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 

 

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:  

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

 
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

 

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.

 

 

The 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.

 

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.

On 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.
 

 

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.

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.