Wallkill is now among the libraries that participate in Overdrive Advantage, which allows us to offer our patrons special access to popular titles in eBooks and eAudiobooks!

We're in the beginning stages of taking advantage of this program, which is an expensive one. Our first purchase - available now to our patrons when they sign in to Overdrive's site - is a $44.99 eAudiobook of James Patterson's NYPD Red.

Because the eAudio has been bought by Wallkill, it's available exclusively to those with a Wallkill library card. That means that though there may still be a waiting list for the item, it'll be a lot shorter than if that item was available to users throughout the RCLS system.

Keep an eye on Overdrive for future offerings - we hope you enjoy! 

The library will be closed Monday for Memorial Day, but be sure to join us on the library lawn around 11 a.m. for a ceremony following that day's parade! Speeches will be given by guest speakers and the Wallkill High School Band will perform. Light refreshments will be served.

Tuesday: Book Buddies get together at 10:30 a.m. Gnome and Gardening Family Story Time meets at 4 p.m. Textile Tuesdays take place at the Town Hall's community room between 10 a.m.and 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Mommy and Me meets at 10 a.m., followed by Toddler Story Time at 11 a.m. The Art Club gets together at 4 p.m. The Quilters' Circle meets at 6:30 p.m. The Adult Computer Class is held at 7 p.m.
Thursday: The Knit and Crochet Club, Guitar Lessons, and Fiction Book Club all meet at 6:30 p.m. at the library (in different rooms, of course). This month's book club selection is Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel.
Friday: Lego Building is offered at 4 p.m.

  

Please note that this marks the final week of Story Time (Mommy and Me, Toddler Story Time, and Book Buddies) until the Summer Reading Program.

  

Early registration for this year's Summer Reading Program starts Monday, June 10!
Many of this year's activities and events have limited space, so it's always best to come early and make sure you get a spot in your favorite programs! You'll also get to personalize your SRP reading log folder.
This year's Summer Reading Program kicks off June 25 with Potluck Community Picnic and performance by comedy team Sammie and Tudie. It continues well into the summer with more big shows and events, Archaeology Camp, art programs, story times and book clubs, and much more!
And don't forget - registration for this year's LEGO Camp is ongoing at Play-Well TEKnologies' website.
Questions? Call the library at 895-3707.

Field paleontologists Mike and Roberta Straka, who spend time each year exploring the badlands of North and South Dakota, excavating dinosaurs, will be at Ostrander Elementary Monday, June 3, at 1:45 p.m.!

Their show - Dinosaur Dig - will cover the formation of fossils, the habits of herbivores and carnivores, and the basics of geology. The presentation will feature Mr. Nixon, an eight-foot triceratops skull they discovered in 1996, as well as an albertosaurus skull that will highlight the features of a carnivore. Original music, songs, a show-and-tell with rare fossils, and the Dinosaur Game Show will round out the program.

The presentation is part of the Wallkill Public Library's introduction to the Dig In and Read Summer Reading Program. It's being funded in part by a $300 RCLS mini grant funded by the Federal Library Services and Technology Acts funds.

  

Looking for a fun way for your kids to get involved with theatre over the summer?

Instructor Ana Wakeman, a theatre studies major at Ithaca College, will lead the Act It Out Puppet and Play Theatre Workshop for ages 8 to 12 this summer.
Participants will work with Ana to prepare for a puppet show, which will take place July 16, and a play, which will be performed Aug. 6.
Twelve spots are available for the program, which starts June 27.
For more information, call the library at 895-3707.

  

A fund developer is being sought by the Stone Ridge Library Foundation to spearhead fundraising efforts for the library, with a focus on a building restoration campaign.
Qualified applicants will have five years of experience in development with a demonstrated track record of success in securing funds through grants, corporate sponsorship, and individual donations. Excellent computer skills are required, with previous experience with eTapestry desirable.
The opening is a part-time position of 20 hours per week and a salary of $25,000 per year. The position requires being on-site at the Stone Ridge Library (about 10 miles southwest of Kingston). The foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation whose priority is the stewardship of the historic 18th- and 19th-century buildings.
Those interested should email a resume and cover letter to Eileen McAdam at emcadam@hvc.rr.com.

 

Teens ages 13 and up can get a chance to fulfill their community service hours and have a great time doing it by volunteering to help with the Summer Reading Program.
A Teen Orientation will be held at 7 p.m. June 5 at the library. There, those interested in learning more about volunteering will find out the many ways in which they can help the library pull off another sensational summer program.
Light refreshments will be served. Call 895-3707 with any questions.

 

The Wallkill Public Library is fast sliding into our busiest season of the year - the Summer Reading Program is almost upon us, and this is our crunch time. A ton of work goes into preparing for the season and the events leading up to it, and we're lucky enough to get help from some of our special patrons and community members!
This year, our heartfelt thanks go out to:

This weekend, we honor those men and women who sacrificed their lives so that all of us can live free. It got me to thinking about the concept of service in all of its forms. What motivates us to want to give so much, sometimes our lives, to preserve an ideal? Most of us certainly enjoy the freedoms we have, but are we willing to lay down our lives for them? Thank goodness, there are many who feel that call.

 The "greatest generation" doesn't really talk about their experiences much, if at all. The death and destruction, the loss of buddies, the horrors of war, it must just be too heart-wrenching to relive. I have often wondered how difficult that transition from war to regular life back at home must be to make. It must seem absurd to go from braving roadside bombs and bandaging your fallen brother one day to being asked to pick up a loaf of bread at the deli just days later at home. Where do you put all of the memories? How big of a box do you need for that kind of pain?

 Perhaps that is why Monday's Memorial Day ceremonies mean so much. The parades, the flags, the veterans in uniforms that still fit, the gun salutes, the speeches and the somber laying of the wreaths at the monuments - they don't require discussion - just honor, respect, and gratitude. Lots and lots of gratitude.

 As I was coming of age as the Vietnam War was ending, there was so much conflict and anger, disrespect and protesting here at home. Whichever side you were on, it never seemed right to condemn those who made the decision (or those who were drafted) to serve their country. So many gave their lives or returned to a country so divided that there was definitely no box of any size that could house those bad memories. Being let down by those you braved your life to serve must be an open wound to this day. As I have aged, I know I have developed much more respect for our military. I could never do what they do and I am not brave enough to fight the fight, but I am respectful and I am humbled and grateful for their sacrifice.

 I will proudly stand on the library lawn and honor our veterans this Memorial Day. I hope many of you will join us. I hope our children will stand beside us and realize that all we have today was not handed to us but fought for and maintained by those who have our back. Thank you.