Library to Offer Reading Sessions with Furry Friends

Children are invited to practice their reading skills by sharing a story with the best non-judgmental listener--a dog--each Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Tompkins County Public Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Children who attend six reading sessions with “Sam” and  “D.J.” will earn a free book of their choice!

This program will be held weekly from September 16 through November 25 and is co-sponsored by Cornell Companions.

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

Library to Host Family Movie Matinee

Tompkins County Public Library will host a free screening of “Muppets Most Wanted” October 13 at 2 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Families are invited to enjoy popcorn and drinks while watching Kermit, Miss Piggy and the entire Muppet gang as they become entangled in an international crime caper.

TCPL’s next family movie program will be a November 10 screening of “Maleficent” at 6 p.m. in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

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

Library to Host Mother/Daughter Book Club

Girls ages 8 through 12 and the special women in their lives are invited to attend Tompkins County Public Library’s monthly Mother/Daughter Book Club.

Beginning October 11, the Mother/Daughter Book Club will meet once a month from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Facilitated by author and educator Emily Rhoads Johnson, the Club provides a wonderful opportunity for participants to learn about themselves and others by discussing literature in a welcoming, judgment-free environment. 

Fall meeting dates and titles to be discussed are:

·      October 11—“Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry

·         November 15—“Because of Mr. Terupt” by Bob Buyea

·         December 13—“Remarkable” by Lizzie K. Foley

Participants may attend one or all of the meetings.  Registration is not required, and refreshments will be served.

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

Library to Host Writing Workshops for Teens

Tompkins County Public Library, in anticipation of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), has announced four free writing workshops for teens.

Workshop participants will meet from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., October 8, 22, 29 and November 12 and share ideas, explore exercises and enjoy prompts to help them create dynamic stories.

NaNoWriMo is an annual web-based creative writing project that takes place each November.  NaNoWriMo challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a new novel from November 1st through November 30.

Teens of all experience levels and interests are invited to attend one or more of these workshops.  Workshops are open to tweens and teens 11-19, however, advance registration is required.  To register, contact Regina DeMauro at rdemauro@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 274.

TCPL to Host Human Library

Tompkins County Public Library invites community members to embrace diversity by learning from those who have experienced discrimination during its inaugural Human Library event, October 8.

The Human Library concept was developed in Denmark in 2000 and is now used in more than 60 countries as a tool for challenging societal prejudices and promoting community conversations.

Individuals who have experienced discrimination due to race, gender, age, religious affiliation, sexual orientation or lifestyle choices will serve as “Human Books” during this event.  During the Human Library experience, Library patrons and community members will have an opportunity to learn more about stereotypes and stigmas by “checking out” a “Human Book” and engaging in a one-on-one conversation. 

The Human Library will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Library’s North Reading Room.

Join TCPL in promoting respect and diversity by participating in this unique event.  For more information, contact project organizers Tom Burns at tburns@tcpl.org or Teresa Vadakin at tvadakin@tcpl.org.

Library to Circulate Tool Kits

Tompkins County Public Library patrons have been borrowing Do-it-Yourself books and videos for years, but now, they can also borrow the tools needed to complete their projects.

Library Director Susan Currie has announced the addition of two tool kits to the Library’s collection.  Each kit contains a hammer, level, 6-in-1 screwdriver, tape measure, wire cutter, needle-nose pliers, slip-joint pliers, a stud sensor, and an adjustable wrench in a lightweight tool bag.

“Books have always been our brand,” Currie said, noting that this addition supports the Library’s commitment to sustainability and a sharing economy.  “But, we are so much more than that.  This initiative is just one way that we are working to meet the needs of our community by offering not just tools for the mind but tools for the home.”

The tool kits will help patrons complete a variety of home-improvement and decorating projects, including hanging pictures, rewiring lamps, mounting curtain rods, fixing faucets and tightening loose knobs.

Kits can be borrowed with a valid library card for one week; the loan period may not be renewed.

For more information, contact Amy Humber, head of the library’s Adult Services Department, at (607) 272-4557 extension 247 or ahumber@tcpl.org.

Library, NAMI-Finger Lakes Partner for Winters Schwartz Reading

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, Tompkins County Public Library and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes (NAMI-FL) will host author and advocate Karen Winters Schwartz for a reading and signing of her latest book “The Chocolate Debacle,” October 4 at 2:30 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

The author of three novels about mental illness, Schwartz, of Marietta (Onondaga County), uses her books and presentations to facilitate discussion about the need for empathy and the devastating effects of the negative stigma associated with mental illness.  Her latest, “The Chocolate Debacle,” is an emotionally-charged murder mystery.

While Schwartz's stories are fictional, they are based on real life people and their experiences. Her book “Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?: A Family’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder“ is about her own family’s mental health journey; both of her daughters experienced mental illness—bipolar disorder and schizophrenia—as teens.  In “Reis’s Pieces: Love, Loss, and Schizophrenia” Schwartz humanizes the experiences of both the afflicted person and those around him.

Schwartz is the president of NAMI Syracuse and a sought-after speaker for mental health association events and conferences across the country.  Her Library 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.