Hamilton Public Library news
By Hilary Virgil
(Hamilton, NY – June 2014) As a member library, we are pleased to help share the news that the Mid-York Library System is gearing up for another Regional Read. The Regional Read program brings the community together through reading, learning, and discussion of a single book or topic.
Mid-York Library System’s 2014 Regional Read will be a Grassroots Read, bringing together the traditional and the trendy by exploring the vibrant agricultural community that has long formed a vital part of the economy in our service area of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties, and the newer phenomenon of the “locavore,” an individual who endeavors to eat more food that is produced locally.
We will be reading three books. For adults and teens, we have selected The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Rome native Kristin Kimball. For older children, we are reading Potatoes on Rooftops: Farming in the City by Hadley Dyer, and our picture book selection for younger children is Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens.
Keep your eye out – traveling copies of the books will be appearing at farmers’ markets and local businesses throughout Herkimer, Madison and Oneida counties all summer long. Local libraries will be holding food and farm-related programming in September and October, and the program will culminate with a visit from author Kimball for book talks and Q & A sessions at the end of October (locations and times to be announced). To find out more, visit our website at midyork.org/grassroots.
In a first-time partnership, Four County Library System will hold their own Grassroots Read Program along with Mid-York, extending the reach of the program to seven counties and 83 public libraries.
The Grassroots Read is supported by donations from community businesses and organizations. If you are interested in becoming a program partner or sponsor, contact Jennifer Recht, Mid-York Library System Lending and Outreach Services librarian, at 315.735.8328 x. 235 or grassroots@midyork.org.
Summer Reading Program
Fizz, boom, read! Our science-themed Summer Reading Program is off to a great start. Roughly 100 people attended our ice cream social and kick-off concert June 18. Many thanks to the Friends of the Library for treating us to ice cream sundaes for this event. Special thanks also, to Bob Kirk of Oneida for entertaining our guests with his musical talents.
Not to worry if you couldn’t make it to our kick-off, it’s not too late to come in and sign up. For more information about the Summer Reading Program and our up-coming special events, stop by the library or look for this information on our website. For our planning purposes, be sure to call or stop by the library to sign-up to participate in the reading program and some of our special events. We hope to see you here this summer.
Photography by local artist Susan Beattie is on display in the gallery space at the library and will remain on exhibit through the end of July. The Friends of the Library are hosting a reception to help celebrate Beattie’s artwork from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 1. This reception is free and open to the public. We hope you’ll join us to meet Beattie and enjoy her photographs along with the refreshments.
Fourth of July weekend will be here before we know it; stop by the block party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3, to visit your friends from the library at our game stations and information booth as part of the festivities on the Village Green.
In observance of Independence Day, the library will be closed Friday, July 4. We will reopen as usual at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 5.
Hilary Virgil is director of the Hamilton Public Library. The library is usually open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please call the library at (315) 824-3060, during these hours for assistance. The book drop on Broad Street is always open for your convenience. For more information about library resources, programs and policies, as well as access to online services, visit midyorklib.org/hamilton/ and ‘like’ us on Facebook at facebook.com/HPL.books. From the website, you can also sign up for our listserv and Wowbrary notices to receive emails about general library news and newly added materials in our collections.