scla logoSuffolk County Library Association
Suffolk Libraries
Summer 2009
In This Issue
Community Service Committee
Science Fiction @ Your Library!
RASD Meets the Needs of its Members
Libraries at ICON
Support Staff Division News
2009 LDA Award Winner
Long Island Reads Showcases Pulitzer Prize Winner's Memoirs
Long Island History Committee
Look for the Reference Quiz at the bottom of this e-mail! 
Washington Bus Trip
 
October 2nd 
to 
October 4th, 2009

Don't miss this opportunity to visit our Nation's Capital with a
 3 day / 2 night trip especially designed for your Library Association
at a great price ~  
 
$346 for SCLA members, 
 
$366 for non-members
 
Go to http://scla.net for more information and the registration form.
Save the date!
 
Suffolk County 23rd Legislative Breakfast
 
Friday,
September 25, 2009
8:30 a.m.
at
Brentwood
Public Library.


 
YASD Meeting Schedule

The next Young Adult Services Division meeting will be held on Thursday, September 10, 2009 from 10:00 -11:30 a.m. at the Huntington Public Library.  We will be having a program swap.  Bring samples of anything that you would like to clean out of your program closets and swap for something new!

Save the Date
Public Library Director's Association of Suffolk County
Golf Fundraiser and
Banquet Dinner
 
Great Rock Golf Club
Wading River, New York
1:00 p.m. Shotgun Start
6:00 p.m. Cocktails
 7:00 p.m. Dinner
For more information about playing or sponsorship opportunities
please contact:
Matthew Bollerman,
 631-288-3335 x. 16,
[email protected] or visit our webpage at www.pldainfo.org.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Proceeds to support "New Yorkers for Better Libraries"
 
Calling All Video Editors!
 
Join LILRC on July 31st at Farmingdale State College for a hands-on session, Video Editing for the Web with guest speaker Adam Quirk from Wreck & Salvage.  This program will cover editing video on a PC, with a focus on editing specifically for web distribution. We will be using Windows Movie Maker, and will be working hands-on with a number of different videos: interviews, conversations, narratives, and remixes. There will be ample time for questions and discussion.  For additional information, please visit the LILRC website at

 
 
 

Suffolk Libraries is the newsletter of the Suffolk County Library Association. 
 
SCLA Executive Board
President: Sue Sloan
Vice President: Brian Adams
Treasurer: Michael Aloi
Secretary: Jackie Narkiewicz
Members at Large:
Megan Sala-James, Michelle Vagner, Neely McCahey, Deb Cunningham
 
Please forward your comments and information to be included to
[email protected] or to the editor, Jeri Cohen, at [email protected]
 
Community Service Committee
 
As the first initiative of the newly formed Community Services Committee of SCLA, we are asking for your help in supporting Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk in their continued effort to build affordable housing for those families who would not be able to afford a home otherwise. As you may know, Habitat is currently building houses right here in Suffolk County in the towns of Bellport, Bay Shore, Shirley, and Westhampton.

Habitat has partnered with EcoPhones, a company that recycles ink cartridges, cell phones, digital cameras, laptops and iPods. Upon receiving these items, EcoPhones will pay Habitat for those items. You may go on their site: www.EcoPhones.com to get more detailed information.

Packets have been sent out to all Public Libraries so you may already have seen a box set up in your staff room. Any Special or Academic libraries that would like to participate, please contact me and I will sent you flyers and a free Fed-Ex mailing label.

Thank you.

 Janet O'Hare, Chairperson 
Community Services Committee of SCLA
 North Shore Public Library
Science Fiction @ your Library!
    
"Logic is the beginning of wisdom; not the end."  - Spock
 
We know the premise of Star Trek is to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
 
A Science Fiction Week in Suffolk County could bring libraries to a place they have not gone before. In the new Star Trek movie, one can see that science fiction will "live long and prosper".

We are now exploring the final frontier. The links between science fiction and nonfiction science have always been intriguing.
So why not embrace the concept and plan to go at warp speed? Since some librarians have transported over to ICON, I've been considering some ideas:  
  • Author studies on writers such as Isaac Asimov and Steven  Hawkins (both are fiction and nonfiction authors).
  • Book Discussions exploring reading serial books.
  • Trivia Fun - possible family program.
  • Scavenger hunts in the library looking for Science Fiction   items.
  • Patron-owned artifacts put on display or show-and-tell event.
  • Guest speakers and authors or guest publishers.
  • Trip to science-themed places like Brookhaven Lab or NY Hall of Science.
  • A movie of course! Or just show a TV episode.
  • Decorate - posters, hang crafts by children and teens.
  •  Use ICON event to advertise the libraries' science fiction  event.
There could be Children, Teen and Adult area programming with science fiction as the theme in the whole library! The idea could be big enough to do a winter reading program.  Why not stick a survey in the library newsletters asking patrons what their thoughts are?
This could be, as Spock would say ........Fascinating. We are Librarians. Patrons will be assimilated.  "Resistance is futile". We can make it so!
 
