In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils."
 
Look into the first three verses - so much joy!  You'll like them.

          

 

          

 

 
Have you been practicing your golf swing... or are you just plain lucky? Make a hole-in-one on the ninth hole of the Roe-Jan Community Library Building Campaign Benefit Golf Tournament and you will take title to a 2009 GMC Canyon Truck. Make a hole-in-one on any other hole during the June 14 tournament and you'll win a one-week stay at a condo in Hilton Head.
 
The 18-hole, two-person scramble format tournament, which will have prizes for men's, women's and mixed teams, will take place at Undermountain Golf Course in Copake. Included in the $65 entry fee are lunch, snacks and a chicken BBQ dinner. Non-golfers can enjoy the BBQ dinner for $15. Entry forms are available at the library or online at www.undermountaingolf.com. A portion of all entry fees goes to the library building fund.
 
The truck is being donated by Ruge's GMC of Copake and the condo stay by MetzWood Harder Insurance of Chatham.

Our new library is going to have a neat community room complete with coffee machine and public bathrooms (not through the Director's Office!) and any seating arrangement we want - and finally, finally, room to come together as a community to learn, to interact and to enjoy music, art, knowledge in all its forms, mind improving as well as practical.  We want to be an exciting, joyful, growth-supporting cultural center of community life in this corner of Columbia County!

 

But we only want to offer those subjects which you find exciting and interesting!  Please click here to access our online survey and tell us what you would like to find in YOUR library. And which of your talents and experiences you might want to share with others. 

 

Inge Etzbach

 

Libraries:  The medicine chest of the soul.  ~Library at Thebes, inscription over the door.

  
Would you like to publicly honor or memorialize someone important to you or the Roe-Jan Community? The new Roeliff Jansen Community Library has available a number of naming opportunities for those who donate $1,000 or more to the Capital Campaign for the new building. Not only would you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have made a significant contribution to the new library  -- and thus the community - someone special to you will be recognized and remembered for decades to come.
 
For instance, if you contribute $3,500 you could have a plaque on the book return.  A donation of $5,000 could be for preschool or juvenile shelving unit. For a $10,000 pledge you could have a plaque in memory of a special relative or friend on a study pod. Perhaps you would like to contribute $15,000 for the conference room table and honor someone you believe has contributed in an important way toward improving the Roe-Jan Community. The library, which will also function as a community center, will be the one public building in the Roe Jan area used by both full and part time residents of all ages. It will impact, education, intellectual and cultural life, leisure activities, and more.
 
Several of the opportunities are for aspects of the green building; the rain garden, lighting and geo-thermal systems, and the energy efficient windows.
 
Opportunities range up to $500,000. If you can contribute that wonderful a gift the building would be named after you or whoever you choose to honor.
 
For more information on naming and memorial opportunities contact Capital Campaign Co-Chair Meg Wormley at 325-1497 or mwormley@att.net

Meg Wormley
 

 
Boy Scouts aren't the only ones who should "Be Prepared".  Job seekers should pay attention too.

 

Your library is your most valuable resource.  Our computers have Internet access to enable you to complete online job applications.  Or you can explore our website which has links to sites for career exploration, researching companies, job listings, templates for writing resumes, and preparing for tests (GED, SAT, Civil Service, Vocational, etc.)  We also have wireless service if you wish to bring your own laptop.

 

We have a collection of books to explain updating resumes, writing cover letters, and brushing up on interview skills and dressing for success.  Our newly created brochure, Resources for Job Seekers, lists top web sites and the books in our collection.  Ask for one at the circulation desk.

  
In Hillsdale, on November 10, 1844 a son was born to Alfred and Mary Ann Bruce.  The proud parents named him Wallace Bruce.  From this you may gather he was of Scottish descent.
 
Young Wallace attended the Hudson River Institute in Claverack and was class valedictorian.  He next went to Yale University and was known to be a scholar, writer and orator and won six literary honors and first prizes in English and Public Debate.
 
After graduating in 1867, he studied law and was admitted to practice in 1869 but spent most of his time in literary pursuits.  He began to give lectures and established an enviable reputation in that field.
 
When he was appointed U.S. consul to Edinburgh, Scotland, it marked the beginning of years of brilliant oratory.  He delivered addresses at the unveiling of a monument to Robert Burns in 1891 and a monument to Abraham Lincoln in 1893.
 
To go on to list all of his accomplishments in America and the over 130 lectures he gave at educational centers all over the country would stun you and exhaust me.
 
He truly loved Hillsdale and the Hudson River and claimed that he had walked the whole length of the river from the Adirondacks to the ocean.
 
A verse from one of his many poems lauding the area is incised on a marble tablet along Whippoorwill Road in Hillsdale on property that was part of his family's farm.
 
