Computer News

The Computer Lab will be closed for instruction on Saturday, May 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. We apologize to our users for any inconvenience.

The Computer Lab has moved. Although it is located on the lower level of the Library, we are equipping it to take our users to a higher level. A 55”, wall-mounted LCD monitor will function as a visual aid in classes, and we are planning hardware and software upgrades on the desktop. After that, we will replace the original 10. The additional and replacement computers will feature Windows Vista and Office 2007 (Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and Word). We are phasing out Lotus 1-2-3, so the new computers will not have it installed. It will remain on the 10 original computers until they are replaced.

Holiday Closing

The Library will be closed on Sunday, May 11 (Mother's Day).

Life in Retirement

Senior Connections will offer the third in a series of public forums, “Life in Retirement,” at the Library on Tuesday, May 20 at 1:30 p.m. A panel of retirees will speak about their varied real-life retirement experiences. The speakers will describe how they use their new-found time in retirement to pursue new activities and interests. The panel will then invite the attendees to share their own various retirement experiences in what will be a lively exchange. The public forum will be conducted in the large meeting room on the Library’s lower level. An elevator is available. There will be opportunity for open discussion on the issues. Refreshments will be served.

Recognizing the increasing size of the senior population in the community, Senior Connections is holding a series of informative and interesting public forums on topics related to life in the senior years. Senior Connections has been operating a variety of programs and services at the Garden City Public Library since 1985 - for 23 years. For further information, contact Librarian Martin Bowe at 742-8405.

Exploring Southampton

On Thursday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m., join us for "Exploring Southampton: A Special Place in All Seasons," an armchair tour of Long Islandʼs oldest resort. This slide/lecture with Kathryn Stanley Podwall, professor at Nassau Community College will give you an appreciation of an alluring destination where one can leisurely enjoy small-town charm, magnificent natural resources, divine shopping, and dining pleasures. View magical scenery, learn about historical sites and museums, and more!

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library. No tickets are required. Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

What's up for Young Adults

The Library’s newly enlarged and renovated Young Adult Room is now open. The YA Computer Center, which was part of the Library’s renovation project, is now in operation. There are four computers reserved for patrons in Grades 6-12 at the west end of the YA Room. There is also a laser printer and a sign up station for reserving the next available computer when all are in use. The computers are available during normal library hours unless no one is available to supervise. This insures that the computers are used only by the appropriate age group.

Each machine is equipped with Internet Explorer (which is always filtered), Powerpoint, Publisher, and Word. YAs who need Excel may use it in the new adult Computer Lab on the lower level. As in the adult Computer Lab, there is a three hour time limit on use per day, and a limit of five pages of free printing. Additional printing can be purchased at the Circulation Desk for 5¢ per page up to 20 additional pages. YAs are invited to use the new Computer Center and should register at the front desk. Anyone under 17 years of age should have a parent sign a consent form.

Have you tried Live Homework Help yet? Those who have used it report that it is a life saver. The tutors are helpful and instructive. Frustration over a homework problem is cured in less than half an hour. Click on the link, log in with your Garden City Public Library card number, and you are on your way to solving those homework dilemmas.

For more information on these and future programs check the Young Adult page, the Calendar of Events, the Library newsletter, the newspapers, and our flyers. Funding for these programs has been provided by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library. Any Young Adult program requiring registration is for Garden City Public Library cardholders in Grades 6-12 only. Registered participants must be present at the time the program is scheduled to begin. We regret that, after that time, their places may be given to people on the waiting list.

Pre-Loaded Playaway Digital Audio Books

The Library has added Playaways, the first self-playing digital audio books to the audio collection. Each palm-sized Playaway unit is permanently loaded with an audio book, which makes listening as simple as pressing the play button. Listeners can enjoy books in every genre with only a set of earphones while they walk, exercise, or travel to work. The Library’s Playaway collection is housed on the lower level in the Library’s new Audio-Visual Center.

Half the size of a deck of cards, a Playaway fits in your pocket like an iPod®, making it the easiest way to listen to a book on the go – with no tapes or CDs. Using clearly marked buttons, the Playaway gives listeners the ability to move back and forth within or between chapters and alter the speed of a narrator’s voice. It even has an automatic bookmark feature. In addition, the Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone accessory.

The Library has over 100 bestselling current and classic titles on Playaways, including many selections for young adults. Additional titles are available through the Library’s interloan system. Since the Playaway’s format is friendly for listeners of all ages, every patron can enjoy this innovative digital format. For more information about Playaways, contact Reference Librarian Laura Flanagan at 742-8405. Young adult patrons can contact Marge Kelly, young adult librarian.

