artwork by Arlene Boehm

The Friends of the Library’s Book Sale Room is open every Saturday from 10am-1pm! Keep an eye out for their Blackboard Specials – special pricing on certain genres, formats, or categories of books!

The Book Sale Room holds thousands of books on a myriad of subjects, including cooking, art, travel, gardening, autobiography, classics, fiction, humor, mystery, business, politics, health, science and more. Premium magazines, audiobooks and VHS tapes are also available for purchase at discounted prices.

The Friends welcome your donation of gently-used books and other media throughout the year. Please, no text books, encyclopedias, trade journals or damaged items. Please call the library in advance of donating at 518.828.1792 to arrange a drop-off time Tuesdays through Saturdays.

The Friends of the Hudson Area Library is a 501c(3) non-profit organization and all proceeds from its fundraising go to the Library for the acquisition of books and other media and for the development and delivery of the Library’s services to the community.

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It’s the early 1980s—the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.

As Madeleine tries to understand why “it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth-century France,” real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead—charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy—suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old “friend” Mitchell Grammaticus—who’s been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange—resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.

Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology Laboratory on Cape Cod, but can’t escape the secret responsible for Leonard’s seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.

Are the great love stories of the nineteenth century dead? Or can there be a new story, written for today and alive to the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenups, and divorce? With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the Novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives.

All are welcome! Contact the library at 518-828-1792 or email Sharon Getty at BookGroup@hudsonarealibrary.org for info.

Have a suggestion for a future book group read? Feel free to email Sharon or post in the comments!

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photo shared via Creative Commons license by Eirik Newth (click image to visit his flickr page)

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit research organization in Washington, DC, is conducting an online survey of public library patrons who borrow e-books. If you have checked out or downloaded e-books from a public library, please consider taking Pew Internet’s survey, available at the link below. All responses will be confidential, although your answers may be quoted anonymously in a future report. The survey should take about 15 minutes.

To take the survey, visit: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/participate/survey/e-book-borrowers

To learn more about the Pew Internet Project’s research on e-reading and public libraries, which is entirely free and available to the public, visit http://libraries.pewinternet.org

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John Weinman, former editor of the Register Star and one of the original organizers of SPOUT in Hudson (Society to Protect Our Unique Town), who has been involved in many civic and community organizations in Hudson and Columbia County, will be discussing two very relevant historic buildings, the Armory and the Register Star Building, both of which are possibilities for the Library’s future home.

Wendy McDaris, consultant, curator and designer, will be discussing the Library’s History Room collection. Antique postcards, portraying some of Hudson’s finest architectural gems, as well as other history related items will be during her discussion. She will also speak about the various collections and the many resources available to the public, as well as how to research and access them. Wendy was instrumental in renovating the Library’s History Room and securing grant monies to conserve the collection of historical artifacts.

This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome. For more information call the Library at 518-828-1792. The Friends of the Hudson Area Library was established in 1999 to assist the Hudson Area Library, which serves the communities of Hudson and Greenport. The Friends raise funds throughout the year to provide much needed programs and to grow the Library’s collection in all media types.

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Looking for employment? Having a hard time applying for job opportunities? Need help upgrading your skills? The Hudson Area Library, in collaboration with Columbia Greene Workforce New York Career Center, introduces a series of free career development workshops. The workshops will be held Tuesdays from 9:30-11am between April 17 and May 15. The goal of the workshop series is to help participants develop skills important to today’s job seekers – from how to create and format a quality resume to using the Internet and email in your job search. Sign up today! Interested job seekers may register for one or more of the following free workshops:

Get Connected Workshop (April 17): Learn to use the mouse and get an email address so you can begin to use the Internet in your job search. Learn how to complete an online form and copy and paste information.

Resume Workshop (April 24): Learn about various types of resumes along with the requirements of a quality resume focusing on accomplishments and skills.

Interview Workshop (May 1): Learn how to practice and handle interview questions.

XP/Word (May 8): Learn the Word basics so you can format your resume and cover letter. Learn to find, save, adjust fonts, size, margins, bullets & email/paste a resume.

Internet Job Search (May 15): Learn how to find job leads online and become familiar with using a variety of search sites.

Space is limited. To reserve a spot in one or more of the workshops, call the Hudson Area Library at 518-828-1792. All workshops are offered by Columbia Greene Workforce New York Career Center instructors and are held at the Hudson Area Library at 400 State Street in Hudson, NY.

This project has been supported by a grant from the Fund for Columbia County, a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of our region. Each year, the foundation distributes over $7 million through grants and scholarships, helping thousands of donors achieve their philanthropic goals and hundreds of nonprofits carry on their good work. Berkshire Taconic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. 

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The first class, Computer Basics, for beginners is a pre-requisite for all of the other classes. It will cover computer vocabulary (desktop, icon, web browser, monitor, CPU, etc.), using the mouse, taskbar, understanding windows (opening, closing, minimizing, navigating), and a brief introduction to the Internet (opening a browser, entering a website, etc.). The second class in the series, Internet Basics, will focus on searching the Internet using Google (web, images, and news), following a link, adding Favorites, domain extensions and printing from the Internet. The third class, Email Basics, will include creating a free Gmail account, sending and replying to an email, printing and creating a contact/address list. The class will also include directions on how to open and send an attachment in an email account. The fourth class will focus on Word Processing Basics and will include how to create, save and locate a document, formatting (applying fonts, sizes, bold, italic, etc.), checking spelling and grammar, and printing a document. The fifth class will address how to apply for a job online, including resume creation and job searching techniques. And lastly, the sixth class will be focused on using the Mid-Hudson Library System’s online interlibrary loan system, as well as accessing and downloading eBooks to your mobile eReader device (Kindle, Nook, IPad).

