Southeast Steuben County Library 300 Nasser Civic Center Plaza Corning, NY 14830 (607) 936-3713
Clock Tower, Corning, NY
The Hornby Museum & Hornby Historical Society
Campbell Central School
Chief Montour Monument in Painted Post, NY |
Visit the Library Home Page Read the latest Library news in The Circulator Open-access archive grows If you are looking for a great source of free movie downloads, texts, music, lectures, software or educational materials, visit the Internet Archive. Founded in 1996 and based in San Francisco, the nonprofit Internet Archive organization is building an Internet Library “with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format.” Its collections of resources that are free for general public use include 28,185 movies, most downloadable in several popular formats); 29,534 concerts recorded live; 66,576 audio recordings, and 25,874 texts. But the Internet Archive is best known for its 40-billion-page Wayback Machine, an archive of World-Wide Web pages. Because website content tends to change over time and websites themselves come and go, the Wayback Machine promises to become a particularly important resource. The Web snapshots collected by it help ensure that an accurate historical record is maintained. The Wayback Machine does not include most of the pages you have to pay to visit, such as pay-for-access newspaper archives, and images are sometimes deleted from captured websites. Nearly everything else is included. The Wayback Machine is about the way the Web once appeared. But the Internet Archive is also about what is happening now. Its Moving Images collection, for example, grows every day and features hundreds of new short films and animation contributed by site users. Its other collections also accept user-contributions, so the Internet Archive probably qualifies as a wiki. To many explorers of the Internet Archive its real appeal is the fun factor. You can wander the “stacks” of the Internet Archive all day and never be bored. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Nation’s Library: Eyes on Black history In recognition of Black History Month, which
begins on February 1, Another great place to find resources on Black history is right here at the Southeast Steuben County Library. A search on “Black History” in our local catalog pulled up more than 40 titles. Visit the Library Home Page and click on the catalog link. You will need your library card and PIN to place a hold on the book or DVD that interests you. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org January 27, 2006 Glass concepts ‘toasted’ here
Shown at left is Molly Collins’ design for a whisky glass she named, “The Cup of Largmoragh.” Her design was based on the traditional Scottish quaich, a two-handed vessel. Collins, a Syracuse resident, took second place. The design event was co-sponsored by Artists and Audience Exchange, a NYFA program. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Tew, Tew much ($) The Southeast Steuben Library and the Community Foundation of the Elmira-Corning Area will host a two-part grant writers workshop designed for non-profit professionals, Beyond the Basics: Proposal Writing and Peer Review, starting on February 7, concluding March 7. This workshop is filled, but will be given again in the fall. Another workshop in the non-profit series, Cash Flow Management for Nonprofit Organizations, will be held on Tuesday, April 4 from 1 pm to 4 in the Three Rivers Development Corp. Conference Room; 114 Pine St.; 2nd floor, in Corning. Pick up the complete schedule at the Reference Desk. The workshop series for nonprofits runs through October 3, 2006. Tew gets an “A” If you do fundraising as part of your job or if you just enjoy clever fundraising schemes, you may wish to consider the case of Alex Tew, a 21-year-old from Wiltshire, England who financed his college education – absolutely all expenses included – by selling advertising space on his website, The Million Dollar Homepage. At $1 per pixel, with a $100 minimum purchase (for a tiny image box about 1/8” diameter, depending on your screen settings), Tew’s offer doesn’t sound like a bargain. Nevertheless, the website caught on, and now Tew’s homepage is filled to his pre-specified capacity and has spawned copycat sites. On January 1, 2006, the final 1,000 pixels left were put up for auction on Britain’s eBay and garnered $38,100.00. This punched up Tew’s gross to $1,037,100 US. He has also been hit with denial-of-service attacks on his website and a host of other problems. For details, click here. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Windpower in Hornby The Steuben County Industrial Development Agency is now acting as lead agency in the NY State Environmental Quality Review of a wind turbine field proposed for the Town of Hornby. The public has from now until February 8 to comment on a draft document Steuben IDA has written to describe the scope of the review. Comments about the Draft Scoping Document will be included in the final version and must be received by Steuben County IDA, 7234 Route 54 North; P.O. Box 393; Bath, NY 14810-0393 no later than 4 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2006. Copies of the Draft Scoping Document are available at the Southeast Steuben County Library Reference Desk, at Steuben County IDA, at the Hornby Town Hall and at the Town of Orange Town Hall. For additional information, call Jim Sherron of Steuben County IDA at (607) 776-3316. