Howland Public Library | 313 Main Street | Beacon | NY | 12508 
 
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Tom and Kristen Rigney Receive 
Library Advocacy Award
Photo: Dale Leifeste
 

On March 20th, Tom and Kristen Rigney received tfhe 2014 HPL Helen Savoit Library Advocacy Award at an event in their honor at the Towne Crier in Beacon.  Tom and Kristen have been library advocates and co-coaches of HPL's winning Battle of the Books (BoB) teams for many years. They accepted the award, thanking library trustees and staff -- especially Ginny Figlia -- and the Savoit family.  Also appreciated were our community partners who support Battle of the Books: Friends of the Howland Public Library, M&T Bank, and Tony Sorrentino Agency. They thanked "...Our moms, who brought us to the library for summer reading programs when we were kids. Thanks for starting us on our quest for knowledge and love of reading."  Special thanks went to team parents for their snacks, encouragement, and gratitude.  They praised the BoB team saying, "We are so proud of all you've accomplished.  Not just your successes, but your sense of sportsmanship and teamwork."

 

They closed with this thought:  "Libraries circulate and share the ideas, stories, and experiences of those who have come before, so that the next generation can learn from them, and grow and cultivate their dreams for the good of all of us.  May we always dedicate ourselves to this pursuit."

 

Photo: Dale Leifeste

The Savoit event also recognized the work of Ginny Figlia, Head of Youth Services (left); BoB student coaches Zach DiGregorio, Rachael Ng, Sarah Poons, and Katie Webster; and the 1st Place Beacon Bees 2013 All-Star team: Emmanual Arubuike, Ezekial Arubuike, William Dambra, Sydney DiGregorio, Sarah Goodhill, Ella Lewis, Patrick Lewis, Autumn Lennon, and Marisa Mourgues.

 

HPL thanks the Savoit family, the 80+ people who supported the event this year, Phil Ciganer and staff at the Towne Crier, and performers Kathleen Patrick and Stephen Clair, and T'N'T (Tom and Tony jazz guitarists).  Thanks for a memorable evening!

 

 
Library Budget Vote and Trustee Election on May 1st
Howland Public Library Board FY 2013-14
HPL Board of Trustees FY 2013-14 (from left): Donna Haynes, Derek Sanderson (Cor. Secretary), Prudence Posner (President), Peter Ullian, Adam McKible, Shawn Waldron (President-Elect), Moning Lin, and Ken Straus (Treasurer).  Not pictured: Dale Leifeste.                                                                                                                                                           Photo: F. Keaton
The Howland Public Library Budget Vote and Trustee Election will be held Thursday, May 1, 2014 from noon to 8 PM in the library's Community Room. The Howland Public Library Board of Trustees is requesting a tax increase of $6,244 (.69%), well below the NYS tax cap. Click here for a copy of our budget or pick a copy up at the front desk. 

 

A public budget information session will be held at 7 PM on Tuesday, April 1, 2014, followed by the regular meeting of the Howland Public Library Board of Trustees.

 

Also on May 1st, 2014, voters will elect three library trustees.  Candidates will be elected to fill two five-year terms and one one-year term.  Two incumbents are seeking election: Prudence Posner and Donna Haynes.  Citizens interested in running for a seat on the library board may pick up petitions at the library's front desk.

 

Candidates for the Board of Trustees must be nominated by a petition signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the Beacon City School District.  A qualified voter is a person who is a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old, and a resident of the Beacon City School District for at least 30 days prior to the vote.

  

Petitions must state the name and residence of each candidate and the residence of each signer. Each petition sheet must include the notarized signature of the person collecting the signatures.  The deadline for filing petitions with the Library Election Clerk is Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 5:00 P.M.  

 

 Voters who are registered with the Dutchess County Board of Elections are already registered to vote in the Howland Public Library Budget Vote and Trustee Election.  Voters may confirm their voter registration or download a voter registration form from the Board of Elections.

 

Citizens who are not registered with the Dutchess County Board of Elections may register with the Library District to vote on May 1st.  The library will hold voter registration for qualified voters in the Beacon City School District on Thursday, April 24, 2014 from 1:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at the library. Voters must be a U.S. Citizen 18 years of age or older by May 1, 2014, and a resident of the Beacon City School District for at least 30 days immediately preceding the vote.  Please bring identification and proof of residency to register to vote.

 

Absentee ballot applications for the library vote are available at the library or here.  

 

 

Last year was a record-breaker at HPL:

 

The number of visits to the library rose 8% to 116,000

www.beaconlibrary.org received over 70,000 visits

 

The number of HPL cardholders rose 12% to 10,055 

HPL's collection grew 6% to 53,000 items

The number of items borrowed by HPL users rose 4% to 112,881

Borrowing has increased 22% in the past five years

 

About 8,500 reference questions were answered by library staff

The number of questions has grown 38% in five years

 

HPL public PCs logged 11,500 sessions and wireless use is up

 

HPL hosted 791 programs that were attended by 13,733 people

Program attendance has increased 39% in five years

 

HPL couldn't do it without your support.

Thank you!

 

 
For information about our hours, programs, and services, visit 
 
Howland Public Library
313 Main Street
Beacon, New York 12508
845-831-1134