I'm done here....."Beam me up, Scotty"
Joan Wagner,  Librarian, Brentwood Public Library, SBI Campus
RASD Meets the Needs of its Members
 
An old French proverb says, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  I think that is a good thing at times. As you can see with our upcoming programs, RASD keeps up with change, while sticking to basics. At the Long Island Library Conference, RASD presented four programs dealing with topics important to its members, the environment, lifetime learning, local history and multiculturalism.  Now there's more to come. 

On June 25, 2009, the CARE Committee presented a program entitled, "The Job Search in Tough Times: What Public Libraries Can Do To Help!

On July 14, 2009, the Electronic Resources Committee is presenting, "iGoogle, Wikis and Blogs: Create a Collaborative, Multi-User Home Page" at SCLS at 10:00 a.m. (9:30 a.m. coffee).  It will demystify creating an interactive staff page.

I would like to advise all RASD members that going forward our newsletter will be presented electronically.  You will not receive it unless we have your correct e-mail address.  If you recently changed your address or never gave us one, please contact Robert Cognato at Deer Park.

Have a great summer and remember that if you need inspiration creating a booklist or book display, you will find many genre lists, annotated by the Reader's Advisory Committee, on the RASD section of the SCLA Page (scla.net).
                                         Jo-Ann Carhart, RASD President
Libraries at ICON
 
Over two days at ICON, the premiere science, science fiction, fantasy and anime convention, Suffolk County Librarians (and one from Nassau) talked to over 260 people about library resources and services.

Ranging in age from tween to senior, fans of all sorts asked us about what we have in libraries, if libraries carry anime, if libraries show movies and more.  Many people we talked to were already avid library users.  Others got that familiar hangdog  expression and told us about the late and missing materials that prevent them from returning to their library.  And still others seemed unaware of how much their library had to offer them.

We thanked the regulars, encouraged the expired and overdue to visit their library and work something out, and informed the rest.  Plus, we had a lot of fun!  Several times, we were able to connect patron and librarian from the same library, enabling both to make a personal, unforgettable connection.

We hope to participate again next year - please keep your eye out for information!

Special thanks to YASD for sponsoring our table, and big, big thanks to the volunteers:
Andrew Bollerman of Sachem
Kathy Welch of North Shore
Rosemarie Jerome of Half Hollow Hills
Natalie Korsavidas of Farmingdale
Nola Thacker of Westhampton
Saleena Au of Middle Country
Sara Fade of Middle Country
 
Thanks.
Lorraine Squires,
Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library
 
Support Staff Division News
 
SSD photo opThe Support Staff Division held our Annual Roundtable Meeting on March 11, 2009.  The meeting took place at the Bourne Mansion located  on the grounds of St. John's University.  Approximately 90 attendees participated in the discussions.  The program began with an introduction of the SSD Executive Board.  Elizabeth B. Pollicino, Associate Director-Division of Library and Information Science at St. John's University welcomed the members.  Members were informed of upcoming events that will offered this coming year.  Angela Ricards presented information about the SCLA Education Award.
 
Since SSD members wear many different hats attendees were able to switch groups halfway through the program.  We raffled off  our beautiful centerpieces created by Anne Marie Hofmann.  A 50/50 raffle was also held. Half of the proceeds were donated to the Continuing Education Award Scholarship Fund.
 
The SSD Executive Board and many of Dottie Curto's friends and colleagues wish her well on her retirement.  Dottie has been a member of SSD since 2002 and worked at SCLS for 28 years.
 
We welcome Terry Hatred, member-at-large from SCLS who will be filling the vacancy.
 
Our roundtable meeting ended with a tour of the Bourne Mansion given by Linda Russell, which was truly enjoyed by one and all.  We also did a photo-op on the stairs of the mansion. 
 
The recent Excel Computer Training Program at Longwood Library was attended by ten SSD members. An additional computer training program on Beginner Microsoft Publisher was held at the Longwood Public Library on June 3. This wonderful learning experience was presented by Anne Marie Hofmann.

The Long Island Library Conference SSD program, Staff Motivation and Appreciation presented by Carrie Mason Draften, was attended by 185 people. Once again, Carrie gave an outstanding presentation on motivation.

SAVE THE DATE: October 7, 2009 is our Annual  Luncheon at the Bourne Mansion. Speaker to be announced.
 
A very wise man told me .... "Support Staff Division is the back bone of every library." 
Marsha Greenspan
Brentwood Public Library
 
2009 LDA Award Winner
 
The winner of the 2009 LDA Award is Jackie Thresher, Director of the Nassau Library System (NLS) for the past ten years. Before her employment at NLS, Ms. Thresher enjoyed many successful years at the Westchester Library System and as Director of the Princeton Public Library.
 