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Criss Cross wins Newbery The Association for Library Service to Children has announced its award-winning books for 2006. The awards include the Newbery Medal, given to the “author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children,” according to the ALSC. That award went to Lynne Rae Perkins for her book, Criss Cross (HarperCollins). Newbery Honor Books named were Whittington by Alan Armstrong, illustrated by SD Schindler (Random House); Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic Nonfiction); Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury Children's Books); and Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott (G.P. Putnam's Sons). The Caldecott Medal, recognizing the “artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children,” went to The Hello, Goodbye Window illustrated by Chris Raschka, written by Norton Juster (Hyperion Books for Children) Caldecott Honor Books named were: Rosa illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Nikki Giovanni (Henry Holt and Company), Zen Shorts written and illustrated by Jon J Muth (Scholastic Press), Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-air Balloon Ride written and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (Simon & Schuster), and Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems illustrated by Beckie Prange, written by Joyce Sidman (Houghton Mifflin). Many of these books are in circulation here at the Southeast Steuben County Library and the rest have been ordered. You may place a hold on these books online, with your library card. Just visit the library home page and click on the catalog link. For a complete list of all the award-winning books, visit this page on the ALSC website. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Mashups, the latest Web craze If someone used the word “mash-up” a few years ago, they were probably referring to a fusion of styles in pop music. Today, the word “mashup” (no hyphen, usually) refers to a Web application hybrid. What’s that? Well, take a Web application, such as Google Maps, combine it with someone else’s programming, and the resulting hybrid Web application may provide a useful new service. Google Maps is a Web application that has spawned dozens of mashups. By itself, Google offers maps and satellite imagery of places on earth. When you “zoom in” close enough, you can also find local businesses and points of interest. Google Maps, like other mapping services, is often used by runners to plan routes, but if a mashup-savvy jogger wants to see the best running routes in Albany, NY, now she may go to America’s Running Routes, a Google mashup by USA Track & Field that displays more than 7,700 running routes with mileage indicators and other features using the Google Maps interface. This mashup is particularly interesting because users are encouraged to contribute their own routes, so the America’s Running Routes database is growing. That makes this mashup a wiki, too. Runners and walkers may visit another Google mashup, GMaps Pedometer, which lets you calculate the mileage and weight-based Calorie burn for routes that you designate by selecting points on a Google map. Mashups can be useful, and they can also be fun. Musipedia, The Open Music Encyclopedia, uses Amazon Alexa to provide the ability to search the web by melody. Give the engine a keyword or melodic contour, and it returns similar music. Or, find public libraries in the US and Canada with Libraries411.com, a mashup that uses either Google or Yahoo maps. Data for more than 20,000 libraries is available, including the Southeast Steuben County Library. Google is only one of many Web applications that have spawned mashups. The number and variety of them is dizzying. Flickr, Yahoo’s photo-sharing service, has many, and even eBay has a few. A large indexed collection of mashups is available at ProgrammableWeb.com. That’s a good place to start your exploration of this new Web phenomenon. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Design is a spectator sport
For contestants: What glass artist and contest organizer Dan Mirer wants to see is your best concept – on paper – for a “drink-specific cocktail glass.” Shown at left, for example, is a two-piece sour apple martini glass, with its own between-sips cooling device (available from CreativeCocktails.com). If you’d like to submit a design, here’s what you need to do: Choose an existing cocktail or one of your own design and invent a glass to hold it. Make a full-scale drawing of the glass, including explanatory text notes, recipes or instructions as you see fit. Then, bring your design (on paper) to the Southeast Steuben County Library Conference Room on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 pm, or submit it sooner to Matt Hogan at the Reference Desk. The first-place winner will take home a $100 bill. Second place wins a $20 Bottles and Corks gift certificate; third place, a $10 gift certificate to Frills. There will also be a door prize of handmade glassware by a local artisan. Judging is by ballot, Mirer said, so everyone may participate. The design competition is co-sponsored by the Artist and Audience Exchange and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). Mirer is a NYFA 2005 Artist Fellowship Award recipient. