Library Knitting Group Donates to SOS Shelter

Just as the weather has been dipping into the frigid temperatures, the Broome County Public Library Knitting Group has donated items to help the clients of the SOS Shelter stay warm.

During the fall months, Sherry (our Head of Reference Services and the leader of the Library Knitting Group) encouraged group members to work on projects that could be shared with individuals and families who are in need of the services provided by the SOS Shelter. The group responded enthusiastically and got right to work, producing many items to donate.

All in all, the Library Knitting Group knitted 6 blankets, 5 pairs of socks, 39 scarves, 37 hats, 11 pairs of mittens, and one baby sweater for the SOS Shelter.

The Library Knitting Group usually meets on the third Thursday evening of each month. The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 21, 6:00-7:30pm. For more information about the Knitting Group, you call call the Information Services Desk at 607-778-6451.

We've got over 1,000 cranes!

According to Japanese legend, if you fold a thousand origami cranes, a wish will be granted. At the beginning of November, the Broome County Public Library asked area youth to help fold 1,000 paper cranes as a wish of hope for our community. Seven weeks after the folding began, the cranes have been counted, and the total is over 1,200 origami cranes!

This project involved community members of all ages—from preschool children through adults. Two teens folded over 100 cranes each, adding their hard work to the display of cranes that now hangs in the library. As people young and old folded the cranes, they added to a collective wish for peace, safety, and prosperity for our community. As one young person wrote on her crane’s wings, “This is our cry. This is our prayer…peace in the world.”

Some of the cranes were folded in the library, but many were folded at area high schools, and some young people folded cranes at home and brought them to the library. Special thanks go to the Chenango Forks High School Library Club and the Vestal Senior High School Library Media Center staff, who folded cranes and inspired others to fold hundreds more!

The cranes will be on display in the library through the middle of January.

Winter Art Program for Children

Are you looking for something fun to do during your winter break from school??

Come and make some art at the library!

Staff from The Art School will be leading us in a winter-themed art project.

Suggested ages 7 to 12

Tuesday, December 29, 2:00pm

Broome County Public Library--Children's Room

Free registration is required.

To register, or for more information,

please call the Youth Services Department at 607-778-6456.

This program is made possible through funding from Senator Tom Libous's BOOKS Program.

Poetry Reading and Workshop

The Broome County Public Library is pleased to host accomplished writer and poet, Andrei Guruianu, Broome County's Poet Laureate, on Saturday, December 12, 1:00-3:00pm. Mr. Guruianu will offer a poetry reading and workshop, which will be free and open to the public.

Andrei Guruianu works to bring poetry to the people of the Southern Tier and he has established a literary journal, The Broome Review. For more information about Mr. Guruianu and his work, you can visit his website by clicking here.

Free Resume Preparation Workshop

Are you looking for a job? Do you need to write a resume? Are you baffled by electronic resumes?

Then this is the workshop you have been waiting for!

Representatives from Broome Tioga Workforce New York will lead this workshop, which will give you guidance about how to set up your resume so that it will catch an employer's eye.

Space is limited, so registration is necessary. For more information, or to register, please call 607-778-6451.

December 7, 2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm
Held at the Broome County Public Library's Ahearn Business Center

1,000 Paper Cranes

Do you remember when we told you about our project to fold 1,000 paper cranes?

Well, here are the cranes that we have displayed as of yesterday!

We've had lots of people helping us fold the cranes, from very young children all the way to adults, and we've really been enjoying it!

We've also had some help from area high schools. I visited the Chenango Forks High School Library Club at the beginning of the month, and a week later, they brought me 120 more cranes! And on Monday, the Vestal High School librarian brought me two boxes overflowing with cranes!

Right now we have about 630 cranes, which is fantastic! But we still need about 370 more...

I'm hoping that we'll have more crane-folding sessions at the library in December, so keep your eyes open for that. In the meantime, if you'd like to try folding some at home, you can visit the Origami Fun website for instructions. You can contact Sarah (607-778-3564 or teen@bclibrary.info) if you'd like to bring in some cranes to be part of the display at the library.

Twilight Party!!!

The Broome County Public Library and

Your Home Public Library present

A TWILIGHT SAGA PARTY

Come celebrate the opening
of the New Moon movie
with other Twilight fans!

We’ll have crafts, snacks, and other activities,
as well as a Twilight trivia challenge
and a raffle for cool prizes!

For youth ages 13-18
The event will take place
Saturday, December 5, 2:30pm
Broome County Public Library—Decker Room
185 Court Street, Binghamton NY 13901

Registration is required.
To register, or for more information, please contact
Maryse at YHPL—607-797-4816
Sarah at BCPL—607-778-3564 or teen@bclibrary.info

Internet Safety Awareness - Free Seminar for Parents

Do you know as much about MySpace as your children do?

Attend a free seminar for parents on social networking, cyber-bullying, and other internet safety awareness issues.

Meghan Whalen from the Crime Victims Assistance Center will present training for parents on how to access social networking sites: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr. She will also share information regarding cyber-bullying.

This seminar is sponsored by the Family Violence Prevention Council.

