By Beth Totten, public relations
(Canastota, NY – May 2015) Robots will come alive at the Canastota Public Library this summer as teens and tweens gather for the Summer Reading Program. Tweens and teens, ages 10 – 15 will develop skills as they design, build and program robotics kits in a collaborative environment with adult staff and volunteers at the library!
Ready, Set, Robotics will be held on Wednesday evenings beginning July 1 and running weekly through the summer and then monthly until December. There is a very short application process for the program that is available through the library. The program will be limited to about twenty students in the first year. If a waiting list is necessary, every effort will be made to include the students in the program at some point.
The program, sponsored in part by a Madison County Youth Bureau grant of $5,000, is being coordinated by the Canastota Public Library and Madison County 4H. The monies from Madison County Youth Bureau are NYS Office of Children and Family Services Youth Development Program funds. Madison County 4H is a program of Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Roger Ort, a NYS 4H Program Specialist in Robotics visited the library in early May to provide volunteers with a training opportunity to prepare them in operating the program.
“Most of our volunteers are working in technology industries,” said Beth Totten, Youth Services Coordinator at the library. She explained that they will help the students to understand that the technologies they are learning in the program will benefit them in a career later in life. The volunteers include a mechanical engineer in local industry, two software engineers who write code as well as a network engineer.
Technology is moving the world today and to be prepared, students need to be exposed to new technologies. The library, as a “maker-space,” is a great place to learn these new technologies in a fun, exciting format. The program provides emphasis on skills needed to enter the job market in the computer services and engineering skills. It is the hope of the library that kids will find an interest in these skill sets and go on to learn more in their secondary and college environments and perhaps earn their living using this type of technologies.
The library will use the Lego Mindstorms NXT kits as well as a Lego book called, “The Mayan Adventure” as a way to help the kids to tinker and understand how things work or can work better. Each week, students will be given challenges that their robots will complete. They will work in teams to build and program the robots for the tasks. Students will learn introductory robotics skills with a great emphasis on STEM learning which includes subject areas such as science, technology, engineering, math and computer programming.
For more information on the program, please stop in or call the library. They are located at 102 W. Center Street in Canastota and can be reached at 697-7030.
June Programs Scheduled
There is a lot going on this June at the Canastota Public Library. We hope that local patrons will stop in and see us during this busy month. Please consider one or several of our programs….
The Library’s Summer Hours Begin on June 1st. Hours are as follows: Monday through Thursday: 9am – 8pm; Fridays: 9am – 5pm; Saturdays 9am – 1pm. The Canastota Public Library is closed on Sundays.
June Art Display: The library is fortunate to be able to highlight two Canastota High School Senior Artists for their June shows! Shelby McGlothlin and Amanda Fairfield will be displaying their work at the library. Shelby’s work will be on display in the Lawson Community Room. Amanda’s work will be shown in the Crow’s Nest and on the first floor staircase of the library. An artist’s reception for these young women will be held on Tuesday, June 2 from 4 – 6 pm at the library. The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend.
On Tuesday, June 16th at 7pm, come to the library to hear a local author talk! Jeanne Wilhite Dunn will talk about her memoir, “Where Once There Were Thorns.” Jeanne’s book is a true story of God’s faithfulness in restoring the relationship of a strong-willed daughter and her controlling mother. The book is a page-turner and full of unbelievable events that only God could have orchestrated. The book will be available for sale at the event for $12.99 and the author has agreed to autograph copies of the book.
ALL DAY SIGN-UPS—The week of June 29th, the Canastota Public Library will begin accepting self sign-ups for summer reading programs including grades k – 6 and the teen programs. This year’s theme for grades k – 6 is “Every Hero Has a Story”. “Unmasked” is the teen theme. The sign-ups will take place on the second floor of the library!
On Tuesday, June 30 at 10:30am, Puppeteer Nancy Sander will present, The Reluctant Dragons starring Dragonia, a female poetry dragon and her “all-boy” son, Rory. Rory has no interest in poetry and only wants to “smoke the town.” You will laugh straight into next week! Sander was the principal puppeteer consultant, puppet builder, puppet creator and puppet script writer for the Emmy Award winning children’s televisions show, “Hickory Hideout,” produced by WKYC-TV and WNBC-TV. She received an Emmy Award for her contribution to children’s television. The show also won the Parent’s Choice Award, the National Education Association Award and received a silver medal in the International Film and TV Awards of New York.
The Book Chat will meet on Tuesday, June 30th at 1pm in the Carnegie Room to discuss “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” by Gabrielle Zevin. The book is about A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner of Island Books. He has recently endured some tough years: his wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and his prized possession–a rare edition of Poe poems–has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people. Even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. A most unexpected occurrence gives him the chance to make his life over and see things anew. Please consider picking up the book at the library and reading it so you can join the group in discussion.
Scrapbooking is a group that meets at the library on the second Monday evening of every month beginning at 5:30pm. Bring your projects to the library, including photographs and supplies and meet with other scrap bookers to learn new techniques. The group meets in the Lawson Community Room.
Bone Builders, a program of Cornell Coop Extension meets each Tuesday at 1pm in the Lawson Community Room. If you are interested in joining, come on Tuesday afternoon and speak to coordinator, Christine Crandall.
Party Bridge is looking for experienced Bridge Players to join in every Thursday afternoon at the library beginning at 1pm. Party Bridge is an open group and welcomes players to attend whenever they are available. The group meets all year long!
Thursday Night and Friday Morning Knitting Groups welcome both new and experienced knitters to join in for fun and fellowship. The Thursday Night Knitters meet at 6pm and the Friday Morning Knitters meet at 10am in the Lawson Community Room. All are welcomed, knitters or knot!
The Afternoon Writer’s Group meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 3 pm until 5 pm. The Evening Writer’s Group meets the 2nd and 4th Monday evenings of each month from 6:30-8pm. Both are uplifting groups that assist writers by offering constructive criticism and praise as each member shares their work. New members welcomed!