The time has come to Battle! We are almost a week away from one of the most exciting events in Suffolk County: Battle of the Books. Teams from 39 of our libraries will be duking it out at Stony Brook University's Javits Center! They will be tested on their knowledge of eight titles. Teams are given only five seconds to collectively come up with the right answer. The pressure is on! They will also be donning some amazing and creative costumes. There are no limits to the abilities of our Battle competitors! There will be three sessions:

 

Morning: Registration starting at 7:30AM

 

Afternoon: Registration starting at 12PM

 

Evening: Registration starting at 4:15PM

 

The final competition will be held Monday night where four teams will enter and one team will be victorious! 

 

Good luck to all of our teams! 

 

Middle Country, Longwood and Hauppague came together on Thursday July 24th for a Mock Battle of the Books. Not only is it an incredibly intense practice round, but it also helps the coaches figure out who is most prepared for the actual Battle on August 9th (see above!). The teams were introduced and there was even a skit from the Middle Country Team. Like a good neighbor Middle Country's "State Farm Agents" were there rocking red polos and of course khakis. They came to the rescue to two volunteers who had a run in with a snack table. After some laughs things became serious quickly when the questions were being thrown out there. All three libraries showed off their Battle skills, but only one was victorious. Congratulations Hauppauge's Confidential Espionage Program!  

Not Just Tolerating Teens

   

 Knowledge of teen services and its importance was shared with attendees on July 16th at our "Not Just Tolerating Teens: Why Teens Belong in Public Libraries" workshop. There YALSA's president Chris Shoemaker had library staff thinking about something they could accomplish in the next three months in teen services, in the upcoming years and had them think about a local community organization they would want to partner with. Mr. Shoemaker also went through some of the major points of YALSA's The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action. The full report can be read here. We were also joined by Dr. Louis Corrado who taught about the changing adolescent brain. To wrap up the day four of our very own library directors, who were once teen librarians, shared their thoughts and knowledge on creating a great teen space and environment to better serve this group of sometimes under appreciated patrons. Full video of the day's events will be uploaded in the upcoming weeks.

 

 

While on a visit to Connetquot on July 17th we were lucky enough to check out what they have been working on for Summer Reading. Among some of the other amazing projects they have up and running something that really caught my eye were these large pieces of art they have on the tops of their book shelves. Not only does it look awesome, but it was used as a community service project for the teens. Using the Summer Reading clip art they projected the images onto white paper and traced the lines. From there a volunteer painstakingly cut out each piece of white art. It was then painted and hung on poster board by teen volunteers. Librarians came in later to add a dash of dazzle with some carefully applied glitter! What a  fun and creative way to decorate for summer reading and offer some community service hours!

 

Libraries are changing their roles from transactional to transformational, and one of the areas in which this occurs is in publishing. Whether it is memoirs, family histories, children's stories, scrapbooks, student journals, or faculty research papers - the web has made it easier for people to create and share content. To improve the quality of the content produced and thus improve its value to both the intended audience and our communities, creators need guidance. They turn to libraries for help with research, editing, proof reading, design and layout, publishing options, marketing, and much more.

 

The NY 3Rs Association, Inc., and its Information Infrastructure (I2NY) Library as Publisher Work Group, are seeking proposals from libraries and library systems for projects that will show the potential of "libraries as publishers".   

 

Applications must be submitted online, no later than midnight, September 30, 2014.  
 

For complete information including Application Forms and Instructions, go to: NY 3Rs I2NY Library as Publisher Innovation Grant.

 

 

 

Book Committee Confidential

A YASD, SCLS & CLASC Program

 

September 11th 

9:30AM: coffee and tea, 10AM -12PM

Sachem Public Library

 

Interested in serving on a book review panel but don't know where to start? Let our panel of experienced reviewers

share their knowledge and tips for getting involved!

 

To register please visit:

http://alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us:2081/record=g1048762~S22  

 Or contact Kim Androlowicz directly:

286-1600 ext. 1380 or kim@suffolknet.org

  

How to Run an El Dia Program at Your Library

 

October 14th

9:30AM: coffee and tea, 10AM - 12PM

SCLS

D�a is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. Learn how to organize a D�a program at your library from members of the MOSAIC committee of SCLA and Suffolk County youth services librarians.

 

To register please visit:

http://alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us:2081/record=g1045547~S22 

Or contact Kim Androlowicz directly:

286-1600 ext. 1380 or kim@suffolknet.org

It Starts with a Story: Fall Literature Conference

 

October 24th

8:30AM - 3:30PM

Hyatt Regency Long Island

 

For more information on the conference and registration details click the link for the PDF below:

2014 Literature Conference Brochure