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org January 23, 2006 Library makes music scene Hosted by the Friends of the Library as part of the "It's Write at Your Library" series, a songwriters concert yesterday in the Laura Beer Community Room was well-received by a full house. Shown clockwise, from top left, David Smith, Phil Smock, Kenny Van Etten, Len Vogler, Van Etten, Steve Messer, Steve Peao, and Mary Lu Walker. The concert was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts and Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes. It followed a separate two-session songwriters workshop given by Walker and Vogler. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org < >Thanks, Bailey! Bailey, shown above, donated her beloved turtle and bunny pillows to the Children's Department yesterday. Bailey said she was very exited about them being here. They will be used in the children's reading area, joining our happy frog pillow. We hope Bailey will visit them often. (Jan. 20, 2006) Winter Reading is Healthy We encourage you to join the library in celebrating health, wellness and reading this season by signing up for our “Get Fit in 2006” Winter Reading Club. This year’s theme, health and wellness, encourages participants to make the most out of body and mind. The “Get Fit in 2006” program starts on February 6 and is open to Children and Young Adults. Participants in “Get Fit 2006” keep track of the time spent reading each day. Each reader’s advance will be charted on the Children’s Department Winter Reading Club display. Carnival-style prizes are awarded as reading-time benchmarks are achieved. Small children are encouraged to join the Winter Reading “Read-To-Me” Club, where parents do the reading. Progress for each caregiver-child reading team is charted according to the number of books read. Everyone in the “Get Fit in 2006” Winter Reading Club is a winner, said Children’s Librarian Miss Pauline. “We encourage children and young adults to read for pleasure, and they will come away with important health and fitness concepts, too.” “Get Fit in 2006” runs through March 17 and includes six special events that you won’t want to miss: Thursday, Feb. 9, 4 pm - 5; Teen Yoga, presented by Retha Cazel, owner of Yoga and More – Body, Breath & Spirit. Monday, Feb. 20, 2 pm – 4; Black History Month is celebrated with the movie, “Lean on Me.” Rated PG-13 Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2 pm – 4; “Miracle,” a movie about the coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory, will be shown. Rated PG-13 Monday, Feb. 27, 4 pm – 5; Cornell Cooperative Extension will present a Nutrition program. For ages 5 and older. Thursday, March 2, 10:30 am - 11 and 4 pm – 5; To celebrate the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day, the Children’s Department will be joined by the Mad Hatter storytelling troupe. All ages welcome. Wednesday, March 15, 4 pm - 5:30; “Fitness Fun” Join us for movement games and game crafts. All ages welcome. All “Get Fit in 2006” Winter Reading Program events are free and no registration is required. Come to our Children’s Department to sign up for the club. For additional information, call (607) 936-3713 ext. 503. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org January 19, 2006 Manga club to form More than 20 anime and manga enthusiasts assembled yesterday in the library’s Laura Beer Community Room to discuss this exciting imported genre of animated films and graphic novels. Shannon, our Youth Librarian, led the multigenerational group, whose members shared experiences and discovered common ground as manga readers. Some said they like manga for its unique graphic style, where characters, for example, are drawn with larger-than-life eyes. Others said they like the ongoing stories in manga and enjoy the layers of meaning that build up throughout successive episodes. Attendees welcomed Shannon’s announcement that several more of manga’s multi-volume graphic novels will be in circulation soon. Before the close of the gathering, group members decided to form an ongoing club, with the library’s help. There is still plenty of time to get in on the manga scene here at the library. If you’d like to know more, email Shannon at majiross@stls.org or call (607) 936-3713. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org January 18, 2006 Quilts carry secret code In anticipation of Black History Month, which starts Feb. 1, the Southeast Steuben County Library is displaying its “Freedom Quilt,” a replica of the one featured in Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by James Ransome. The Corning Area Quilters Guild made the quilt and donated it to the library’s Children’s Department last year. Miss Bobbie of the Children’s Department is shown here with the Freedom Quilt display. Last year, she worked with members of the Quilters Guild to bring the display to the library. In Hopkinson’s story, the quilt’s decoration doubled as a secret map that pointed the way to freedom in the North for escaping African-American slaves. In our display we also feature replicas of real code-bearing quilt-block samplers, each image with a secret meaning once known only to those who risked their lives in the Underground Railroad. The “North Star” quilt pattern represented the guiding light of the path, according to folk history, while the “Drunkard’s Path” quilt pattern indicated the staggered route escaping slaves were to take. Our Black History Month exhibit will be on display through February. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Our volunteers: Carol Araujo
