 A new session of Storytime kicks off this week, and this time no registration is required! Come enjoy stories, songs, and games during these weekly programs with Miss Carolyn.
Toddler Storytime, for ages 2-3, will meet Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m., beginning the 16th. Book Buddies, for ages 4-5, will be offered on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. Please note that there will no longer be a Tuesday session of Book Buddies. Other upcoming events, meetings, and programs include: Monday - The Friends of the Wallkill Public Library meet at 7 p.m. at the Friends' Used Book Shop. Tuesday - Polls will be open for the Wallkill School District budget vote from noon to 9 p.m. at the high school, as well as Leptondale and Plattekill schools. Wednesday - The Art Club meets at 4 p.m. Thursday - The Knit/Crochet Club gets together at 6:30 p.m. Friday - The Art Club meets at 4 p.m. And keep in mind, next Saturday is Spruce Up the Library Day! Come lend a hand painting (benches), planting (flowers), and pulling (weeds) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those interested in volunteering should call Christi Crowley at 895-9440. Looking ahead: Children ages 5 and up are invited to come read to Millie the "Tail-Waggin' Tutor" at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 22. Bring a short book or choose from some of Millie's favorites right here at the library! A new Beginner Computer Class will also start May 22, at 9 a.m. Stop in or call 895-3707 to sign up.  The library is closed May 28 for Memorial Day, however we will be hosting a ceremony on the front lawn following the 10 a.m. parade. Bring a chair and enjoy!
Ongoing: Tickets for the June 30 Geek the Library Night are on sale now! Come watch the Renegades play the Staten Island Yankees at Dutchess Stadium, and stick around for the fireworks afterward - it's all included in your $15 ticket price! Ask at the circulation desk for more details. Registration is open now for Lego Camp, which will be offered by Play-Well Teknologies from July 9-July 13. Call us at 895-3707 or ask at the circulation desk for information! Please note: The July/August issue of Ulster Magazine will be featuring the Hamlet of Wallkill! The issue hits newsstands June 15. Don't forget to take our online survey! We take your suggestions to heart! |
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VBS registration coming up soon  Sign-up for Vacation Bible School at Wallkill Reformed Church will take place after services (around noon) on May 20. This year's program runs from July 15 through July 19, from 6-8:15 p.m. each evening. It's geared toward children going into kindergarten through grade five. Students who have completed sixth grade may volunteer to be crew leaders.
Those interested in registering after May 20 should call the church office at 895-2181.
And for those parents who typically spend those evenings waiting around the parking lot for their kids, the library has a better suggestion....spend some time with us!
We'll offer an assortment of activities to pass the time, including:
Parents' Night Out - July 15, from 6-8 p.m. Come enjoy some light refreshments while you browse through our selections in peace!
Scrabble Night - July 17, 6 p.m. Remember when you used to play games that didn't involve climbing ladders or sliding down chutes? Reacquaint yourself with grown-up entertainment while your little ones enjoy coloring (at 6 p.m.) and Good Night Moon Storytime (at 7 p.m.).
Quilter's Circle - July 18, 6:30 p.m. Novices and pros alike will enjoy this creative club, which meets monthly.
Family Movie Night - July 19, 6 p.m. - Come in out of the heat and catch a flick while you wait for your Vacation Bible Schoolers! The Knit/Crochet Club also meets at 6:30 p.m. that night.
Don't let your kids have all the fun - stop by any or all of these nights and have some of your own!
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Goodbye, Maurice - We love you so!  The world of children's literature lost a legend Tuesday with the passing of Maurice Sendak.
In turn both praised and censored, the author wrote and illustrated more than a dozen books, but was most famous for the classic Where the Wild Things Are. One of his last interviews took place in January with Stephen Colbert, who pitched his own children's book ( I Am A Pole (And So Can You!)) to the famous author. Sendak's reluctant endorsement ("The sad thing is, I like it!") now adorns the top of Colbert's book, which, by a strange coincidence, was released Tuesday, as well. |
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Too close for comfort?  Who says magazines are irrelevant?
The latest issue of Time certainly has everyone talking. The cover features a mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old. The story it illustrates centers on attachment parenting, which, in addition to extended breastfeeding, promotes co-sleeping and the use of slings to "wear" infants. No matter what readers may think of the philosophy, the article proves one thing - magazines aren't passing the baton to the Internet quite yet. |
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Boopsie coming soon to a mobile near you
 We've all been there. You see a book you just have to have while browsing in Barnes & Noble. You wish you could find out if it's at the library so you could spare yourself the 25 bucks it costs, but it's Sunday, the library's closed, and you can't rest until you know this book is yours (or at least in your holds queue).
Don't despair - Boopsie for Libraries is on the way!
The mobile app gives patrons anytime, anywhere access to the library's catalog, digital library, and more! Patrons will be able to easily see their acount information and even access OverDrive's eBook collections with a single click.
