New & Noteworthy @ WHPLibrary

AARP tax aide counselors are here on Fridays from 9 am -1 pm. The service is provided free of charge to low and middle-income taxpayers, with special attention to those aged 60 and older.

Please remember that the library is closed on Friday April 6. Don't wait until the last minute! The counselors can only see 8 people maximum per session in the time provided.

"Which book have you enjoyed that makes you appreciate the freedom to read?"

Write your answer in one or two pages and send it with this entry form by April 9, 2007. You may win a Barnes & Noble gift card and be honored at a gala reception at the Carle Place store on Thursday April 26, 7:30 pm. The age categories are: 5-12 years old, 13-17 years old, 18+ years old.

If you have any questions, call Mr. Ludemann at 377-6112 ext.103 or email him.

This is the Third Annual Essay Contest sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Nassau County Library Association

Did you know that only 2% of Long Islanders donate blood compared with 5% nationwide?
Your gift of blood could save 5 lives with just one donation.

Long Island Blood Services will be at the library from 4:00 pm- 8:00 pm on Thursday March 29.
If you have medical questions, please call 1-800-688-0900.

To make an appointment, call the Reference Desk at 481-6591. Walk-ins are also welcome.

You should have received your Spring 2007 newsletter in the mail. If not, or if it has somehow gone missing since it passed through your hands, you can now view it on our website or print it out on your home computer. A link to the full copy can be found on the adult page and age appropriate pages for young adults and for children can also be found on their respective webpages.

The Nassau County Legislature is seeking its first Poet Laureate charged with the responsibility of “promoting and encouraging poetry within the county and giving two public readings within the county each year.”

To qualify for the position of Nassau County Poet Laureate (NCPL), a poet will be a resident of Nassau County, and remain a resident for the length of his/her poet laureate position, be eighteen years of age or older, submit a one page resume and submit up to three representative samples of poetry (not to exceed three pages, total), understand the NCPL term is two years, and understand, according to the Nassau County Poet Laureate Law (Title 59), “the poet laureate shall promote and encourage poetry within the county and shall give two public readings within the county each year.” (read the full flyer)

If you are interested in being considered for the position of Nassau County Poet Laureate (NCPL), please send your contact information (name, address, phone number, e-mail address), resume and poems, along with a brief statement that outlines why you think you are a good candidate for consideration, by MARCH 30, 2007, to Paula Camacho via e-mail at PaulaCamF@aol.com

New for 2007: We are pleased to add to our Family Pass Program, the American Museum of Natural History!
Instead of the lottery that we usually offer for this popular NYC cultural institution, WHPLibrary patrons may now borrow a Family Pass that provides complimentary general admission and special exhibition tickets for up to six people, including free admission to IMAX films and coat checking privileges.

We will also continue to offer Family Passes for:

For information about reserving these passes, please contact the Reference Dept (516) 481-6591.

The West Hempstead Public Library can help.

We have dozens of travel guides that you may borrow, including books from Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Insiders’ Guide, Eyewitness Travel, Moon Handbooks, Lonely Planet and Rick Steves. Also available are travel DVDs and videotapes to get you inspired and help you plan.

While traveling, why not check out one, two or three of our audiobooks? Choose among our many fiction and non-fiction selections. They will keep you entertained and stimulated for hours. Musical CDs are another great choice for relaxation or fun while driving or jogging or passing the time. We have selections for both children and adults.

Whether you’re traveling to New Jersey or to France, don’t forget to visit the West Hempstead Public Library before you go. Have a great trip!

Constituents of the 6th senate district are invited to stop by the Community Room of the West Hempstead Public Library from 10 am-12 noon on Monday, August 6 to speak with representatives of NY State Senator Kemp Hannon.

Did you know that even without your library card, you can get access to high quality research, news and magazine articles? Just use your driver's license number to search for information 24/7 using New York State's online library. Go to the NOVELNY website to search for magazines and newspapers by title, or to browse the databases by subject area.

Students, educators, business people, health professionals, shoppers! We have something for everyone.

You may also access the contents of NovelNY using our research database page. Using your library card, you will find these resources listed separately by database name or grouped under the Gale Virtual Library and the EBSCO host links.