“I love people. I love to read and I love fiction,” Mrs. Araujo, a Horseheads resident, said, adding that she started to volunteer here at the library in 2001. “I had volunteered for the book sale already, and I knew that the library needed help,” she explained. One of Araujo’s early jobs was to repair the catalogue labels on our videos. She found herself squinting to read small print labels and craning her neck to read sideways lettering on some others. To remedy these inconsistencies, Araujo, a former Corning Inc. secretary to top executives, volunteered to re-label the entire collection, which she did, sometimes working from home with her own typewriter. Now, thanks to her efforts, our video catalog labels are uniform and easy-to-read. Once that job was completed, Araujo took on other special projects. In 2004-5 she completed a massive job, the physical inventory of the library. This included all our chairs, tables, equipment, shelving and bookcases and, well, just plain everything that didn’t have a Dewey number on it already. Carol Araujo didn’t stop there. Since last year she has been working on bringing order to the library’s collection of scrapbooks of its institutional history. She spends hours each week in the History Room among yellowed newspaper articles, old photographs and documents that date back to the library’s inception in 1873. Many of the older items have started to decay, so Araujo makes sure that documents are copied onto acid neutral paper. She inserts newspaper articles and paper records in plastic sleeves as needed and makes sure that files are assembled in proper order for easy retrieval. “We are also trying to track down and date certain items,” she said, pointing to an undated newspaper clipping. Thanks to Araujo, this is the first time in many years that our scrapbook it is getting the care it deserves. Carol Araujo is someone who likes to take on special projects and sees them through to completion. Because of that, and because of her kind nature and elegant manner, we are especially glad to have her as a library volunteer. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Five arts grants awarded The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes has announced the recipients of its 2006 "Artist Crossroads" award program. The five grants were designed to "foster the creation of contemporary or traditional art by area artists in public spaces using a community-based process of dialogue, involvement and participation," according to the arts organization. Luis Alvarez of Burdett, NY, was selected for his project titled “A Taste of The Farmer’s Market.” Mr. Alvarez will interact with visitors to the 2006 Watkins Glen Farmer’s Market and attempt to translate their sensory impressions into works of abstract art. Alvarez, a painter, works mainly in oil and acrylic. Svetlana Baldwin of Corning, NY was picked for her project titled “Tree of Life.” At several public events throughout 2006, Ms. Baldwin will demonstrate and explain the historical significance of the Tree of Life as it pertains to traditional Ukrainian arts. She will also create an original Tree of Life paper-cutting design based in part on the Corning Clock Tower. Audience participants will create their own cut paper samples after viewing demonstrations of folding and cutting techniques. Mary Alice Little of Painted Post, NY was chosen for her project titled “Live harp music in busy or stressful places.” Ms. Little will perform instrumental pieces from her repertoire of classical, Celtic, folk, popular, and original compositions. She will offer 12 performances throughout 2006 in Chemung, Steuben and Schuyler counties. The Arts selected Anthony Moretti and Gwen Quigley of Hammondsport, NY for a collaborative project titled “The Beauty of Winter.” Mr. Moretti and Ms. Quigley will use natural materials found in the woods and fields, along with snow and ice, to build installations in places frequented by the public. Ann Welles of Elmira, NY was picked for her project titled “Art Spore.” Ms. Welles will create and "set adrift in public places" 250 small spherical objects made from materials such as wood and metal. Each spore will be stamped with a web-site address that will let people who find them share their responses with the artist and others who have found spores. Member Artist Exhibit The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes is also hosting its first Member Artist Exhibit now through February 28 at its gallery in Corning at 32 W. Market St. Works in various media by 16 artists are on display weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. On Saturday, February 11, there will be an Open House for the artists and the public. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org You be the judge
