July 13, 2017

Master Storyteller, Diane Edgecomb, performs at the Florida Public Library

Master Storyteller Diane Edgecomb recently performed a House Concert to benefit the Florida Public Library.  Diane shared a special preview of “A Thousand Doorways” as she prepares to take this show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland next month. The show focuses on her harrowing, revelatory journey to Turkey to collect the vanishing stories of the people of Kurdistan.  To learn more about Diane’s show please visit her website at www.livingmyth.com\doorways.

 

 

June 8, 2017

Local Business Sponsors Charging Station at FPL

The Florida Public Library recently debuted a new addition to library services: a charging station for a variety of devices including Apple and Android products. The station, provided free of charge to the library by EBSCO, was sponsored by local business owner Jeanine Panarelli of Panarelli Realty in Goshen who is a longtime resident of Florida and the mother of two library users. She decided to make this donation to the library because she knows the importance of communication between parents and children and wants to make sure that local students are able to charge their phones in order to call home, as well as to do their homework, with the help of smart phones and other devices.

The charging station accommodates eight devices at once in several slots and a shelf and will readily charge them while library patrons use the computers nearby, browse the collection and check out books, study in the reference area or wait while their children attend programs. Three chargers are for Android devices, three are for Apple devices, one for older Apple products and one for flip phones.

The self-serve station is located near the reference desk and patrons are responsible for monitoring their own devices. “We are very grateful to Jeanine and Panarelli Realty for sponsoring this service and we look forward to it being a convenience for patrons and visitors of all ages” said Director Madelyn Folino. Pictured: Annette Shaughnessy, Library Assistant, Florida Public Library and Jeanine Panarelli, owner, Panarelli Realty with FPL’s new charging station.

May 31, 2017

Museum Passes Available at FPL

Florida Public Library is pleased to announce the return of its museum pass program. The library now has free passes available for check-out for five museums: Boscobel House and Gardens in Cold Spring, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall, Intrepid Air, Sea & Space Museum in New York City, Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum in Poughkeepsie and Storm King Art Center in Cornwall. The museum pass program was funded by a special legislative grant to the library from Senator John Bonacic. The variety of museums and free admission will appeal to patrons of all ages, especially during summer vacation.

Florida Public Library patrons, at least 18 years of age, with a card in good standing, may check out one museum pass for three days. Most passes allow free admission to the museum for two adults and several children residing at the same address and require showing a Florida library card to match the pass. There are no renewals of the passes and due to demand, substantial overdue fines will apply. Each pass comes with brochures and information about the museum.

Museum passes are available on a first come, first served basis and may not be placed on reserve. Call the library or search for Museum Pass in the library’s catalog to see what’s available. For more information about the passes, call FPL at (845) 651-7659 or visit online at www.floridapubliclibrary.org.

April 26, 2017

Florida Resident Appointed Poet Laureate

Congratulations to Robert Milby on being appointed Orange County Poet Laureate 2017-2019! Milby is a lifelong resident of Florida, NY and a catalyst of the growing Mid-Hudson poetry scene. In addition to writing and performing his own poetry, he also hosts numerous readings throughout the region and is a mentor to a host of emerging writers. His works include Ophelia’s Offspring, Crow Weather and Victorian House: Ghosts and Gothic Poems. He has hosted FPL’s seasonal Poetry Cafe series since its inception in April 2006. Our 46th Poetry Cafe will be on Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m. Milby and two featured poets will share their work. Poets of all levels of experience are welcome to read a favorite poem or one written themselves during the open mic session. This program is for adults, age 16 and up. Please register online to attend.
April 6, 2017

2017 Budget Vote & Trustee Election Results

The Florida Public Library’s proposed tax levy of $443,940 for 2017-2018 was approved by voters 101-24 on April 6. The library’s total budget for the year will be $497,640. Incumbent trustees William Kelemen and Nancy Scott were re-elected to three-year terms with 117 and 116 votes, respectively. Newcomer Lee Maas was elected to fill one year of an unexpired term with 109 votes. Trustees will be sworn in at the annual meeting in July. The public is invited to attend board meetings, held on the first Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

February 28, 2017

Update: 22 more blankets and 3 quilts have been completed by participants in the FPL Knitting Circle! To date, the FPL Knitters have completed a total of 837 blankets/quilts for Project Linus ~ Congratulations, Knitters!

June 1, 2015

Our 2015-2020 Long Range Plan is now available.
Thank you to all who participated! Click here to view.

