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Love is in the (library) air |
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 The bad news is that due to the wintry weather we're getting, the library is closed today. The Exchange and Fiction Book Club scheduled for this afternoon and evening are cancelled, as is tomorrow's Valentine Workshop (though the library may still be open tomorrow, depending on the weather and road conditions).
The good news is there are still a lot of other Valentine-themed activities you can attend next week!
Monday: The Mini Art Club meets at 10:30 a.m. to create some Heart Art using mixed media.
Tuesday: Book Buddies meets at 10:30 a.m. At 4 p.m., Fat Tuesday comes to Wallkill with mask making, music, games, and more during Mardi Gras Story Time. Wear a costume and join the fun! Registration suggested.
Wednesday: Mommy and Me meets at 10 a.m., followed by Toddler Story Time at 11 a.m. The Art Club meets at 4 p.m. to make some Jim Dine (famous for his heart art) foil artwork using cardboard, tinfoil, styluses, and Sharpies.
Thursday: Pre-schoolers are invited in for Valentine Making at 1:30 p.m. Bring in your little one(s) and let them play Cupid by creating a card for someone special. The Knit and Crochet Club meets at 6:30 p.m.
Coming up:
Mark your calendars! The third annual Lego-Build-A-Thon is coming Saturday, Feb. 23, from 1-3 p.m. Bring your Legos and a friend and spend the afternoon using your imagination. Registration suggested.
The chapter president of the famous Tuskegee Airmen will be here Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the legendary African-American pilots of the 1940s. |
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High School artists' work on display  It's once again time for Wallkill High School's annual art show, as you can tell by the amazing pieces displayed throughout the library.
This year about 40 participants in grades 9 through 12 submitted a variety of canvases and sculptures.
Sponsored by the Wallkill Woman's Club, the artwork stays on display through February. Judging takes place during the course of the month by retired Wallkill High School art teacher Mr. Kelso and former student (and art major) Joshua Rotunda. The two will select 11 pieces for the district competition, some of which then have a shot of moving up to the state competition!
Stop in soon and see what great talent we have at the high school! |
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Library Friends' hard work pays off
 | | Actors from the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater perform at last summer's SRP finale, funded in part by the Friends. |
The Friends of the Wallkill Public Library raised more than $11,000 in 2012! Congratulations and much thanks goes out to this hard-working group, whose fund-raising endeavors included managing and operating the Friends' Used Book Shop, organizing and running the Harvest Faire, selling raffles and mums, and holding a membership drive.
Proceeds raised by the Friends included helping foot the bill for Summer Reading Program events and performers, purchasing supplies for the children's room of the library, paying for an art class to promote and support the Books Alive! project, and much more.
Headed by Adrienne Gelfand-Perine, the Friends of the Library is a group of dedicated and ambitious volunteers who donate their time for the betterment of the library. If you think you'd be interested in helping out, call the library at 895-3707 or ask about volunteering the next time you're in. |
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New books, DVDs available downstairs  The children's room recently received some new orders that include the latest popular books and films!
Among the popular DVDs for children are Toy Story 3, all eight of the Harry Potter films, Tangled, and Happy Feet. Parents interested in addressing the sensitive issue of being picked on in school might want to pick up the CD Kids and Bullying: Audiobooks for Conversation, located downstairs in the Story Time room, with the parenting books. |
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We want your thoughts on Harvest Faire! The Friends of the Library are in the process of reviewing the possibilities for next year's Harvest Faire, and would like your input.
Have you attended any of the past three Faires? Do you have suggestions as to what would improve the festival?
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NYLA Library Advocacy Day is March 5
 You can help show our legislative representatives how much you care about your local libraries by packing their offices at every scheduled appointment during the New York Library Association's Library Advocacy Day Tuesday, March 5.
RCLS - the library system of which Wallkill is a member - is organizing a motor coach to Albany for that day. A bus will be picking up participants at locations including West Nyack, Newburgh, and New Paltz early that morning, and will be leaving Albany that afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
If you'd like to attend, you can register online .