To learn more about the Federal Judiciary, including the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, US District Courts and US Bankruptcy Courts, visit www.uscourts.gov, a convenient portal to resources explaining how our federal courts work and what they do. If you’d like to learn more about courts in New York, visit the New York State Unified Courts System website at www.courts.state.ny.us. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Now & then & here & there It is a beautiful spring-like day here in Southeast Steuben County, New York, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s F. January thaws like this are sometimes disorienting, but almost always welcome. You step outside braced for winter, but the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and you wonder why you’ve put on that heavy parka in the first place. It’s time to head back inside for a second cup of coffee and a lighter outfit. The library’s roster of newly acquired DVDs is similarly varied and entirely welcome. We’ve got great new releases and wonderful classics made at home and abroad. It’s enough to make your head spin. So why not stop in to explore our collection? You’ll be glad you did. Here are some of the many DVDs we’ve acquired in the past 30 days: Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) Cast: Ethan Hawke, Hatsue Imada Miyamoto, James Cromwell, Max von Sydow, others. In the 1950s, a murder trial spotlights a small town, and a local reporter finds that his ex-lover is involved. Eraserhead (1977) David Lynch, director. Cast: John Nance, Charlotte Stewart, others. A nightmarish collage of images blending the grotesque and the absurd, the deeply disturbing and the darkly humorous. Not rated in U.S. Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2004) In English and Tamil w. English subtitles. Cast: Rahul Bose, Konkona Sensharma. A Muslim wildlife photographer and a Brahmin meet and relate on a bus during a riot. The Ballad Of Cable Hogue (1970) Cast: Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, David Warner, Strother Martin, Slim Pickens. A prospector discovers a waterhole after being left for dead in the desert by his double-crossing partners. When his ex-partners visit the well, a surprise awaits them. Rated R. Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973) Cast: James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, and Jason Robards. Rated R. Ran (1985) In Japanese w. English subtitles. Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao. An aging warlord decides to split his kingdom between his three sons, who will live in three separate castles. Running time 160 minutes. Rhapsody In August (1991) In Japanese w. English subtitles. Cast: Sachiko Murase, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Tomoko Ontakaro & Richard Gere. A visit from her grandchildren and the discovery of a half-American relative cause an elderly woman to relive her memories of the atomic bomb that fell on Nagasaki. Rated PG. Cabin In The Sky (1943) Cast: Ethel Water, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram, Duke Ellington and his orchestra & the Hall Johnson Choir. This movie has a dazzling soundtrack of standards. Ride the High Country (1962) Cast: Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea and Mariette Harley. Two old friends have taken drastically different paths growing up. Watermarks (2004) Documentary. The story of the surviving members of the Viennese Hakoah sports club women's swim team, a world-dominating competitor in the 1930s. The club was eventually shut down during Hitler's reign, though all the women managed to escape capture. Yuva (2004) In Hindi w. English subtitles. Cast: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Abishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee. The paths of three young men from disparate social classes cross. Arizona (1940) Cast: Jean Aurthur, William Holden. A tough pioneer woman falls for a drifter. The Last Samurai (2003) Cast: Ken Watanabe, Tom Cruise. Civil War veteran trains Emperor’s troops. Rated R. Anytown, USA (2005) Documentary. Small-town politics in Bogota, New Jersey. Not recommended for those under 17. Falcon and the Snowman (1984) Cast: Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. Americans sell secrets to the KGB. Jurassic Park (1993) Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum. From the Michael Crichton science-fiction novel. The Bishop’s Wife (1947) Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, Monty Wooley, James Gleason, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester. No Direction Home (2005) Documentary. Bob Dylan, from Minnesota to Greenwich Village to stardom. Barbershop (2002) Cast: Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, others. Rated PG-13. Big Fish (2003) Cast: Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor. A gem not to be missed. Rated PG-13. Spare Parts (2004) In Slovenian w. English subtitles. Cast Peter Musevski, Aliosa Kovacic. Smuggling refugees from Croatia and Slovenia to Italy. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Today at the Library… It was a busy day at the library today, even though we were closed during regular morning hours. The late start gave staff time for the yearly Red Cross CPR-AED recertification course. We feel it is important for our patrons’ safety and wellbeing that our staff participates in yearly Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation training and that we are equipped with an Automated External Defibrillator. By noon, the library’s Laura Beer Community Room was filled with people. Today marked the start of the Friends of the Library’s lunchtime series of book reviews, Books Sandwiched In.