November 2, 2014

3D Printing is Here at the Florida Public Library!

The Florida Public Library has acquired a new kit-built 3D Printer. Click here for more information!

3D printers are used to build 3-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. Currently, these printers are used to make
models of video game characters, parts for home appliances, cell phone cases, medical instruments and prostheses,
and much more.  Technical expert and library volunteer, Bob Persing, built the printer from a kit. Bob is a retired Network Systems
Engineer from Princeton University and is a published author with articles in Popular Electronics and other technical journals.

3d printrbot printer

New 3D Printer at the Florida Public Library!

 

November 30, 2014

FPL Knitters Awarded Certificates from Project Linus

Project Linus Certificates

Library Assistant Marie Arnstein (left) presented two certificates for outstanding contributions to Project Linus to FPL Knitters Kathleen Braun (center) and Lilly Lang (right.)

Project Linus is a national, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide handmade blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need.  New, handmade blankets and afghans created by volunteers known as “blanketeers” provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children of all ages, infants to teenagers.

Florida Public Library’s 2012 adult summer reading theme of “Between the Covers” prompted Library Assistant Marie Arnstein and Librarian Terry Numa to think about the warmth of a blanket or quilt and what the library could do to help. They introduced the idea early last year to the needleworkers of the Knitting Circle at FPL who have been crocheting, sewing and quilting blankets since then. To date, FPL has collected more than 200 blankets for Project Linus.

When Marie noticed the dedication, volunteerism and the number of blankets being produced at the Knitting Circle, she consulted with the Orange County Coordinator of Project Linus, Julia Sullivan, about recognizing the exceptional efforts of two of its members, Kathleen Braun and Lilly Lang.  Kathleen, who leads the group, has knitted many blankets, donated an abundance of yarn and assisted volunteers in choosing suitable patterns and sizes for the blankets. Lily, who is a new Florida resident, was personally responsible for making at least 100 blankets herself!

The certificates were signed by both Julia Sullivan and Carol Babbitt, National President of Project Linus, and were delivered to the library. At the August meeting of the Knitting Circle, Marie spoke to the ladies in attendance about the success of Project Linus and the remarkable contributions of Kathleen and Lilly before she surprised them both with their certificates.

Both Kathleen and Lily have been instrumental in keeping the project going at FPL for almost two years now. Volunteers continue to make blankets at the library or drop them off as donations. Those blankets for Project Linus stay in Orange County as donations to local hospitals. FPL continues to accept donations of yarn. Anyone who wishes to help can stop by the library for yarn or use your own, make a blanket, and then bring it to FPL on any Monday, Wednesday or Thursday evening. Staff members will accept your blanket and take it to a facility where it will be given to a deserving child in Orange County.

FAQs About the Project:

What type of blankets does Project Linus accept?  Project Linus welcomes blankets of all styles, including quilts, crocheted, or knitted afghans in child- friendly colors. Blankets must be new, handmade and washable. In addition, they must come from a smoke-free environment. You don’t have to be an expert to create a blanket that is beautiful to a child!

What about sizes?  Project Linus collects blankets for children, infants through teens. Many sizes are appropriate depending on local needs. For example, blankets could be as small as 36” by 36”. The majority of Project Linus blankets are about 40” by 60”, or what is called “crib size.” Blankets could be as large as twin size for teens.

Where can I find a pattern for making a project Linus blanket?  Patterns can be found at www.projectlinus.org. Check the Patterns/Links page to see what is currently available online. There are some patterns available @ FPL or you can use your own.  A limited supply of yarn is also available from FPL.

 For more information, contact Terry Numa or Marie Arnstein at the Library at (845) 651-7659. The Knitting Circle meets regularly on the third Monday of every month from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Adults are welcome to join. Check the event calendar for dates and more information.

 

Five @ FPL Win Certificates of Achievement

NYSLAA Certificate Achievers 2013Florida Public Library is pleased to announce that five staff members have been awarded Certificates of Achievement at the highest level by the New York State Library Assistants’ Association (NYSLAA) and the New York Library Association (NYLA.) The certificates were earned by FPL employees Martha Sullivan, Ashley Baroch, Annette Shaughnessy, Marie Arnstein and Eileen Stelljes who each documented a minimum of 1,000 points to reach the Library Assistant Level IV standing.