Jackie Thresher worked with the Nassau County public library directors to support and strengthen member libraries. She has been a trusted resource on legal and political issues affecting them. She also has been a tireless advocate for the campaign to improve and stabilize library and system funding from New York State.
 
The LDA Award is presented annually, by LDA Publishers and the Nassau County and Suffolk County Library Associations, to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to libraries on Long Island. A panel of judges from NCLA and SCLA selects this person from a group of nominees. Presentation of the award was made on May 7, 2009 at the Long Island Library Conference.

Long Island Reads Showcases Pulitzer Prize Winner's Memoirs
long island reads 2009On May 6, 2009, Long Island Reads, One Island-One Book, sponsored by the public libraries of Suffolk County (SCLS), the Nassau Library System (NLS), and Astoria Federal Savings, presented 'An Afternoon with Doris Kearns Goodwin'.  We were fortunate in weather and flight schedules, and aside from some wayward coyotes on the airfield at Logan, Ms Goodwin arrived at Brentwood Public Library in plenty of time.
 
The 2009 selection was 'Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir'. Published in 1997. It is the story of  Ms. Goodwin's childhood on 1950's Long Island, her love of  baseball in general, and of the Brooklyn Dodgers, specifically.  It recalls a time when New York had three teams with fiercely loyal fans, when baseball truly  was the National Pastime, when kids stayed out all day in the summer, and when everyone knew everyone else. There was also sadness, growing pains and all those losses by the Dodgers!

Doris Kearns Goodwin was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Rockville Centre. In addition to numerous other prizes and awards, she is the 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning author of No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, The American Homefront During World War II.  Author, historian and political commentator, Ms. Goodwin generously agreed to appear and speak at this event.
 
Approximately 400 tickets were reserved, and according to our records, interest by and distribution to patrons  was fairly evenly distributed across all of the Suffolk and Nassau public libraries.
 
Kudos to the host library, Brentwood Public Library and staff, Director Tom Tarantowicz and Assistant Director Marcia Pryluck. We are especially grateful to Celia Vollmer, Danielle Zubiller, Michelle Athanas, and the Pages and Security staff at Brentwood. The event was simulcast in a second room and we could not have accommodated as many patrons as we did if not for Rick Belyea and the Brentwood UFSD students who set up the necessary equipment to perfection.
 
As evidenced by the evaluations, our enthusiastic patrons, with Cracker Jacks in hand, thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Goodwin's one-hour talk and the Q&A afterwards. Her books were for sale and were sold out by the end of the day. Book signing lasted well over an hour and person after person regaled her with memorabilia, gifts, stories of the Dodgers, the old neighborhood and seeing her on television. She's a real pro and was most gracious and a hit with everyone. (Frankly, it was great fun  to 'hang' with her for the afternoon. She is as warm and enthusiastic in person as she is on television.)
 
The Long Island Reads Committee was on hand in full force to assist with anything and everything during the event and book signing. Thanks to Committee Member Elizabeth Olesh, our roving photographer, Marie Weiss of Brentwood and Carolyn Fostel and staff at Astoria Federal for all publicity efforts. Many thanks to Diane Eidelman and Samantha Alberts of SCLS for heroic ticket sale duty. We are especially grateful for the long-term and generous support of SCLS and its Director Kevin Verbesey, and Jackie Thresher, Director of Nassau Library System. They have been there from the beginning. Many, many thanks to Gretchen Browne of  Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library. And  MOST of all, thanks to Doris Kearns Goodwin for her generous appearance on behalf of the patrons of LI public libraries.
 
All librarians and library personnel are welcome to participate in the year-long work of this Committee, encouraging libraries to bring their communities together around a single book, and culminating in the annual event on or about National Library Week in April. Contact Deborah Cunningham at [email protected] if you would like to become a member. Please visit the Long Island Reads website at www.longislandreads.org . Our next meeting is July 28, 2009 at West Islip Public Library, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
 
DVD AVAILABLE!  A DVD of  Doris Kearns Goodwin's talk and Q&A is available for your library's collection. Crystal cases and liners are already prepared. To request one (or more), free of charge, please contact Diane Eidelman  at SCLS ([email protected]).  Your patrons and book discussion members will love it!
 
Displaying this year's book selection in the picture above are:  "Long Island Reads" Co-chairs Deborah Clark Cunningham of the Harborfields Public Library and Maureen Garvey of the Merrick Public Library, joined by (standing) L to R: Astoria Federal Savings' Andrew Mullane, Babylon Branch Manager; Diane Eidelman, Administrator, Suffolk Cooperative Library System; Elizabeth Olesh, Manager, Outreach Services, Nassau Library System, and Astoria Federal Savings' Carolyn Fostel, AVP, Community Relations Marketing Manager.
 