Date: Thursday, November 12, 12:00-1:00pm

Lunch: Bring your own lunch. Bottled water will be provided.

Registration: To register for this seminar, please call the Family Violence Prevention Council at 607-778-2153.

Night Navigation: A Visit with Author Ginnah Howard

The Broome County Public Library is pleased to announce the visit of author Ginnah Howard on Thursday, November 5, at 6:00pm, in the Library's Exhibit Room.

Ms. Howard will be sharing excerpts from her debut novel, Night Navigation, which tells the story of a mother and son who are both struggling with the son's drug addiction. After the reading, there will be time for a question-and-answer session with the author.

For more information about the author, visit http://www.ginnahhoward.com/.
For more information about this event, please call 607-778-6451.

Reviews of Night Navigation:

"The strength of this story pulls Howard's readers along, unable to turn away from a fierce mother and son who are determined to negotiate the future without having to 'detour around every moment of their past.'"

- New York Times Book Review, July 5, 2009, an Editor's Choice

"Ginnah Howard's raw, vivid account of addiction and codependency unflinchingly explores the vast darkness of guilt and despair. The stark, urgent voices...ache with anger and love, fear and hope. Howard's ability to dive so deep into the human psyche is a testament to her grace and compassion as a writer. Night Navigation will leave you breathless--a haunting, riveting debut."

- Kiara Brinkman, author of Up High in the Trees

Help us Fold 1,000 Cranes

The Broome County Public Library invites area youth to be part of a project to make 1,000 paper cranes. According to Japanese legend, if you fold a thousand origami cranes, a wish will be granted, and there are many people in our area who wish for peace, safety, and prosperity. Help us fold cranes to display in the library as a sign of hope for our community!

We’ll be folding cranes in the Young Adult Area of the library on these dates:
Saturday, November 14, 1:00-4:30pm
Monday, November 16, 3:00-5:00pm
Wednesday, November 18, 3:00-5:00pm
Monday, November 23, 5:00-7:30pm

This program is intended for youth ages 13-18, but others are welcome to join in folding cranes. For more information, or if you would like to make origami cranes at home and bring them to the library to be part of the display, please contact Sarah at 607-778-3564 or teen@bclibrary.info.

America's National Parks

Did you get a chance to watch any of Ken Burns' documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea on PBS last week? I was able to watch a few of the episodes, and I was so interested by the history of the parks. It was amazing to me to learn about the passion and hard work of those who wanted to save beautiful places that were important to them.

When I did a search in our catalog for National Parks, I was surprised and delighted to see that a number of libraries in the Four County Library System own the companion book to the film. (Of course, I put it on hold right away, and I'm enjoying reading it!)

I've had a couple of patrons ask me for books about people they learned about through the series, and although we don't have information about all of them, we do have materials by and/or about the following notable people mentioned in the film:
- John Muir
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Horace Albright
- Shelton Johnson

If the film inspired you to do some exploring of the parks themselves, we've got a few series that might be of interest to you:
- Frommer's National Parks guides
- Fodor's National Parks guides
- Adventures in America's Western Parks (DVD series)
- The World's Greatest Parks (VHS series)
- National Park Guide series

There are many more books about the National Parks and their history! You can search our catalog to find others that are in our system, or you can stop by the library, and we'd be glad to help you find what you're looking for.

Upcoming Special Events for Children

We have a couple of special children's programs coming up next week, and we're pretty excited about them! Take a look:

Monday, October 12, 2:00-4:30pm

Join us for some "Smooth Sailing" and Columbus Day-themed art activities! This event has been generously funded by Senator Tom Libous's BOOKS Program. This event is for children ages 7 and older. Pre-registration required.

Saturday, October 17, 10:00am

American Red Cross-Scrubby Bear visits the Youth Services Department! Scrubby Bear® reminds children and adults that infection can be fought through frequent hand washing. Scrubby is an immediate reminder to scrub your hands, reinforced by his message, “Don’t get sick, and Wash up quick!” The program is most appropriate for children ages 4 through 7. Pre-registration is required.

For more information, or to register for either of these events, you can call 607-778-6456 or email youth@bclibrary.info.

Teen Read Week at the Broome County Public Library

The Broome County Public Library will be celebrating teens and reading during Teen Read Week, October 19-24. We're joining thousands of other libraries and schools across the country who are encouraging teens to read just for the fun of it!



We have two ways for you to join in our celebration:


Teen Read Week Café
Monday, October 19, 6:00pm—Exhibit Room (Second Floor)
Help us to kick off Teen Read Week by enjoying some sweet snacks and hot chocolate! There will be crafts and games available, as well as a chance to share a reading of a favorite poem or short story. For more info, or to sign up, you can contact Sarah at 607-778-3564 or teen@bclibrary.info. (Signing up is not required, but it sure would be helpful!)


