Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. It was established in order to celebrate the freedom to choose and the freedom to express one’s opinion, even if that opinion might be considered unpopular or unorthodox.

The following books are excellent examples of great literature that has been banned or challenged in an attempt to shield the public from what some see as inappropriate ~ 50 Banned Books That Everyone Should Read. See how many you of these 'bad' books you have read. We made it easy for you to check these books out -- just stop by the displays in the Adult and Young Adult sections of the library.

Avatar is the new 3D film by James Cameron. I saw the previews and it looks very promising. James Cameron also directed the movie Aliens and you can see the similarities.

This Friday, Oct. 2 the library is participating in Lee National Denim Day. Our staff members donated money to the Women's Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) for a chance to wear jeans to work. This is our first year doing this and we're excited that it has been a success. It's a cause that is close to many of our hearts. Check out their website for more information.

Attention all Sci-fi & Action junkies, we have a book discussion for you! Tuesday Nov 3rd @ 7 pm we will be discussing Death's Head by David Gunn.

The new season of the Oprah Show began last week (anybody see her Whitney Houston interview?) and she's already made her next book club selection. She chose a book of short stories about Africa's troubled children titled Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan.

Mr. Akpan, a Nigerian Jesuit priest, wrote five stories, each is set in a different African country and are narrated by children in poverty and include segments of dialect from across many regions.

Reserve your copy today, either on-line, by phone or of course in person as we love you to browse our collection.

This Wednesday is our first meeting of Kids in the Kitchen. It's a continuation of the program done during the summer called Incredible Edibles. In this monthly program we're inviting fourth and fifth graders to cook some fun foods with two children's librarians, myself and Miss Tricia. This month we are making healthy back to school snacks. Next month it will be some special Fall Treats!

If you've got access to a video camera then use it for a good cause.

Long Island Wins, (a campaign that expresses the positives of immigration) is sponsoring a video contest. Create a 30 second video that features the message "Speak Out/Stop the Hate", and your video could be featured at the Long Island Latino International Film Festival this fall. Submissions are due in October. Get more information here.

This is a great way to get your creativity recognized and to help stop the hate.

Did you know that September is Library Card Sign Up Month? Here are the top 10 reasons why you should get a Library Card this month if you don't have one already.

Note: Due to a possible Swine Flu epidemic, please refrain from #10.

Wanted...adventurers for hire...Seek out the sage Mr. M @ the ref desk for any inquiries.

A reminder that Fall Story Time registration starts today, Monday, Sept. 14, for Rockville Centre School District residents. The calendar for story time and all the information about registration is available on our website.

New York is all abuzz this week with many events scheduled to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's legendary voyage for the Dutch to the Hudson River and New York City/State. If you are interested in investigating this interesting historic topic, try the following websites ~~ NY400, Henry Hudson 400 or the Mannhatta project for a look at what Manhattan looked like in 1609.

Of course, the library has books on the subject such as The Hudson: America's River, The Hudson River: A Great American Treasure and many, many more. Don't miss our In a New York State of Mind display in the front of the library for more books about our Empire State, past & present.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs opens Sept. 18 in 3-D! This looks like a fun movie, who wouldn't be excited about it raining ice cream?! (I guess the lactose intolerant.) But I always wonder how they can successfully stretch a short picture book into a full-length movie. Check out the cool website, it has games, videos, contests and downloads.

Where the Wild Things Are is another highly anticipated movie that's (maybe) for kids. It opens October 16, but from what I read in an article in the New York Times, this may be a movie for hipster-kids-at-heart instead of actual little kids. Watch a full length trailer and featurette at the official website.

Japan’s new first lady claims she has visited Venus. She believes she was abducted by aliens as she slept one night 20 years ago, then whisked off into space. Wow what a life!

People still believe Fox!

September 25th - 27th, 2009
The New York Anime Festival is an annual anime convention held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. It features exclusive and extensive anime screenings, guests from America and Japan, manga, cosplay, video games, live-action Japanese cinema, fashion, food, and the cultural treasures that gave birth to Japanese pop culture.

Did you know we have an Anime club @ the Library!
Meetings will be Wednesdays, September 9, September 23, October 7, October 21 and November 18.

At the library, patrons often come to the Reference Desk asking for reading suggestions on all types of genre of books. One of the most common requests is for interesting and different mystery titles. Check out this NPR article for books recommended by expert readers advisory librarian Nancy Pearl.

Please join us at our next Monday Mysteries Book Discussion at the library on September 21st @ noon to discuss the highly acclaimed In the Woods by Tana French.