The cost of the trip is $12 per person (non-refundable), payable to RCLS. Registration and payment deadline is Feb. 25. |
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Civil Service exams coming up
Those looking for a career change or a step up the professional ladder may be interested in some of the Civil Service job opportunities throughout our area. Upcoming exam dates include:
- Entry Level Clerical Series (Open Competitive) - April 6 and Sept. 14
- Account Clerical and Custodial (Open and Competitive) - May 4 and Sept. 28
- Senior Clerical Series and Water/Wastewater Series (Open and Competitive) - May 18 and Oct. 26
- Caseworker Series (Open Competitive) - June 8 and Dec. 14
There is a $20 non-refundable test fee for all exams, and the filing dates are typically a month before the test dates. For more information, visit the Ulster County Personnel Department. |
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Publishers use site to hawk their wares  Bookish, launched this past Monday, is a website built by top publishers to provide information on their books and authors in a literary magazine-style format.
Billed as "a one-stop, comprehensive online destination designed to connect readers with books and authors," the site was financed by three publishers (Simon & Schuster, Penguin Group USA, and Hachette Book Group), but includes books by 16 other houses, including Scholastic and Random House. Designed as another tool for discovering, discussing, and buying books, the site's initial offerings include a review by The Onion editors of Fifty Shades of Grey, and a response by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert to Philip Roth's criticism of writing as a profession. Publishers are aiming to increase their web presence with the site, which will also include interviews, excerpts, recommendations, and links to retailers large and small. |
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Binchy's last novel hits shelves Feb. 12  Completed just days before Maeve Binchy died in July at the age of 72, A Week in Winter follows the tradition of the charming, character-rich style that made the author's other novels (Circle of Friends, Tara Road) so popular.
In the new book, the Sheedy sisters had lived in Stone House for as long as anyone could remember. Set high on the cliffs on the west coast of Ireland, overlooking the windswept Atlantic ocean, it was falling into disrepair - until one woman, with a past she needed to forget, breathed new life into the place. Now a hotel, with a big, warm kitchen and log fires, it provides a welcome few can resist.
Winnie is generally able to make the best of things, until she finds herself on the holiday from hell. John arrived on an impulse after he missed a flight at Shannon. And then there's Henry and Nicola, burdened with a terrible secret, who are hoping the break at Stone House will help them find a way to face the future...
The book will be on the shelves at Wallkill Public Library on its release date, Feb. 12. |
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What really blinded Mary Ingalls?
 It wasn't scarlet fever that blinded Mary Ingalls after all, as it turns out.
Fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books will recall that the writer's older sister lost her sight at age 14, as a result, according to Wilder, of scarlet fever.
But ten years of research led by a team of doctors uncovered no mention whatsoever of a rash or anything else indicative of scarlet fever. Researchers did eventually come across a reference Wilder made in a letter to her daughter about Mary suffering from "some sort of spinal sickness." Wilder went on to mention other symptoms that led the doctors to conclude in the March Pediatrics that Mary suffered from a meningitis-like virus called meningoenchephalitis.
It's thought that Wilder changed the diagnosis in her books to make the illness more understandable for her readers. |
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Bridget Jones returns in November  A date has been set for Bridget Jones' previously reported return (in book form), and that date is November.
Knopf made the announcement this past week, adding that Helen Fielding's latest installment will receive an initial printing of 250,000 copies. First published in 1996, Bridget Jones' Diary has been credited as among the founders of "chick lit." That and its 1999 sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, have sold 15 million copies worldwide. Though few details have been released about the latest book, it has been announced that the story will be set in modern-day London and that Bridget will be "at a later stage in her life." |
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Monthly stats show usage is up According to the director's report issued each month by director Mary Lou Carolan, the library is busier than ever!
Each month Mary Lou runs a report that reflects usage statistics at the Wallkill Public Library.
According to the January report, the number of total Wallkill Public Library users rose to 2914 (up 17 from the previous month). Checkouts were up 867, to 2,664. Inter-library loans to other libraries were up 60 items to 277, and inter-library loans from other libraries to our users were up 242, to 718.
That's a lot of traffic for a tiny building. Thanks to all of you who support us! |
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