To qualify for the certificate, the candidate must be a member of NYSLAA and declare a specialization in one of four areas of library service: Public Service, Technical Service, Automation, Administration/Management, or in General Library Service which includes elements of all areas. At Level IV, the candidate must demonstrate a breadth of knowledge in all four areas. Martha, the library’s website administrator and Director’s assistant, specialized in Administration/Management. Ashley and Marie, who can usually be found right up front at the circulation desk, specialized in Public Service. Marie also works part-time at the Monroe Free Library. Annette, FPL’s computer expert and trainer, specialized in Automation. Eileen, retired from Josephine-Louise Public Library in Walden and now subbing at FPL, chose General Library Service. As a team, these staff members have more than forty years of public library experience.

Points for the certificate are awarded through documentation of the categories of Experience (full time equivalent work in a library or other relevant volunteer work), Education (higher education credit hours) and Other (attendance at workshops, membership and an active role in professional associations, teaching, presentations and publications.) Assembling the documentation included many long hours of developing a portfolio of competency statements that described each activity and the area of specialization for which it qualified. Employees formed a study group for this project and under Martha’s leadership, met on their own time on Friday evenings after the library closed to help each other work on the requirements.

Florida Director Madelyn Folino, Monroe Director Marilyn McIntosh and Walden Director Ginny Neidermier signed many competency statements to verify the materials created for submission. Melissa Tidd, a NYSLAA member who works at Goshen Public Library, volunteered her time as a local consultant on the process. The portfolios were assessed by the NYSLAA review board in time for the certificates to be awarded at the annual conference in Lake Placid in June.

Although the Florida award winners missed the conference, they were celebrated at a staff meeting on August 19. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, President Ian Murphy offered thanks and congratulations and presented each of the award winners with an honorarium to recognize their dedication, persistence and teamwork in achieving the highest level of the award. “These awards represent the recognition and respect of their professional peers,” said Murphy, “but there’s another important aspect to them. There’s no way to earn this honor short of doing good work, across a breadth of disciplines, for years. The points accrued and documented by our employees are a testament to the whole-hearted work ethic they have always displayed.”

 

October 27, 2013

Jimmy Sturr visited FPL

On Sunday, Oct. 27 at noon, readers and polka fans met local celebrity Jimmy Sturr, who shared some of his life history and stories from his new autobiography. Sturr’s  Polka King: The Life and Times of Polka Music’s Living Legend is his literary debut.  In the book, he recounts often funny and lively stories of his boyhood days in small-town Florida, NY to his professional life as a respected bandleader, entrepreneur and Grammy-winning musical artist. Copies of Jimmy Sturr’s book were available for purchase and signed by the Polka King himself on the day of the program.

 

Business and Money Resources @ FPL

We have many new resources available for starting and growing a business and making smart money choices. These books are all published by NOLO, a leading publisher of do-it-yourself legal guides for consumers and small businesses.

Stop in today and check out one of these titles:

How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation                                                           by Anthony Mancuso

Legal Guide for Starting and Running a Small Business                             by Fred Steingold

Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home                                                  by Ilona M. Bray

IRAs, 401(K)s and Other Retirement Plans: Taking Your Money Out             by Twila Slesnick

Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To       by Melanie Cullen

How to Write a Business Plan                                                                     by Mike P. McKeever

Credit Repair                                                  by Robin Leonard, J.D. & Attorney Margaret Reiter

and many more available now for checkout!

Look at our online database resources available on our website www.floridapubliclibrary.org

Gale Business Insights: Essentials provides information on 448,000 US and international companies: histories; chronologies; rankings; statistics; and more. Funded by the NYS Library NOVEL program

JobNow provides you with practical tools to help you get a job. 1. Career Resources: Informative, easy-to-use,
and free Internet resources for job seekers; including personality and career assessments. 2. Resume Builder
3. Ace the Interview   Made possible through the Ramapo Catskill Library System.

EBSCO Masterfile Premiere  provides searchable full-text articles for nearly 1,860 journals, including Consumer Reports and Business Week. Funded by RCLS and the New York State Library NOVEL program

All you need is a library card to take advantage of these and many more databases!

 

 

Get ready for a new way to enjoy eBooks and more

With OverDrive’s Next Generation experience, users can borrow titles with just one click!

Ramapo Catskill Library System’s OverDrive digital collection is getting a facelift in the coming weeks with OverDrive’s Next Generation website. See a preview video here.

What is OverDrive? Members of the Florida Public Library can enjoy free access to eBooks! OverDrive is both the name and the provider for this service.