Questions? Ask a reference librarian, 481-6591

Many of our patrons look forward to the driver safety refresher classes we host in the library as a public service. We schedule these classes on a regular basis because they help keep both drivers and pedestrians safe and, as an incentive, allow drivers to earn insurance discounts. Unfortunately, because of our anticipated move to the new building, we have had to interrupt our usual fall schedule of programs.

Our next Defensive Driving class for all ages will be on Saturday, November 3 from 9:30 am-4:30 pm. Another Defensive Driving class will be held in two sessions: Monday, December 17 and Wednesday, December 19 from 6:45-9:45 pm. These classes cost $40. For information about similar courses offered in the community, contact the Automobile Club of America at (516) 873-2364 or call your local insurance company.

Our next AARP 55 Alive! class will be scheduled after our move. In the meantime, call AARP at 1-888-227-7669 or go to AARP's Safety Search page to find classes in other locations. Many libraries offer these extremely popular, highly affordable ($10) classes, so be sure to call ahead!

Let's help to keep our students safe. Join the AAA campaign to remind drivers to:

* Slow down when driving near schools, bus stops and playgrounds
* Take special care to obey lower speed limits in school zones
* Make sure to stop for school buses with flashing red lights
* Never use a handheld cell phone while driving - it's the law
* Drive carefully in bad weather

Parents should help children stay safe by identifying the "Best Route to School" and teaching children to follow AAA's pedestrian safety tips.

Presione Aqui para ver el documento "La Mejor Ruta Para Ir A La Escuela" en español.

Long Island Reads is scheduled to take place during the month of April in conjunction with National Library Week. This is our annual island-wide reading initiative when people throughout Nassau and Suffolk come together to read and discuss the same book and participate in library events.

The 2008 LI Reads Committee has chosen Aloft by Chang-rae Lee. This literary novel takes place in the Long Island suburbs and should appeal to both men and women.

The author is currently the Director of the Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University . Lee has been recognized with numerous literary awards for his two earlier novels, Native Speaker and A Gesture Life. Lee will be available to talk about his book during the month of April 2008.

Our Book Chat will take place on Thursday, March 13 in the Conference Room on the second floor of the new library. Please call the Reference Desk at 481-6591 to reserve a place. We welcome you to join our West Hempstead Book Chat to discuss this moving story about 21st century American life.

Announcing the arrival of our newest database: Science Reference Center.

Science Reference Center is a comprehensive research database that provides easy access to 639 full-text science-specific titles. Designed to support the middle and high school curriculums, Science Reference Center encompasses all disciplines of science.

Biology, chemistry, earth, space, life, physical, and environmental sciences are covered as well as health and medicine, science in society, science as inquiry, history of science, technology, scientists, and wildlife. Sources include reference books, encyclopedias, periodicals, newspapers, biographies and images. (Source: EBSCO Support web site)

To access the Science Reference Center,

Go to: www.whplibrary.org/research
Click on E and then on EBSCOhost Web.
Enter your library barcode number.
Click on Science Reference Center.

Have you found our Large Print books in the new library?

Look for them in the Fiction section on the ground floor, between the regular fiction and the mysteries.

For help, ask a librarian at the reference desk.

Here is a list of the latest arrivals.

Our first book discussion in the new library will be held in the second floor Board Room on February 7, 2008 at 7 pm.

Our selection, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, shocked the public and was harshly criticized when it was first published in 1899. It re-emerged from obscurity in the late 1960’s as social and cultural changes led to the recognition of Chopin as a classic writer who addresses many of contemporary women's concerns.

According to biographer, Emily Toth, "Kate Chopin anticipated so much: daytime dramas, women's pictures, The Feminine Mystique, open marriages, women's liberation, talk shows, Mars vs. Venus, self-help and consciousness raising. But in 1899, she was a lonely pioneer."

Here are some links to whet your appetite:
Editorial Reviews, courtesy of Amazon Books
The Kate Chopin International Society
PBS Program "Kate Chopin: A Re-Awakening"

Join us as we explore our own reactions and share insights on the themes of personal freedom, alienation and loneliness, public identity vs. private needs, and more.

