CONGRATULATIONS to Richard Goldman and Monica Kulis, who have been re-elected Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Library Board, respectively, and to our newly sworn in Trustee, Madison Warwick.

LIVE HOMEWORK HELP has been greatly expanded to serve students from ages 5 to 85 online! The addition of this service for children from Kindergarten through 3rd grade reinforces our library’s support of early learners, exposes young children to rich learning resources, aids in computer literacy, and provides practice for fine motor skills. As before, students in grades 4 through 12 are able to connect to certified, background-checked tutors in Math, Science, Social Studies and English; and now adults, too, can connect online to a live expert for assistance with Continuing Education courses, earning a GED, or when seeking the correct grammar for work-related writing or a resume. The service is available in both English and Spanish, and its hours have also been expanded to begin at 2 pm and extend to 10 pm every day of the week!

LIVE LIBRARIAN, another Tutor.com service, is now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Professional Librarians will assist library card holders online at any hour of the day and night, whenever patrons might be unable to reach one of our own highly qualified Reference Librarians. Tutor.com earned a 2008 Gold Award from Parent’s Choice, and we are one of a group of 50 Nassau County public libraries joining together to bring these expanded online services to our communities. Both of these outstanding Tutor.com services are being subsidized by the Friends of the Library, and can be accessed on our web page, www.oysterbaylibrary.org.

NOW HEAR THIS! Take a step through the new Nassau Digital Doorway on our web page, and you will find a constantly growing collection of audio books from leading publishers. You can browse for your favorite authors or best-selling titles, check out up to 5 digital books with your library card, download them to your computer, transfer them to a portable device or burn them to a CD (when permitted by the publisher), and yes! some titles can now be transferred to your iPod or iPhone! After the 7-day loan period is up, the audio books automatically return to the digital collection, with no late fee or damage costs. The service is free, easy to use, and available 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

If needed, a Librarian can walk you through the process over the phone, or you might prefer to come into the Library to have an audio book downloaded and transferred to your MP3 player or to a player that you can borrow at the Circulation Desk. Your commute will seem much shorter while you’re listening to these best-selling or classic titles!

SHOPPING FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES? A library card is the best school supply you can have, and it’s free! Moreover, it’s a source of learning and entertainment for the whole family. Children are encouraged to sign up for their first card during Library Card Sign-Up Month in September. Youngsters will receive a prize, and new adult borrowers will receive a welcome packet with information about our services, bookmarks, a refrigerator magnet listing our hours, and more.

THANKS ONCE AGAIN to the Friends of the Library for their unfailing support of our Summer Reading Clubs. Not only did they provide and serve refreshments for our Reading Club kick-off, they also subsidized special programs for the kick-off and end-of-summer party, and provided a really cool camcorder as a prize for the Young Adult Reading Club. This summer, 243 children enrolled in the “Catch the Reading Bug” Club and 40 teens participated in the YA Club.

THE 2009 BOOK LOVER’S CALENDARS are now on sale at the Circulation Desk for the bargain price of $5.00. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Library. Be sure to shop early, as supplies are limited.