Did you know that there is a Long Island Library Conference held every year? It's an educational forum for all those who work in and for libraries. Our keynote speaker for this year's May 8th conference is Ellen Meister, an author from Jericho, who has written a very funny book called Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA . An avid reader herself, Ms. Meister has a blog you should check out for some great book recommendations.

The Library has gotten our very own Facebook page. We're under the name RVC PL. Check out our site and be friends with us.

Don't forget -- Monday, April 28 @ 7:30 the Mother Daughter Book Club will discuss Emma by Jane Austen. See what happens when a snobby, nosey, smart and generous girl gets too involved in other people's lives.

**Don't forget, we're still taking selections for our Summer 2008 Mix CD. Let us know what your favorite book is and what song would be a good theme song for that book. Post it here or add it to our Library iPod in the Teen section.

At its April meeting the Board of Trustees adopted the 2008/09 Library budget. The Board proposed an increase of 3.34%, most of which reflects contractual obligations. This figure translates into about a $7 increase per household for a family residing in a home with an adjusted market value of $900,000.

Voting is at South Side High School on May 20th. The polls are open from 7 am to 9 pm.
Please remember to take the time to cast your vote.

There are still tickets available to see Carol Higgins Clark speak about her new book, Zapped, at Southside High School Auditorium next week. Stop by the Adult Reference Desk at the library to pick up your free tickets for our 2008 Endowment Fund Lecture on Wednesday, April 30th @ 7:30 p.m. This event will also feature a question and answer session and book sale/signing. Don't miss this opportunity to meet a famous mystery writer 'up close and personal'!

Anybody interested in forming a science fiction book club at the library? This is a shout out to the fans of science fiction! Is there anybody out there? If you are interested come to the reference desk and ask?

Tomorrow is Earth Day and the environment is a topic on everyone's mind these days. Here are a few easy ways kids and adults can recycle and help a good cause at the same time!

Nike: The Reuse-A-Shoe program takes old sneakers of any brand and turns them into the rubbery stuff that lines playgrounds and basketball courts. Drop-off sites include the Nike Factory Outlet in Tanger and Niketown in Manhattan.

Crocs: Your old crocs can be recycled into new shoes for people in need around the world through the Sole United program. 10,000 pairs have recently been sent to Haiti. To get an idea of what it's like not to have your own pair of shoes check out these books Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed and Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts.

Patagonia: Through the Common Threads Garment Recycling Program Patagonia will take and recycle worn-out Patagonia fleece and other brands of Polartec garments, as well as other Patagonia garments marked with the Common Threads tag.

Visit the EPA website and learn all about “Recycle City” and how this “town” changed its ways and its name from Dumptown.

Looking for a guy book? Go to
www.guysread.com
Created by author Jon Scieszka (of The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Stupid Fairytales fame)

Like Facebook? Check out
www.goodreads.com
Set up a profile and keep a list of what you're reading, what you've read, & what you wanna read.

Need some help finding something good to read?
http://www.yabookscentral.com/
Get reviews, author info, sign up for giveaways and more.

(copyright Jon Scieszka)

The Hulk is back with a new movie!!! The new movie is going to have the Hulk and the Abomination battle it out for gamma radiation supremacy. Edward Norton stars in the film and supposedly had his hand in the creative process.....can this be a good sign or ????

The good news is that it's the day after the dreaded April 15 tax deadline. For all of us who filed (and qualifed ) this year, the government has promised a tax rebate stimulus check. Need some suggestions on what to do with your check? Why not stop by the library and check out our display (located at the front of the library) of personal finance books, everything from Suze Orman to Jim Cramer and a whole lot more. If you plan on using your money on something fun and adventurous, we have a large section of travel books for you to peruse. And, should you need an audio book to listen to on the plane or beach, try some of our new Playaways, self-playing audio books the size of a deck of cards.

During these trying economic times, there are not many things you can do, or get, for free so we invite everyone to come to the library to take advantage of all we have to offer.

Kitchen University's Chef Dan Zeller will be on hand Thursday, April 17 @ 7 pm to share his tips for preparing the ever popular take out treat at home (and with a healthful twist) as he presents his program Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Check out Chef Dan on the Kitchen University website www.kitchenuniversity@verizon.net and be further inspired to new culinary delights!

Calling all poets!

Celebrate Poetry Month @ our Open Mic Poetry Café, April 14 @ 7:30 pm. If you are in grades 8-12, you are invited to share your originl poems or favorite works. Bring along your friends and family to enjoy an evening of poetry and some yummy snacks and drinks.

We just found out about a new website Redroom that offers authors and readers a literary MySpace. Red Room aspires to be the online home of the world’s greatest writers. Through original, author-generated content, they offer a creative social network. Here, you can connect with your favorite authors, access current industry news and comment on engaging features. By fostering true community between authors and readers, Red Room showcases esteemed and up-and-coming writers and aims to inspire the next generation. Why not see if you'd like to register or just access the website for interesting new reads.

Finally, baseball is back! It's been a long winter. For all you baseball fans out there we've set up some books in the Teen area that you might want to check out. Especially recommended is Bat Boy: My True Life Adventures Coming of Age with the New York Yankees by Matthew McGough. It's the true story of a teen who calls up the Yankees, asks to be the bat boy and gets the job! Stop by and pick up a few books and let's hope for a Subway World Series.

I-CON 27 will be on April 4-6 2008 at Stony Brook University.

I-CON is a three day festival, designed to encourage literacy, creativity and interest in science and technology through sciece fiction and its related genres.

Poems are made by fools like me ...

Do you remember the rest of this famous poem? Poetry is a bigger part of our lives than we think. April is designated as National Poetry Month and we put together a book display of all types of poetry for you to check out. Naturally, we have books by former and current Poets Laureate but we also include child poet and Oprah fave -- Mattie Stepanek; Children's poet -- the late, great Shel Silverstein; Calvin Trillin for poems with a political bent and many, many more. Come into the library and see for yourself all the different types of books of poetry the library owns.

We also suggest you visit the Poets website if you'd like to get in touch with your 'inner poet' this month.

BTW, the rest of the poem is '... but only God can make a tree' from Trees by Joyce Kilmer.

The new Iron Man Movie is coming to the theaters May 2nd!! I previewed a few trailers for the movie and it looks great!!!! Hopefully this movie will launch a new franchise.....so my only question is who is the next superhero coming to the big screen? Could it be the Justice League?

FYI: Iron in the comic book has many suits of armor not just one!