Books will be available at the circulation desk in January. Please stop by the Reference Desk or call 481-6591 to register.

We do! We love reading. We love books. We love our library!
If you do, too, consider a library career.

The library world is rapidly changing as a result of the Internet and the easy access it gives to information and social networks across the globe.

Our mission and our skills as librarians place us in the forefront as guides to the ever-challenging task of organizing, evaluating, and delivering the myriad volumes and forms of information that overwhelm us on a daily basis.

Read some librarian blogs to get insight into what we do in public libraries, school libraries, academic and corporate settings. Find out if librarianship is right for you!

Here is a little quiz to see if you know what librarians do!

New York's Primary Date is February 5, 2008, but January 11 is the deadline for filing an application to be eligible to vote in the presidential primaries. You must file in person at the board of elections or mail an application postmarked no later than January 11. The application must be received by the deadline of January 16.

If you want to vote by absentee ballot, your request must be mailed to the board of elections no later than January 29. You may apply in person for a ballot as late as February 4. Ballots must be postmarked by February 4 and received by the board of elections by February 12.

Every year the IRS supplies us with a limited supply of basic tax forms. This year they are located in a cart on the main floor of the library, near the entrance to the Children's Room.

Additional Federal forms and State forms are available online and may be downloaded at home or in the library.

Don't forget that this year you must make an appointment for assistance from our AARP Tax Aides. Call 481-6591 or stop at the Reference Desk to reserve a one hour block of time. Tax assistance will be available every Friday (except March 21), beginning February 8 to April 11, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Will your TV still work after February 17, 2009?

That is the date when all full-power television stations will broadcast only in digital. This should not be a problem if all your TV sets are connected to cable, satellite or another pay service. However, consumers who use "rabbit ears" or a rooftop antenna with an analog television need to take some action before February 17, 2009 to continue receiving television broadcasts.

To help consumers with the DTV transition, the Government established the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. Beginning on January 1, 2008, every U.S. household is eligible to receive up to two coupons, worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. Manufacturers estimate that digital-to-analog converter boxes will sell from $50 to $70 each.

For more information, visit the Department of Commerce's website, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY).

Join us for a May Day Book Chat on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 7pm in the second floor conference room.

We will select the book for discussion based on feedback offered by the March 13 Book Chat participants during our Long Island Reads meeting, so stay tuned. We'll update our library blog and the website and post flyers in the library with the title of the book. Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation desk by April 1.

We also welcome book choices suggested by other readers in the community who plan to join our group in the future. Check our website for books we have read and discussed in the past. Please email or call the reference desk at (516) 481-6591 to register for a book discussion or to be added to our mailing list.

Author, Annie Dillard
In her review of The Maytrees in Bookpage, Linda White comments "If you have not been enthralled by the details of a moth flying into a candle flame in Holy the Firm, or enchanted by a silken string of spiderweb across a coffee mug in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, then you should slow down and read carefully. For Dillard takes the most amazing facts and lays them bare for all to see."

So, what is this book about? Scott Simon, of National Public Radio, calls it "a quirky story of the Maytrees' fractured marriage" written in a short, simple, poetic style. Listen to the NPR interview and hear Annie Dillard read a passage from the novel.

Pick up a copy of The Maytrees, available now at the circulation desk. Register at the reference desk or call us at 481-6591 to let us know that you will join our discussion at 7 pm in the second floor Conference Room on May 1.

Check here for more reviews.

Here is an excellent opportunity to get help researching your family history.

Our workshop on Wednesday, April 9 from 10-11:30 am, will focus on the valuable resources your library provides to help you dig through the myriad records that exist scattered in bits and pieces in various hard-to-access records. The Ancestry Library Edition provides a wealth of information in one convenient place and is available only in the library.

Bring your genealogy questions and our experienced reference librarian will help you find the answers to help you identify your kin.

If you can't make it to the workshop, you might consider using our new Book-a-Librarian Service, which allows West Hempstead patrons to reserve a free 30-minute session with a professional librarian to focus on your research interests.

Call the library 481-6591 or email us for more information.