Some of the key features include:

One-Step Checkout™: Once you’ve logged in with your library card number, it just takes one click to borrow a title.

OverDrive Read™: Browser-based technology enables instant access to eBooks, online or offline, with no software or downloading required. All you’ll need is a computer or device with a modern web browser. If the title is available to borrow, you can download the title–as you’ve always been able to–or you can choose to start reading right away in your web browser. If you choose browser-based reading, your progression will sync across devices. For example, if you leave off at page 47 on your computer, you’ll start at page 47 on your iPad®!

A new responsive design optimizes the website for mobile and desktop use. So regardless of what device you use, the experience will be the same.

Powerful discovery tools enable you to find your next book fast with filtered search, personalized title recommendations and more. It’s just like online shopping!

Click here for Ebooks Questions & Answers

How to choose an eReader?

Comparing books and eBooks

We look forward to providing our community with this fast and easy new experience. If you have any questions, be sure to contact us directly at fpl@rcls.org or 845-651-7659.

 

Florida Public Library awarded Muslim Journeys
Bookshelf collection from NEH and ALA

The Florida Public Library will have a celebratory kickoff program on Wednesday, February 20 to introduce the resources of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys grant that was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. FPL is one of 840 libraries and humanities councils nationwide to receive a special collection of materials aimed at familiarizing public audiences with the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the United States and worldwide.

The kickoff will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Leona Harter Children’s Room where the books, DVDs and other resources will be on display. Librarian Terry Numa will introduce the resources and talk a little about the upcoming special programs focused on the themes of the grant: American Stories, Connected Histories, Literary Reflections, Pathways of Faith and Points of View.

Scholar Anne Ruszkiewicz will be on hand to familiarize the community with some of the basics of Islam and she will preview the books from the Bookshelf award that will be featured in the book discussions that she will lead over the coming months. Anne was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. She earned her Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University and is presently a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Sullivan County Community College.

Refreshments are included in the kickoff program. Local resident Alexandra Sarki will share her culture and prepare and serve authentic cuisine and a selection of Middle Eastern teas.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is presented by National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with American Library Association Public Programs Office and Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies, George Mason University. The program was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

Interested community members are encouraged to register either online at www.floridapubliclibrary.org or by phone at (845) 651-7659.

JobNow is a unique service that features expert resume assistance,
live interview preparation and career coaching.

JobNow services include:

  • Live Interview Coaching: Jobseekers get live interview practice from online job coaches.
  • Premium Resume Lab: Online resume/cover letter assistance from trained writing experts.
  • Job Resources: Users can draw from a carefully-selected library of interview tips, resume templates, career assessments, and other valuable resources.
  • Introducing Brainfuse Cloud Pack: Online storage for resumes, cover letters and other files important to your search. Files are always accessible and stored on the Brainfuse server in a secure environment.

Click on JobNow link above to learn more.

 

Little Red Wagon Reading Club at the Florida Public Library

The Little Red Wagon Reading Club at the Florida Public Library was successful in its first year and has now come to a close with Kindergarten student James Walsh winning the prize drawing and a wagon full of books.

Parents who brought their children to the Library’s Ready for Kindergarten program in August were invited to see and learn about a large display of early reader books.  Librarian Terry Numa showed them how to find books at various levels to suit the emerging reader and encourage a love of reading.   The parents had an opportunity to register their children for the Library’s new Little Red Wagon Reading Club.  Each week the child and parent read a book together and returned to the library to have their club card stamped and receive a small prize.  All participants were entered in a drawing for the grand prize, a little red wagon filled with books and small toys.

“The Florida Public Library is committed to early literacy and helping parents to raise readers,” states Terry Numa.  “We enjoy the children when they come in for a variety of programs at the library, but the Little Red Wagon Reading Club afforded an opportunity to join with parents to promote the magical time when letters and words come alive on the page for our little ones.”

Plans are in the works to start another Little Red Wagon Reading Club again when a new group of children attend the Ready for Kindergarten in August, 2013.  Many early reader books are available at the library.  Check one out today!

 

 

RCLS Launches Mobile App                                

October 17, 2012 Press Release

Boopsie is your One Click Access to library information from any Internet-capable phone.

The Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS) puts your library in your hand with RCLS Mobile.  Want to renew a book or place one on hold?  There’s an app for that.  Library hours?  There’s an app for that.  Want to download an ebook or eAudioBook?  There’s an app for that, too.