This project has been supported by a grant from the Fund for Columbia County, a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Berkshire Taconic Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents in our region. Berkshire Taconic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity.

Additional support provided by the Friends of the Hudson Area Library. The Friends of the Hudson Area Library is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all proceeds from its fundraising go to the Library for the acquisition of books and other media and for the development and delivery of the Library’s services to the community.

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The Friends of the Hudson Area Library announces its new Super Saturday Kids Book Sale on Saturday, March 31st from 10am until 1 pm. All children’s books will be offered at very low discount prices to encourage readers of all ages. There are thousands of children’s books to choose from, for every level of reader from infants to teens. Included in this sale are large picture books, early reading books, non-fiction books, chapter books and young adult books. There is also a large selection of kids’ VCR tapes available. And, special guest, The Cat in the Hat will be appearing and available for photos with your child. So bring your camera and stop in. This is a great opportunity for a child in your life to experience the joy of books and reading for a lifelong reward!

In addition to the huge selection of kid’s books, the Friends are also offering a special promotion for all adult books as well. Buy one hardcover book, get a free mass market paperback book, this Saturday only.

Hudson’s best kept secret, the Book Sale Room, located at the Hudson Area Library (side entrance) holds thousands of books in over forty categories, including cooking, art, travel, gardening, autobiography, classics, fiction, humor, mystery business, politics, health, science and more. Our inventory is the largest in the region, with new books always being added. Premium magazines, audio books, music, VCR tapes and DVDs are also available for purchase at discounted prices as well.

The Friends welcome your donation of gently-used books and other media throughout the year. Please, no textbooks, encyclopedias, trade journals or damaged items. Please call the library in advance of donating at 518.828.1792 to arrange a drop-off time Tuesdays through Saturdays.

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To enable those of you who could not participate in our new library design focus groups to provide us with feedback about what you want in the new library, we have developed an online survey.

Before You Take the Survey

Our library design consultant Kim Cullin has created a presentation, “Creating a Thriving 21st Century Library” to provide a brief overview of the activities, programs, spaces, and tools that are part of what other libraries across the country are doing to become a 21^st century library. This presentation will provide you with a larger frame of reference before you fill out the online survey.

NOTE: this file has been compressed to make it easier to download. It will look fine on your computer screen but will not look very good if you print it out.

DOWNLOAD “Creating a Thriving 21st Century Library”

Fill Out the Survey

The survey should take you between 5 and 10 minutes to complete. If you want to stay in touch with us be sure to fill out your contact information on the survey.

GO TO THE SURVEY

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Once thought only for kids who were considered “reluctant readers”, graphic novels are actually for everyone. The format merges literacy and visual literacy by requiring that readers make the connection between the written words and images, while also reading between the panels. This encourages a new kind of literacy, vital in interacting with and succeeding in our multimedia world.

The new books are: Daybreak by Brian Ralph; Takio #1 by Brian Michael Bendis; One Soul by Ray Fawkes; Same Difference by Derek Kirk Kim; Thor the Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge; Runaways #1, #2, and #3 by Brian K. Vaughan; The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman; Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeod; Avengers Academy #1 and #2 by Christos Gage; Scarlet by Brian Michael Bendis; I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly; and Naruto #1, #2, and #3 by Masashi Kishimoto.

All titles will be in the Young Adult section at the Library and can be borrowed for up to 21 days with a library card from any library in the Mid-Hudson Library System. They may also be ordered via the online catalog.

Friends of the Hudson Area Library is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all proceeds from its fundraising go to the Library for the acquisition of books and other media and for the development and delivery of the Library’s services to the community.

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Hudson Area Library Conducting Focus Groups on New Library Design

Seeking Participants to Help Design Our Library of the 21st Century

The Hudson Area Library will be conducting a series of focus groups to gather input for the design of the new library. The library has been working with Kimberly Bolan Cullin, a library design consultant, to develop a program and facilities plan for the new library. Ms. Cullin, who is a nationally recognized expert on 21^st century libraries, will lead the one hour sessions. Ten to fifteen people in each focus group will hear a brief illustrated presentation on the library of the future and then have the opportunity to share their ideas about what should be included in the design of the new library.

Ms. Cullin will integrate the inputs from the ten focus groups the library is conducting and combine this with information about the Hudson Area Library and the communities it serves. This will become a facilities plan for the new library. This plan will describe the kinds of programs, spaces, space for books, DVDs, magazine, newspapers, computer terminals, and all of the other elements that we want to have in the library. This then becomes the basis for the architect to develop the plans for the actual building.

Apply By Wednesday March 21, 2012 to Participate

The focus groups will take place between Thursday and Monday, March 22 – 26, 2012, at the library at 400 State St. Hudson. Space will be limited. For more information and to apply to participate go to theFocus Group Application page

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