Raffle: Read, Review, WIN!
Here’s how it works:
1. Read a book.
2. Fill out a book review form with your name, email, phone number, and at least three sentences with your thoughts on the book. (Review forms will be available between October 12 and October 24.)
3. Put your completed review form in the box on the teen materials shelf by October 24.
4. If you’d like, you may repeat steps 1-3 (up to a maximum of 10 entries).
5. Wait for a call to see if you’re one of the winners. (Winners will be drawn at random on October 26.)

Prizes will include gift certificates for River Read Books in downtown Binghamton.

Twilight Zone - The 50th Anniversary

If you live anywhere near Binghamton, chances are that you already know about the TZ at 50 celebration that's taking place this weekend to mark the 50th anniversary of the airing of the first episode of The Twilight Zone.

There will be plenty of events going on in Binghamton this weekend, and there will be Rod Serling Conferences at Ithaca College and Antioch College. On Saturday evening, WSKG, our local PBS affiliate, will air live performances of two Twilight Zone scripts, along with a short documentary produced by WSKG's Emmy award-winning Brian Frey.

Others have decided to get in on the Serling celebration, too. The Chamber of Commerce has created a special pamphlet, complete with a map of Serling-specific sites to visit in Binghamton. We've got a Rod Serling postage stamp now, and a BC Transit bus with a larger-than-life image of Mr. Serling.

It's appropriate that we should have such an over-the-top celebration because Rod Serling was proud of his Binghamton heritage. In an interview, he's quoted as saying,

"Everyone has to have a hometown. Binghamton's mine. In the strangely
brittle terribly sensitive makeup of a human being, there is need for a place to
hang a hat, or a kind of geographical womb to crawl back into, or maybe just a
place that's familiar because that's where you grew up.

"When I dig back through memory cells, I get one particularly distinctive feeling and that's one of warmth, comfort, and well-being. For whatever else I may have had or lost or will find, I've still got a hometown. This, nobody's gonna take away from me."

And, of course, if you're interested in delving more into The Twilight Zone or into Rod Serling's past, the library has a wealth of resources.

We have:
- books about Rod Serling
- Twilight Zone Radio Dramas on audiocassette and CD
- episodes of The Twilight Zone on videocassette
- graphic novel adaptations of Twilight Zone scripts
- and more!

Also, if you want to read articles about Serling and about past Twilight Zone-related local events, Local History has LOTS of information.

Fall Book Reviews

The Friends of the Broome County Public Library have announced the dates for the Fall 2009 Book Reviews. The Reviews will take place on Wednesdays, 12:00-1:15pm, in the Library's Decker Room. Lunch may be purchased at Porfolio's Cafe, which is located in the rotunda of the library, across from the Decker Room.



Wednesday, September 23, 12:00-1:15pm

The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina by Frank Rich

Reviewer: David Rossie, Press & Sun Bulletin Writer




Wednesday, September 30, 12:00-1:15pm

As Time Goes By: Boomerang Marriages, Serial Spouses, Throwback Couples, and Other Romantic Adventures in an Age of Longevity by Abigail Trafford

Reviewer: DeWitt Henricks, Binghamton University Adjunct Lecturer in Communications




Wednesday, October 7, 12:00-1:15pm

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Reviewer: Gerald Smith, Broome County Historian





Wednesday, October 14, 12:00-1:15pm

Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage by Jeff Benedict

Reviewers: Gerald Loy and Tom Rossi, Professors, Broome Community College




Wednesday, October 21, 12:00-1:15pm

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD

Reviewer: Catherine Stuckart, Binghamton attorney





Wednesday, October 28, 12:00-1:15pm

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

Reviewer: Rawn Spearman, Retired IBM Employee, GED Teacher





Wednesday, November 4, 12:00-1:15pm

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Reviewer: Cheryl Ebert, Trustee of Broome County Public Library, Retired Teacher in the Johnson City School District





Substitute

Retribution: The Battle for Japan 1944-45 by Max Hastings

Reviewer: Norman J. Sweeney, Chairman of Book Reviews, Friends of the Library, Superintendent Emeritus of the Chenango Forks School District

More Books Made into Movies

Here are a few more upcoming movies that are based on books.

(Click on the pictures for links to the movie websites and the books in our catalog.)

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (release date September 25) - based on the 1999 book by David Foster Wallace

Coco Before Chanel (release date September 25) - based on L'irreguliere by Edmonde Charles-Roux - English translation (Chanel) by Nancy Amphoux

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (release date October 23) - based on the 2008 book by Rebecca Miller

The Vampire's Assistant (release date October 23) - based on the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan

The Box (release date November 6) - based on the short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson

Disney's A Christmas Carol (release date November 6) - based on the book by Charles Dickens

The Men Who Stare at Goats (release date November 6) - based on the 2004 book by Jon Ronson

Fantastic Mr. Fox (release date November 13) - based on the book by Roald Dahl


The Blind Side (release date November 20) - based on the 2006 book by Michael Lewis


The Twilight Saga: New Moon (release date November 20) - based on the 2006 book by Stephenie Meyer


The Road (release date November 25) - based on the 2006 book by Cormac McCarthy


Invictus (release date December 11) - based on Playing the Enemy by John Carlin


The Lovely Bones (release date December 11) - based on the 2002 book by Alice Sebold