Long Island History Committee
 
The Long Island History Committee of RASD visited the Bayard Cutting Arboretum on Thursday, May 21, 2009. We had two wonderful guides who gave us a tour of the Mansion. On the tour we heard about the lives of the servants who took care of the family and their mansion. The Cutting family's history was discussed, as well as Mr. Cutting's love of nature and his estate. Our guides talked about the Tiffany windows and d�cor of the house. Included was a discussion on how the house was recently restored by many of the volunteers. For more photographs from the tour please visit our website at http://lihistoryrasd.wordpress.com/ .

 Afterwards we had High Tea in the Mansion's library. The Committee wishes to thank JoAnn Carhart for arranging the tour and Megan Sala-James for taking care of the financial arrangements. The next meeting for the Long Island History Committee of RASD is on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at the East Northport Public Library. More information will be available on our website.

Stephen and Susan Sanfilippo
This year the Long Island History Committee of RASD sponsored a program entitled, "Long Island's Whalemen in Song and Poetry: A Live Performance" at the Long Island Library Conference. Stephen Sanfilippo, founder of the Long Island Traditional Music Association provided his audience with a view of the whaleman's life through readings of their poetry, diaries, letters as well as songs that he has collected while doing research at Long Island historical libraries. He documented each reading or song with a brief discussion of the institution's collection. Steve is at home in the music as he plays guitar, harmonica and accordion and sings. Steve and his wife Susan have moved to Maine in their recent retirement, where he is now completing his dissertation (from SUNY Stony Brook) on a topic close to his heart, the sea ballads of Long Island whalemen. The committee would sincerely like to thank Cathy Ball, Smithtown Library, who arranged this interesting and well-received program.

Mary Ann Koferl and Inez Foster
Co-Chairs of Long Island History Committee of RASD
 

Dear Colleagues:
 
While you're enjoying longer summer days and our beautiful Long Island beaches, why not take a few moments to think about your next professional challenge? As you know, it can be difficult to change positions or libraries. If you're looking for a change in the next year I suggest you consider joining or chairing an SCLA committee. You can gain valuable experience, network with colleagues, and hopefully reenergize your career. Not only will you benefit from actively participating in your professional association, but so will your library.
 
This summer Brian Adams, SCLA VP/President Elect and Chair of the Nominating Committee, will be working to create a slate of candidates for the 2010 SCLA Executive Board. He will be reaching out to current division board members and committee chairs. At the same time each of the divisions will begin to look for new faces to fill their slates and committee chairs will also be looking for new members. The goal in each of these cases is to build a broad base of leaders with experience and enthusiasm to help improve the organization.
 
If you are interested in getting more involved in SCLA I suggest that you review our website and read past minutes. Then send me an email and let me know what you are interested in working on and where you work. I will forward your information to the appropriate person.
 
I hope SCLA can help you to feel more passionate about your career, which will not only benefit you, but also all the libraries in Suffolk County. 

Best regards,
Sue Sloan, President SCLA
[email protected]

Reference Quiz 
What word do these symbols represent?  
summer reference quiz

Send your answers to: [email protected]
 
Greetings, Quizfans.
Thank you to everyone to took the time to answer the quiz. The correct answer is six; this presidential phenomenon happened three times:
1861-1862 when Lincoln was President, these former Presidents were alive: VanBuren, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan
1993-1994 when Clinton was President, these former Presidents were alive: Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush
2001-2004 when George W. Bush was President, these former Presidents were alive: Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton.

Whew, this time the answer was longer than the question.  Here is a list of the librarians who answered correctly:
Nick Ziino, Brentwood Public Library
Marie Horney, Cold Spring Harbor Library
Gerry Kopczynski, Brentwood Public Library
Carol Scibilia (ret.), Islip Public Library
Cliff Leventhal, Half Hollow Hills Library
Marc Horowitz, North Babylon Public Library
Janet Kowal, Conntequot Public Library
Melanie Weiss, North Babylon Public Library
Susan Gottesman, Smithtown Public Library
Carol Byrne, Deer Park Public Library
Sean McDonald, South Country Library
Serena Brooks, Smithtown Library
Claire DiSpirito, Smithtown Library
Art Cooper, South Huntington Public Library
Tracey Simon, Lynbrook Public Library
Mike Firestone, Hampton Bays Public Library
Jim Brown, Shelter Rock Public Library
Jeff Bavolar, North Babylon Public Library
Mary Szollosi, Northport/East Northport Public Library
Kelly Romano, Hampton Bays Public Library
Renee Steinig, Trustee, Half Hollow Hills Library
Ann Swedish, Middle Country Public Library

Again, thank you for playing.  It's challenging to find a question whose answer can't be "Googled" in a microsecond.
 
Hope you have a lovely and relaxing summer,

Marybeth Kozikowski
Sachem Public Library