Keep a lookout - we'll announce the launch date soon!
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Open house invites prospective trustees
 Those interested in running for the library board of trustees this year are invited to attend an open house in June, where you'll be able to glean more information about the position.
Four openings will be available on the board come the election Sept. 25. If you're interested in helping the library continue its mission as a hub of knowledge, entertainment, and programming in the community, you should definitely consider running for the board!
Candidates must reside in the Wallkill School District and get a petition signed by 50 qualified voters (those who not only live in the Town of Shawangunk, but within the Wallkill School District, as well) by Sept. 12 in order to run. Petitions are available at the library.
For more information, call the library at 895-3707. Stay tuned for the date of the open house. |
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Fight for your right to eBook access!  Your access to library eBooks is being hampered by publishers who increase prices, limit borrowing availability, or simply refuse to sell libraries eBooks, period.
You can help send a message to these publishers by visiting ebooksforlibraries.com and signing the online petition demanding wider access to eBooks in libraries. Once 10,000 signatures are collected, the petition will be mailed to publishers. It will be the first step to establishing a formal and consistent communication between publishers, libraries, and readers. Make your voice heard! |
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MS, BN join forces to form 'Newco'
 Barnes & Noble and Microsoft recently announced a collaboration that will go toward developing the bookstore's Nook and eBook lines and perhaps give giants Apple and Amazon more of a run for their money.
The two have partnered to form a new entity called Newco that will include the bookseller's digital and college businesses. Microsoft will hold a 17.6 percent stake in the new company and plans to include a Nook application in its upcoming 2012 Windows 8 release. This latest upgrade will run not just on traditional computers but also on tablets and mobile devices.
The deal finally gives Microsoft an in to the booming eBook and tablet trend gaining momentum as people switch from desktops to mobile devices. |
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Life inside North Korea focus of novel  The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother - a singer "stolen" to Pyongyang - and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return. Jun Do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves. |
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Sites offer tips, instruction, and more
 Those inspired by Barbara Hanaburgh's quilts (on display for the next few weeks at the library) can get started on projects of their own with a little help from the web!
Sewing.org and BurdaStyle.com are just two of the many websites out there that instruct, guide, and offer tips to sewers of all experience levels. Users can download some new patterns, read informational blogs, and share their own creations with a like-minded community of visitors.
Admirers of Barbara Hanaburgh's work will be happy to know that
to complement her exhibit, the Town Hall has graciously loaned the library quilts from their own collection, created by local volunteers and organizations for the opening of the Walkway Over the Hudson in 2009. Our thanks go out to them!
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What we really learn in school sometimes
 Yesterday I completed the most difficult graduate class I have ever taken. In fact, it was the most difficult class I have ever taken, about anything, in my life. Many times during the course, I muttered to myself: "Ya know, you're 51 years old, why are you putting yourself through all of this stress?" What it comes down to for me is seeing what I am made of, what I've got to offer.
Sometimes people figure that out early in life. I had hoped to figure that out before I croaked. As it turns out, I think this class offered me an epiphany while I still have another 30 or so good years left! The class was cataloguing and classification, and for anyone who has seen my office, this is quite obviously not a strong suit for me.
So why would I want to be a librarian? Isn't organization what we are all about? My answer to that would be...it depends. I think we need to gravitate toward what we like to do and that tends to be what we are good at doing. There is no greater motivator than joy...oh yeah, and money, but mostly joy. I'm not a "behind-the-scenes" librarian. I think that is a luxury we can't afford these days, no matter our organizational prowess or social proclivities. I believe libraries have so much to offer to the communities we serve. I believe it is our job to figure out what our users want and do our best to provide opportunities, programs, collections and services that come as close as possible to meeting those needs.
Going through this process of reactivating my brain, writing and citing papers, taking innumerable quizzes and exams, has reminded me that learning is truly a process. Stimulating your brain by remaining curious assures that life will always offer fascination, wonder, and bewilderment. Libraries support that kind of growth. Going back to school reminded me of that. Struggling through the process has reminded me that learning isn't always fun, it is often frustrating, tiring, and seems to be a waste of time. But if you can take away a golden nugget from anything you experience: a class, a webinar, a book, a movie, a website, a lecture or a conversation....isn't the process worth it? Mostly in hindsight, I guess, but that is okay. The fact is, you took something away that you can now internalize, or that opened your mind, or may have altered your perspective, or that you can share with others. That's something I can offer to kids who can't find anything they like to read or students that are frustrated at having to write a paper on a topic that is of no interest to them. I get it. Perhaps by sharing my experiences or just being able to relate to theirs, makes me a better listener, and, hopefully, a much better librarian. I know that's what I have to offer.
Mary Lou Carolan
Director |
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