Hi! Welcome to the Director’s blog. As part of our newly designed website, I hope to use this space regularly to fill you in on all the new events and services we offer at the Library, and I also invite you to reply with your comments and suggestions.

One of our newest services can be found in the Media Department. “Playaways” are full length unabridged books in an audio format - the simplest way to listen to a book on the go! “Playaways” can be checked out for 28 days, and work with most headphones, speakers and car adapters. Easier to use than CDs or cassettes, “Playaways” afford hours of listening pleasure. Drop by the Media Department and browse our collection, then let us know what you think.

What was that book I read a while ago? What was the book I said I wanted to read? It's hard to remember titles and authors sometimes, especially if you are an avid reader. If you look at LibraryThing.com you can quickly set up an account with a user name and password and keep track of your reading, add your own subject headings (tags) to the books so you can easily find them again, see what others are reading, share your list with friends, join a group of like minded readers and look at the suggester and the un-suggester to find other books you might like or not like. Explore this fun site and you just might get hooked.

You might ask, "Why would I want to use a database?" Here is an example. I was at my sister's and the guys were talking about Joba Chamberlain who, for those who don't follow Yankees' baseball, is a phenomenal young pitcher who made his major league debut this season. I said, "Well you know that they had no intention of bringing him up until next season," because I remembered reading an article in the New York Post sometime before the All-Star break. Kevin Kernan had written this really nice article about Joba and his father Harlan, and I remembered his saying that. They said I didn't know what I was talking about. Well, being a reference librarian, I went online to the POB Library website and searched the Custom Newspapers database and within two minutes found the article from June 24th.

I recently visited a friend in Connecticut. It was dark by the time I started my drive back to Long Island. Too late, I realized I had made a wrong turn. I found myself on a street with beautiful homes, but not a person in sight. Although I manage the map collection for the Library's Vertical File, I had neglected to take a map out for my trip. We have numerous maps of Connecticut and New England. I also realized that I would have needed a flashlight to read it.
Luckily, I reached a friend by cell phone. She went on the Internet and told me just where I was located. I was then able to get on the highway and drive safely home. I know that some of you have GPS systems or could have texted Google for directions. But for the rest of us, there's a moral to this story: When you take a trip, bring your cell phone, a flashlight and A MAP FROM THE POB LIBRARY COLLECTION!

As you may know, County Executive Tom Suozzi is currently studying the feasibility of consolidating public libraries in Nassau County in an attempt to save tax dollars. However, many think consolidation is a mistake, and feel Mr. Suozzi’s plan will not work, and ultimately will not save money. Assemblyman Harvey Weinstein (D-Long Beach) wrote recently in Newsday, “Of course we would all like to see our property taxes reduced, but library budgets account for such a small fraction of local property tax burdens – from 1% to about 4 % - that any savings realized from consolidation would be a drop in the bucket.” He goes on to praise the public library as a center “of local activities, a place for personal growth and social experiences, a place to take pride in, a place to feel connected, a place to feel at home.” The Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library is open seven days a week to serve its residents. It is available online 24/7, and provides materials and services for people of all ages, from arts and crafts and literacy guidance for the young, to concerts and reference materials for senior citizens. It is a service unmatched in the community, and a library the community can be proud to support.