Trash to Tunes

Congratulations Trash to Tunes with Dennis Waring, Winner of the 2008 Platinum Best of Show Aurora Award.  It’s now available on MyLibraryDV, the library service that allows you to download hundreds of award-winning feature films, documentaries, tv shows and more to your home computer with just a library card as the price of admission.  Get started with a visit to our website and take advantage of MyLibraryDV now.

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The Aurora Awards is an international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries. It specifically targets products, programs and commercials that would not normally have the opportunity to compete on a national level, by focusing on nonnational commercials, regional or special-interest entertainment and corporate-sponsored film and video.

A Love Supreme

We are so excited here at the library to be part of the community effort to restore the last home of the brilliant jazz artist John Coltrane. John lived here in Dix Hills and it was in this house that he composed “A Love Supreme,” one of his best-known and most beloved works. One of our patrons, Steve Fulgoni, came to the rescue when the house was set for demolition, but now he needs our help bringing it back to life. The first step will be a computer in the library dedicated to a large Coltrane collection of music and pictures, suitable for students, scholars or just the casual user. In the fall, the library will be part of an educational music program that will feature John’s son Ravi, and saxophonists David Liebman and Joe Lovano.

We share Steve’s dream of bringing life back to the house, fill it with children learning about jazz and how a musician lived his life in suburbs, and to inspire visitors with John Coltrane’s deep spirit and soul, which can still be felt when you walk through the rooms.

Want to know a little more? Visit thecoltranehome.wordpress.com .

Brainteaser

Keep your mind sharp and test yourself every Friday with a brainteaser email from Credo Reference. Credo is a new online service we provide from the reference section of our website, a searchable box that works like Google but brings you results from over 300 reference books instead of the web (instead of hunting and hoping the information is accurate, you’ll get immediate answers from reputable sources.)

You can see some sample questions here.  Sign up and start thinking!

Library Week, 2008

State of America’s Libraries 2008

The ALA has published the 2008 State of America’s Libraries report. Here are their key findings:

• Americans check out over 2 billion items annually from public libraries.
• The average user checks out over 7 books/year.
• The average taxpayer bill for public library services - $31/year.
• Public libraries are engines of economic growth, contributing to local development through programming in early literacy, employment services and small-business development.
• Libraries provide excellent ROI, positively impact the local economy, and contribute to neighborhood quality of life.
• School library media centers help students learn more and score higher on standardized tests, but their funding continues to lag.
• Teens are regular users of public library services.
• Almost all of the nation’s public libraries offer YA programs & over half employ at least one full-time staff equivalent in this area.
• Computer and on-line games have become part of the mix at many public libraries, and some use gaming to attract new patrons.
• Spanish is the top-priority language to which libraries devote non-English language services and programs.
• Most libraries serving non-English speakers are in communities with fewer than 100,000 residents.
• Ebooks continued to emerge as a regular feature of libraries of all types.
• Library supporters won an important victory in 2007 when the Environmental Protection Agency was ordered to re-open many of the libraries it had closed in the past year.
• College and research libraries continue to find innovative new ways to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the academy.
• Libraries and librarians of all stripes continue to stand up for the First Amendment rights of all Americans, responding in public discourse and in court to unconstitutional snooping and aspiring book-banners. The right to read — freely and in private — remains a core value of the profession.

via Stephen’s Lighthouse, iLibrarian

LookyBook

LookyBook is an eBook site dedicated to children’s picture books. There are not many eBook sites out there for children, so this one is a real find. The site offers lots of extras if you register (it’s free) - build your own shelf, make comments, or do reviews. You can search by keyword, author, illustrator, or genre, and you have the sorting options highest rated, most looked at, or newest. Your child will have fun sitting on your lap and clicking to turn the pages.

Library Budget Passes

Yes - 399, No - 106

New trustee elected - Larry Bloomstein

Thank you for your support!

The Learning Express

Need to brush up on your computer skills? The Library has a fantastic resource for you, called Learning Express.

The Computer Skills Tutorials provide access to over 50 easy-to use self-paced courses. All tutorials are completely interactive and help learners of any age and experience level develop the computing skills necessary for success in the workplace, school, and everyday life. Approved by the Microsoft Office Specialist Program, these tutorials provide practical, sound instruction on how to use various software applications including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Access and more.

Half Hollow Hills memories

Come back in time with us. Our Melville building is reaching it’s 50th anniversary next year, and we need your help identifying some of the faces from our community’s past. Were you a brownie visiting the library in the 60’s? Did you come for a school visit or a summer storytime? Your face may be up on our new blog, Half Hollow Hills memories.

Would you like to contribute some pictures? We would be happy to digitize them for you and add them to our site.  Please call the library at 421-4530, ext. 324 and ask for Ellen.

New York’s Libraries See More Visitors During Difficult Times

This was the headline in a press release from the New York Library Association the other day. Historically, library use increases during tough economic times like we are seeing now. And that seems to be true here at Half Hollow Hills. The first two months of this year we are seeing more library patrons coming in our doors, borrowing our materials, using our wireless Internet connection, reserving materials and asking questions.

Quoting from that same press release, Michael Borges, Executive Director of the New York Library Association said “When the public’s buying power shrinks and household expenses grow, people tend to rely more on their public libraries for free reading materials and services, like literacy programs and computer training.”

Stop by the Library and see how you can save money by using its resources.

Library Public Information Meeting/Meet the Candidates, Tuesday, April 1, 7:30 pm

The Annual Budget Vote & Trustee Election is Tuesday, April 8th, 9:30 am - 9 pm at the Dix Hills Library building.

At the Public Information meeting on April 1st there will be a presentation about the proposed 2008 - 2009 budget and an opportunity to meet the three candidates for library trustee.

All are welcome.