The Launch of RCLS Mobile puts the library at your fingertips.  From any mobile phone or tablet connected to the Internet you can instantly tap into library resources, anytime, anywhere.  You can search the library catalog, check your account, ask a question, download eBooks and eAudioBooks, find events and more.

To access RCLS Mobile, visit rcls.boopsie.com/ and download the app.

“Nearly 50% of all US mobile subscribers use smartphones, so it’s important for people to be able to access the staff and rich resources available at our libraries,” says Robert Hubsher, RCLS Executive Director.  “RCLS Mobile puts library information just one click away with much faster access than going through a browser.  We encourage everyone to take advantage of this new way to use the library by downloading our app.”

Searching the library system catalog with RCLS Mobile is especially easy. Just type the first few letters of two or three words and search results will begin to appear.  For example, if you’re looking up Mark Twain in the catalog, just type “ma twa.”  Once you find the title you’re looking for, you can place it on hold right from your phone.

The app offers additional features such as BookLook Mobile that lets you scan an ISBN barcode anywhere you are to see if your library owns the title.  “This is an amazing feature,” says Hubsher.  “If you’re at a bookstore you can just scan the book’s ISBN, see if we own it and—if we do—place a hold on it right from your phone.”  The RCLS Mobile also has a Digital Media feature which allows people to download eBooks and eAudioBooks to their devices.

If a library has a Facebook page and/or Twitter feed, people can access those through RCLS Mobile.

The mobile app was developed by Boopsie Inc.  More than 250 libraries and universities use Boopsie to increase campus and community visibility.  Easy to implement and affordable for all size libraries, Boopsie solves the problem of unwieldy website viewing on a small screen.

 

Project Linus @ FPL

What is Project Linus?

Project Linus is a national, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide handmade blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need.  New, handmade blankets and afghans created by volunteers known as “blanketeers” provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children of all ages, infants to teenagers.  Project Linus is named for the cartoon character in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip. Who can forget Linus and his devotion to his security blanket?  You can learn more about the organization at www.projectlinus.org.

What’s the Library connection?

Florida Public Library’s 2012 adult summer reading theme of “Between the Covers,” prompted us to think about the warmth of a blanket or quilt. The idea to make quilts for Project Linus was a natural next step. FPL already has a Knitting Circle that meets regularly on the third Monday of every month.  Many of our members also crochet, sew and quilt and have the crafting skills needed to make blankets. To date, FPL has collected 176 blankets and has been recognized with a special certificate from the local chapter of Project Linus for our volunteers’ efforts.

How can I help?

Make a blanket and bring it to FPL on any Monday, Wednesday or Thursday evening.  Our staff members  will accept your blanket and take it to a facility where it will be given to a deserving child in Orange County.

What type of blankets does Project Linus accept?

Project Linus welcomes blankets of all styles, including quilts, crocheted, or knitted afghans in child- friendly colors. Blankets must be new, handmade and washable. In addition, they must come from a smoke-free environment. You don’t have to be an expert to create a blanket that is beautiful to a child!

What about sizes?

Project Linus collects blankets for children, infants through teens. Many sizes are appropriate depending on local needs. For example, blankets could be as small as 36” by 36”. The majority of Project Linus blankets are about 40” by 60”, or what is called “crib size.” Blankets could be as large as twin size for teens.

Where can I find a pattern for making a project Linus blanket?

Patterns can be found at www.projectlinus.org. Check the Patterns/Links page to see what is currently available online. There are some patterns available @ FPL or you can use your own.  A limited supply of yarn is also available from FPL.

For more information, contact Terry Numa or Marie Arnstein at the Library!
http://www.floridapubliclibrary.org/news/
www.floridapubliclibrary.org
crawl=CC-MAIN-2017-30
196248
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:URFH3ZYAXMYI2CL5RY2NNJG6FNB365FB
<urn:uuid:11248206-0fb2-4c94-9594-b78bdf5cb822>
2017-07-25T04:49:04Z
192.124.249.157
text/html
sha1:5BIFZJGCKCGZDBE3XWNMUWI2LAZSJ5XW
<urn:uuid:db2d6967-8072-4696-accf-dfd921a9e2ce>
http://www.floridapubliclibrary.org/news/
length
response
<urn:uuid:24f76716-4324-495d-8fa1-ec8a9b0c01ce>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-166-24-167.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-30
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for July 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf