Library to Hold Teen Authorfest

Area tweens and teens are invited to spend a day with some of the Young Adult genre’s most talented authors June 16, as the Tompkins County Public Library hosts Teen Authorfest, a celebration of books and music, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell and BorgWarner rooms.

Teen Authorfest will feature readings and signings by authors, music from New Roots jazz band, Bümph, a teen lounge, refreshments and opportunities to win prizes, including an iPad and Nook Tablet™. 

Featured authors are:

• Jay Asher, a California-based writer, is the author of the much-heralded “Thirteen Reasons Why,” which touches on the timely topics of teen suicide and bullying, and the co-author of “The Future of Us.”
• Madeleine George is the author of “Looks” and “The Difference Between You and Me.” Her candor and humor offer rare insight into issues like sexuality and self-image.
•  Elisa Ludwig, whose debut novel, “Pretty Crooked,” has been lauded as “Robin Hood” meets “Pretty in Pink” and has earned her a spot on many up-and-coming author lists.
•  Shawn Goodman, the lone local of Teen Authorfest, earned rave reviews among teen and adult readers alike for his emotional and enlightening novel, “Something Like Hope.”

All events associated with Teen Authorfest are free and open to the public.  The first 40 teens to arrive will receive a free book by one of the featured authors.

Teen Authorfest is made possible through a grant from the Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

Library to Host Mystery Writer Kate Flora

The Tompkins County Public Library will host mystery and true crime author Kate Flora for a reading and signing of her latest book, “Redemption,” June 12 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room East.

Flora, an attorney by trade, is the author of eleven books, including the Thea Kozak mysteries, three Joe Burgess police procedurals and the much-acclaimed true crime, “Finding Amy.”   

“Redemption” is the third in the Joe Burgess series and explores the mystery surrounding the death of Burgess’ longtime friend and former Vietnam veteran Reggie Libby.

Copies of “Redemption” 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.

Library to Host Stories in the Park

The Tompkins County Public Library is pleased to announce the return of its popular Stories in the Park program. 

Stories in the Park will be held each Tuesday from June 12 through August 28 from 11:30 a.m. to noon at the Dewitt Park Farmers Market.

Join library staff for stories, music and family fun, and stay for lunch and shopping at the Farmers Market.

While children of all ages are welcome, books and activities will be most appropriate for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

In the event of rain or wet conditions, the program will be held in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

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

Library to Host Family Science Program

The Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell's Center for Materials Research will host Families Learning Science Together: Marvelous Magnets, June 9 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Families are invited to explore magnetism through a variety of activities, including:  reviewing the basic principles of magnetism, discovering how digital electronics store information in binary and communicating messages with magnets the way a computer hard drive does.

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 free and open to the public; however, space is limited. To register, contact Kaleigh at outreach@ccmr.cornell.edu or (607) 255-9547.

Library to Host Cornell Hall of Famer for Reading and Signing

The Tompkins County Public Library and the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation will host second generation Cornell Football Hall of Famer Joseph H. Holland for a reading and signing of "From Harlem with Love: An Ivy Leaguer's Inner City Odyssey," June 7 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

An eloquent and enlightening look at Harlem’s history, from the days of the Iroquois through the Obama-era economic recession, “From Harlem With Love,” chronicles Holland’s efforts—inspired by Cornell coursework—to revitalize and rebuild Harlem.

Holland, a 1978 Cornell graduate,  is the son of legendary Big Red football star Jerome “Brud” Holland whom he emulated on and off the field.  It was his father who encouraged him not to pursue an NFL career, but something more meaningful—resulting in a law degree from Harvard and a legacy of giving back.

As Founder of the HARK Foundation (Harlem's Ark of Freedom), Holland created job opportunities, developed housing and empowered Harlem residents to invest in themselves by battling the blight of homelessness and drug dealing that was consuming the community.

Holland’s Library reading and signing is free and open to the public.  Copies of “From Harlem With Love” will be available to 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.

Library to Feature Declaration of Independence in New Exhibit

The Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with Cornell University Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, has announced the installation of “Politics in Print:  Treasures from the Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination.”

This exhibit, on display through October 1, includes an anastatic facsimile of the Declaration of Independence—one of only two known copies to employ this method of duplication.

The exhibit is being held in conjunction with the Cornell Library’s Alumni Reunion exhibition “Treasures from the Walker Library of History of the Human Imagination,” which runs from June 7 through October at Kroch Library.

Cornell alumni Jay Walker (’77) and his wife, Eileen (’76 ’78), house the 3,600 square-feet “Walker Library . . .” in their Ridgefield, Connecticut home.  The private library contains more than 50,000 volumes, including landmark books and museum-quality artifacts.  Walker is the founder of priceline.com.

Jay Walker will discuss his collection and the anastatic process used in the duplication of the Declaration of Independence during a presentation at TCPL this fall.  Additional items from the Walker Museum will be on display at Cornell’s Day Hall, the Johnson Museum of Art and Mann Library.

For more information, contact Sally Grubb at 607 272-4557 ext 232, email sgrubb@tcpl.org or visit our website at http://tcpl.org.

Library to Host Gallery Night Graffiti Painting

The Tompkins County Public Library will celebrate Downtown Ithaca Gallery Night and the Ithaca Festival June 1 with the painting of urban street art along the Creek Walk behind the Library.

Local graffiti artists Jay Stooks and Jay Potter—with the support of a Sustainable Tompkins Mini-Grant-- will mobilize local artists in the painting of a 48 foot long, community-based mural, created on boards hung along the street walk.  Painting of the mural will be well underway by the 5 p.m. start of Gallery Night and is expected to be completed by Gallery Night’s 8 p.m. conclusion.

To add to the excitement of the evening, three local bands will perform during the creation of the mural.  Fall Creek Folk, Dance Sylvania and Uncle Joe and the Rosebud Ramblers will all provide entertainment during the three-hour Gallery Night event.

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

Library to Host Senior Theatre Troupe

The Tompkins County Public Library will host an encore performance by the Senior Citizen’s Theatre Troupe of Lifelong, May 24 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room. 

A follow-up to last spring’s performance at the Library, this show will center around the theme of education and feature humorous and serious stories from troupe members’ lives. The Troupe performs simply, with no lights, props or sets. The theatre being performed is developed from themes that the actors pick, and the stories they tell are based on their own experiences.

The Troupe is directed and coordinated by Sue Perlgut and features Maggie Goldsmith, Eva Luby, Sylvia Miller, Natasha Tall, Carol Santucci, Deirdre Silverman and Thelma Turner. 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 or www.closetohomeproductions.com/seniortheatretroupe.html.

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.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Freeloading Librarians to Offer Training at Gimme!

The Tompkins County Public Library and Gimme! Coffee will partner May 22 for a demonstration by the “Freeloading Librarians,” a group of library staff members offering instruction, advice and support for downloading free eBooks and audiobooks to mobile devices.

The demonstration, which will begin at 10:30 am the Green Street Gimme!, will include personal assistance for downloading books to iPads, iPods, Kindles, Nooks and smartphones through the Finger Lakes Library System’s free Overdrive Media Console application. 

Participants should bring their library card or sign up for a free card at the event.  A photo ID with a current, local address is required to receive a library card.

This program is the first in a series of Freeloading Librarian programs designed to increase digital confidence and awareness among readers.

For more information, contact Jennifer Schlossberg at (607) 272-4557 extension 254 or jschlossberg@tcpl.org.

Library to Host Reading and Signing of Fracking Book

The Tompkins County Public Library will host journalist Tom Wilber for a reading and signing of his recently-released book “Under the Surface:  Fracking, Fortunes and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale,” May 17 at 6 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

The first book-length overview of shale gas development and the controversies surrounding it, “Under the Surface” (2012 Cornell University Press) explores one of the world’s largest natural gas supplies—the Marcellus Shale-- and examines the impact tapping into the gas will have on environmental policy, politics, energy markets and the lives and livelihoods of families in the Marcellus region.

As a veteran reporter for the Gannet Corporation’s Central New York Newspaper Group, Wilber spent years interviewing key players and residents on all sides of the debate over the Marcellus Shale.  His knowledge and objectivity have made him a much-trusted and sought-after speaker on issues relating to the Marcellus region.

Wilber’s Library reading is free and open to the public and is being held in conjunction with the Library and the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation’s 2012 Local Writers Series.  Copies of “Under the Surface” will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Buffalo Street Books.

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

Library to Host ICSD Superintendent for Community Conversation

The Tompkins County Public Library will offer community members an opportunity to share their visions for the success of the Ithaca City School District May 14 when it hosts “A Community Conversation with Dr. Brown,”  at 5 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Being held as part of a series of “community conversations” designed to offer community groups and taxpayers an opportunity to engage with school officials in a non-traditional environment, this facilitated, hour-long program will allow participants to propose forward-thinking, thoughtful, creative and effective problem-solving methods, to explore untapped resources and to help the school district build on its successes.

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. 

Library to Host Mother/Daughter Writing Workshop

The Tompkins County Public Library will recognize mothers with “Mothers and Daughters Writing Together,” a creative writing workshop, May 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Facilitated by author, publisher, poet and anthologist Irene “Zee’ Zahava, this workshop will offer an opportunity for mothers, daughters, grandmothers and caregivers of all ages to pay tribute to their unique bonds by writing together.

The theme of the workshop will not be announced until the day of the event, but it is sure to inspire all participants.

This program is free and open to the public; however advance registration is required.  To register, contact Zahava at zee@twcny.rr.com or (607) 273-4675.

Library to Offer Game Time

Beginning May 3, the Tompkins County Public Library will host Game Time each Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Children ages 6 through 12 are invited to enjoy board games, puzzles and more. 

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

Library to Host Creative Writing Workshops for Teens

The Tompkins County Public Library will host “Teens Write!,” a creative writing workshop for teens led by Irene “Zee” Zahava, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays May 2,9,16 and 23 in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Zahava has been leading writing circles since 1994. She is a former bookstore owner, the editor of numerous short story anthologies and haiku journals, the co-publisher of 2 Turtles Press and the founder of Zee’s Writing Studio.

“Teens Write!” is best suited for tweens and teens ages 10 through 17. The program will provide a safe and supportive environment for creative writing and group sharing. There is no charge for the program; however, advance registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact Zahava at (607)-273-4675 or zee@twcny.rr.com.

The“Teens Write!” program is made possible by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation through generous gifts from Carrie Shearer and Suzanne Spitz.