McGrath, at left, a biologist who teaches at Corning Community College, is an expert on aspects of coral reef preservation and a devoted birder. Powers, at right, is an Ornithologist at Cornell University and bioacoustics coordinator for The Nature Conservancy’s Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Search Team.
Books Sandwiched In continues next Wednesday, January 18 at noon, when Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, written by Ruth Reichl, will be reviewed by Cornelius O'Donnell. Birthdays January 11 was a busy day for us. Historically, January 11 has been an important day for the nation. It is the birthday of founding father Alexander Hamilton (b. 1755), Cornell University founder Ezra Cornell (b. 1807) and philosopher and noted author William James (b. 1842), one of the founders of Pragmatism. According to The Writer’s Almanac, this is also the day, in 1770, when Benjamin Franklin introduced Rhubarb to American agriculture. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Truth? Slangsters prefer whimsy In contrast to Oxford American Dictionary editors, who picked “podcast” as the Word of the Year for 2005, the American Dialect Society (ADS), whose members are linguists, lexicographers, etymologists and other word mavens, has chosen “truthiness” as its 2005 top word. “Truthiness refers to the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true,” according to the ADS, which publishes the quarterly journal American Speech. The expression was first heard on the Colbert Report, a “satirical mock news show on the Comedy Channel,” the society reported. Epistemologists and others more interested in knowledge than hopefulness may shudder at the societal implications of this choice by vote of ADS members. But fact-fans may take heart in the historical record: Not all of the ADS chosen Words of the Year have lasted in the dominant American lexicon. Take “Y2K,” for example, which was the American Dialect Society’s choice for 1999 Word of the Year. This term, designating a life-threatening computer glitch reminiscent of another, more long-lasting expression, “planned obsolescence,” is uttered rarely in the post 9-11 world. The expression, “9-11,” (in truth, but not in truthiness) was the society’s top word for 2001. Moreover, the 2003 ADS word pick, “metrosexual,” designating a fashion-conscious heterosexual male, was never very popular and as likely today will refer to watchers of the once-popular television show, “Sex in the City.” Even the ADS word-pick for 2004, “red/blue/purple states,” which had nothing to do with litmus paper and acid, but everything to do with politics and political maps, is already a dim memory. New York is a “blue” state, but today one has to think twice before realizing this has little to do with the collective mood. So, truth-lovers take heart. “Truthiness” is probably a flash-in-the-pan. Truth always surfaces in time. Or, is that just wishful thinking? A complete tally of ADS word choices for 2005 is available at this link. Thanks are due to Resource Shelf, a favorite website among librarians, for alerting us to this story. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Design a glass to win
Are we serving cocktails at the library? No, not exactly. What glass artist and contest organizer Dan Mirer wants to see is your best concept – on paper – for a “drink-specific cocktail glass.” Shown at left is a sample concept, a martini glass with a pressure-cooker lid, to make sure the olives are done to a turn. Mirer, who makes glass drinkingware including beer glasses, wine glasses, tumblers and decorative beer bottles, said he hopes the contest will encourage people to participate in the creative design process, even if they’ve never designed anything before. “Be creative. Have fun. Don’t hold back,” said the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) 2005 Artist Fellowship Award recipient. Everyone is invited to enter or just join in the fun on Jan 26. If you’d like to submit a design, here’s what you need to do: Choose an existing cocktail or one of your own design and invent a glass to hold it. Make a full-scale drawing of the glass, including explanatory text notes, recipes or instructions as you deem necessary. Then, bring your design to the Southeast Steuben County Library Conference Room on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 