Library Completes Renovation Project

The Library hosted a "Renovation Celebration" on Saturday, April 19 to mark the completion of the renovation and expansion project. Library Board Chair J. Randolph Colahan cut the symbolic red ribbon to welcome the public to the Library’s new facilities, which include a redecorated periodical reading room, an expanded young adult area, and a new Audio-Visual Center and Computer Lab located on the lower level. The public was invited to visit the Library and see the many enhancements to the Library as well as to enjoy light refreshments following the official ceremony.

The Library’s renovation project was initiated in response to community needs that were identified in 2003 through a series of focus groups. The Library’s Board of Trustees, J. Randolph Colahan, chair; Gloria Weinrich, vice chair; Barbara Brudie Martis; John H. Pascal; and Elizabeth Huschle, monitored the construction project along with Library Director Alan G. Roeckel and Assistant Director Thomas B. Witt and participated in the "Renovation Celebration." Senator Kemp Hannon, Assemblyman Tom McKevitt, and Garden City Mayor Peter Bee were among the dignitaries who also attended. Former Mayor and former Library Trustee Frank Tauches, Village Trustee Donald Brudie, former Library Board Chair John M. Delany, and Village Trustee Nicholas Episcopia, who was also the liaison to the Library Board during the project, joined in the celebration. Garden City Friends of the Library President Salvatore Catania and Vice President Thomas Richmond were among several Friends who came to celebrate the special event.

In response to the suggestions emanating from the focus groups, the project included restoring the Adult Reading Lounge, which is now a brightly lit, comfortable, reading room housing the periodical collection in a windowed section of the building at the corner of Hilton Avenue and Seventh Street. The Library enlarged the Young Adult Department and installed four new computers with Internet Explorer (filtered), Powerpoint, Publisher, and Word, and a black-and-white printer for students in grades 6-12. The teen and tween friendly area has soft, comfortable seating and tables and chairs where young adults can relax and read, or work with one another.

In addition, a storage area on the lower level of the Library was converted into an Audio-Visual Center and Computer Lab, which will include an increased number of Internet workstations. The size of the DVD collection has been increased and includes new foreign-film offerings. The audio-book collection has been increased with both new fiction and nonfiction titles on CD and cassette. In addition, the Library has introduced the Playaway, an iPod-sized, self-playing digital audio book, which is convenient for patrons to listen to while on the go. The Library also added a café area on the lower level for patrons to purchase and enjoy snacks and beverages, which are available from vending machines.

Visitors to the Library will notice redecorating and renovations throughout the Library. The lobby has automatic doors making for easier access for patrons of all ages. There is a newly furnished quiet study room near the Reference Department where the computer center had been located. The Children’s Story Room has two hand-painted murals decorated with favorite storybook characters. In addition, the Children’s Room has added a Special Needs collection, including books in Large Print, on CD and cassette, DVDs, and games.

The Garden City Public Library opened on May 4, 1952 in its original location in a white clapboard house at the end of Seventh Street. The Library’s original book collection was less than 10,000 volumes. The Library moved to the present building in 1973. Today the Library has over 160,000 holdings, including books, periodicals, films, and other audio-visual materials.

Dedication of Village 9/11 Flag

A ceremony dedicating the Village’s 9/11 flag was held on Sunday, March 30 at the Library. The flag was proudly carried for the 2^nd Battalion, 25^th Marines of Garden City by Gunnery Sergeant (now Master Sergeant) James J. DuPont, a Village resident, while he was serving in Iraq in 2003. The flag bears the names of Garden City citizens who lost loved ones in the tragedy on September 11, 2001, along with their wishes of thanks and support for Master Sergeant DuPont’s efforts. The handsomely framed 9/11 flag is hanging on the brick wall facing the stairwell to the Library’s lower level for all residents to see. The display was made possible through the efforts of John Spellman; Kathy M. DuPont, who is the wife of Master Sergeant DuPont; and donations from the Garden City American Legion. Honored guest Master Sergeant DuPont spoke about the history of the flag to the group who attended the dedication. Library Director Alan G. Roeckel thanked him for the flag, for his service, and the sacrifices that he and his family have made. Master Sergeant DuPont and the 2^nd Battalion, 25^th Marines are scheduled to be redeployed to Iraq or Afghanistan later this month. All of the attendees wished Master Sergeant DuPont and his family good luck and a safe deployment. A reception attended by Library and Village trustees, representatives from the American Legion, and Master Sergeant DuPont and his family followed the dedication at the Library.