The library owns three of his books exploring various aspects of the Hudson and also two books of poetry - In Clover and Heather and Old Homestead Poems.  Drop by and learn more about another of Columbia County's famous men.
 
Pat Stroh

 
The next time you visit the library, pick up a copy of BookPage, the monthly newspaper with author interviews and book reviews of the latest titles.  There is a link for the online version both on our website www.roejanlibrary.org and on the side bar of this newsletter.

Are you afraid of philosophy?

 

A friend told me the other day that  the word "philosophy" made her uncomfortable.  She thought philosophy was for the college  student, or the "highly intellectual" person who seems to know a lot about everything. She was afraid that she wouldn't measure up.

But even the dictionary doesn't confine it to the highly educated person.  Philosophy is the "love and pursuit of wisdom and a search for a general understanding of values and reality", as defined by several sources.  So, why should you feel that philosophy is not for you?  When was the last time you discussed your thoughts openly and honestly with others? Have you ever questioned society and it's assumptions or your own?   We love  people who are curious, perplexed and filled with an insatiable sense of wonder,  who are more interested in learning how to think, not what to think.  Socrates did not  "lead" people to a specific truth; rather, he inspired people to question and think and discover and articulate their own unique truths.

It was Socrates after all who said "I know that I know nothing", and "the unexamined life is not worth living."  He also said: ""Wisdom begins in wonder", and therein lies Socrates' greatness.

Inge Etzbach

 
The Roeliff Jansen Park is providing a wonderful space for a Community Garden beginning this summer.  The garden is located in a well composted and sunny area and there are several 4' x 21' plots.  It's fenced to keep the local wildlife from feasting on the delicious fruits of your labor.  There will also be a demonstration garden, a composting area, storage area and water source. Contact Carol at 325-5537 or roejanpark@gmail.com for more information.  The park is located on Route 22, just a half mile south of the light at the Hillsdale intersection.  Visit the park's website at www.roejanpark.org. 

The Roeliff Jansen Community Library has a reading list with several pertinent books for community gardeners, such as Crocket's Victory Garden and The Healthy Garden Handbook.  We also have many books on canning and preserving methods to help you keep enjoying your bountiful harvest during the cold winter months. Come in and get our list and peruse our gardening book offerings. You might also want to search the entire Mid-Hudson Library Catalog for even more books and gardening ideas.  The library's website is at www.roejanlibrary.org

Happy gardening!     
 
Rose-Rita Petersons
 

 
Check out the construction photos for May.  We have some spectacular aerial photos taken by local photographer, Doug Goodhue.  Doug can be reached at silvercloudstudio@yahoo.com or 518-329-5758.

 

2009 marks the anniversary celebrations of the voyages of discovery made by Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain in 1609, as well as the 200th anniversary of the launching of Robert Fulton's steamboat on the Hudson River in 1807.

Henry Hudson (1570-1611), and his crew of 20 Dutch and English sailors, sailed the Half Moon from New York harbor to what is now Albany.  They were the first Europeans to explore the entire navigable length of the Hudson River.
 
Samuel de Champlain (1567?-1635) was a French explorer and navigator.  Champlain discovered the lake named for him on the border of northern New York and Vermont.

Robert Fulton (1765-1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is credited with journeying up the Hudson River on the first commercially successful steamboat.

Each Columbia County library has received grant money to purchase books to establish a Quadricentennial bookshelf.  I created a notebook entitled Henry Hudson, Hudson River, Hudson Valley.  It includes all the books available on these subjects in our collection, both adult and juvenile. Children in the summer reading program will have related themes such as rivers, Native Americans, early American crafts, ships and explorers.

We have a Henry Hudson cut out that will be treated like a Flat Stanley which may be checked out to take on trips, picnics, and family get-togethers.  Patrons will then take pictures of him being part of activities and places he never dreamed of.  On August 13, all the pictures will be displayed at a county-wide picnic at the Claverack Town Park.

New York State has planned a yearlong series of events celebrating our Dutch, French and English heritage.  Look for weekly program updates on their website: http://www.exploreny400.com

Carol Briggs

 

 

This is Flat Henry visiting Petros Handrinos (son of Linda and Nick Handrinos, Greece and grandson of Roger and Bette Gallup, Hillsdale).

 

Flat Henry is in Greece, the island of Corfu, the small

town of Afionas.

 

Petros is riding Makis, their donkey.

 

3.  Guided tour of a museum or historic area with an expert. 

4.  Dinner and conversation at your house with a famous friend 

5.  A stay at a condo in a great vacation area. 

6.  Sunset boat cruise on Copake Lake with cocktails and hors d'oeuvre
 
If you have an idea for something special to auction contact Maj at maj@lonnykalfus.com  or 325-4051.
 
Tickets to the BBQ will be available at the library in June.