to locally confront mass incarceration.

For more information, contact Tom Burns at tburns@tcpl.org.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Library, Ithaca College Film Society to Screen “A Serious Man”


Tompkins County Public Library and the Ithaca College Film Society will partner for a free, facilitated screening of “A Serious Man,” Wednesday, January 25 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Directed by the Coen Brothers, “A Serious Man,” follows Midwestern physics teacher, Larry Gopnik, as he searches for meaning in the chaotic events consuming his life. This 2009 black-comedy-drama is a cult favorite and a must-see for fans of the Coen brand of humor.

Ithaca College Film Society members, Brett Rogalsky and Jack Warner, will offer an introduction to the film, which marks the first in a series of screenings to be offered by the Library at the ICFS.

For more information, contact Tom Burns at tburns@tcpl.org.