Tap the Hidden Web

Last fall, we enjoyed a brief but popular subscription to the RosettaStone online language-learning system. We promised a replacement, and it is now available in the form of Auralog Tell Me More. Courses in English (American) Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish (Castilian and Latin) are available. After you create a free personal account to track your progress, a computer test determines your hardware capacity and installs the necessary software. Then you define your objectives and take a pretest to measure your starting level as a student.

Many a student has memories, fond or otherwise, of pawing through the hundreds of volumes of the Gale Literary Criticism Series to find just the essay for that English paper. Every year, the wall of books grew wider, and it was beginning to look as if we would have to build an annex to hold them. In fact, we might have been able to build an addition if we stacked them on their sides and mortared them together. Last year, the series went digital as Literature Criticism Online. While we havenʼt replaced the existing volumes yet, future additions to the series will be in electronic format. Reproducing the page layout of the beloved reference books, this service adds sophisticated search capabilities. With commentary on books and plays by scholars past and present, students can determine the influence of politics, religion, and social mores on the critique of classic works of fiction, drama and poetry.

Looking for a good book to read? Or maybe you’d like to listen to an audiobook while you travel to work or on a road trip. There are so many books, so many choices. NextReads, an electronic newsletter service suggesting what to read next, is available through the Library website. NextReads recommends great reads on your favorite topics, ranging from historical fiction to armchair travel to business and personal finance, to name just a few. If you have an email address, you can subscribe to NextReads online or through the Library’s database link.

Patrons can select from the 22 subject lists, which include annotations about the books. Fiction and nonfiction newsletter topics include genres such as biography and memoir, history, mystery, romance, nature and science, as well as audiobooks. There are also two children's newsletters and one for young adults. Later this spring, a new newsletter for ‘tweens will debut suggesting great reads for middle-school children.

Newsletters are updated on a monthly or bimonthly basis. Each one describes up to 12 books, with links to the Library catalog so that subscribers can place a hold on a title. Library patrons who do not have an email address can view the newsletters online, either at the Library or from any computer with Internet access.

Recent addtions to the Library’s databases also include, Career Cruising and Price It! Antiques & Collectibles. For a full listing of electronic services by subject area, pick up a copy of the "Tap the Hidden Web" brochure at the Reference Desk or see the Online Databases page.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Come to the Reference Desk and ask someone who can.

NY State Senior Idol Winners Vocal Concert

On Wednesday, June 18 at 8:00 p.m., enjoy a selection of beautiful Broadway tunes and duets performed by talented winners Gene Dicks and Lee Ann Brill. You are invited to attend the "Annual Meeting" of the Friends of the Garden City Public Library which will be followed by the concert.

No tickets are required. Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

News From the Children's Room

The Winter Book Discussions are completed for the season. Flyers for the Summer Reading Club and programs will be available in June.

Spring is here! We are all looking forward to warm, sunny days again. The children’s librarians have been making many changes and improvements to the children’s area. We are currently showcasing juvenile fiction books for Grades 1-5, recommended by your favorite children’s librarians, on our new display shelves. New picture books, non-fiction, and juvenile-fiction books are also featured. The new Special Needs Collection has been expanded with some new titles. The Children’s Room has been painted in warm, inviting colors. Library aide and artist Liane Mallon painted a new mural based on Grimm’s "Little Snow White." The mural is above the Story Room door.

Libraries are not just books anymore! Did you know that the Library’s Children’s Room has a multitude of subscriptions to many magazines for all ages covering many different topics? See the Children's Room page for a partial list of titles with descriptions.

Games have been added to the Special Needs Collection. These games are appropriate for the preschool-Grade 2 child with special needs. They may be checked out for a two week period of time. We also have books on CD and on the computer for the children who enjoy listening to stories. The Children’s area has a collection of musical CDs that can also be borrowed. Music ranges from the favorite children’s performer Raffi, to the sound tracks for Broadway plays and feature films, to the introduction to classical music, instrumental music and marching-parade music. The Library is pleased to present a great variety of music that will introduce and assist children as they discover the wonder of music.

In addition to our new Special Needs area, the Children’s Room has books available in Large Print for students.

Please check the Calendar of Events and the Children's Room page for upcoming events and registration dates. Funding for these programs has been provided by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library. Priority for registration and participation is given to children who are Garden City Public Library cardholders.