pm, or submit it in advance to Matt Hogan at the Reference Desk. Winners will be determined by ballot, Mirer said. The first-place winner will take home a $100 bill. Second place wins a $20 Bottles and Corks gift certificate; third place, a $10 gift certificate to Frills. There will also be a door prize of handmade glassware by a local artisan. Mirer, 26, went to school at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Alfred University. He moved to Corning 18 months ago to concentrate on glassmaking and to be close to the Corning Museum of Glass Studio, where he does his work. The design competition is co-sponsored by the Artist and Audience Exchange and NYFA. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Shop smart: Stock & food stocks Whether you are evaluating your food pantry or your financial portfolio, the Southeast Steuben County Library has the reference resources you need to make informed choices. Let’s talk about food. Natural food buying cooperatives are found across the nation, from New York City to San Francisco. If you live in Southeast Steuben County, your coop is the Corning Coop. But you won’t find a storefront for this cooperative market on Market Street or anywhere else. Even so, you can take advantage of this active coop’s buying power by shopping here at the library. Stop by our Reference Desk and ask for Buying Club News, or visit www.unitedbuyingclubs.com for general information about the distributor. Buying Club News is a catalogue of thousands of natural food items. Corning Coop members use it to make their purchases from wholesale distributor United Natural Foods, Inc. You need to join the coop to make purchases, and you can get the contact information for that at our Reference Desk or at the website. Food deliveries are made periodically to a central location in town. So, if you are interested in natural and organic foods that are grown using sustainable agricultural guidelines, and if you are interested in making food purchases through a local not-for-profit food-buying club, the library is one place to go to get what you need. Many of our patrons prefer to eat at upscale restaurants; sometimes including upscale natural foods restaurants. To maintain the buying power people need for that, making good financial investments is often crucial. Usually, people turn to stockbrokers or financial advisors for their investment advice, but you can also make informed choices on your own if you consult The Value Line Investment Survey. Like other respected rating companies, Value Line analyzes individual companies, markets and broad market trends. It ranks companies for probable future performance and produces detailed reports on publicly traded companies. Value Line is updated weekly and provides articles with investment advice on stocks and other commodities. It is one of the resources on which financial advisors rely. While the library does not endorse the claims of any ratings service and does not give out any sort of investment advice, we are pleased to make Value Line ratings and analysis available to everyone, for free. Value Line is found in our Reference Department, opposite the Reference Desk. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Tax forms & help here soon
Printed Federal and State tax forms will be available at the Southeast Steuben County Library starting January 15. To help senior citizens fill out those forms, we have the experts. The Steuben County Office for the Aging will be on hand Fridays from 10 am to 1 pm with friendly knowledgeable people ready to help. The start date for this free service is February 10, and it runs through April 7. Call (607) 776-7813 for more information. Our librarians are always on hand to answer your general reference questions, but we are not income tax experts and we do not give out tax advice. If you fill out tax forms yourself, you may download printable tax forms at the Internal Revenue Service web site. (Click on the underlined link.) Or scrap the paper trail (literally; not figuratively) by filing electronically. E-filing is free for those with an adjusted gross income of less than $50,000 in 2005. The IRS site also offers dozens of articles, rules & regulations and helpful hints. The IRS maintains a customer service telephone line at 1-800-829-1040. The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website offers downloadable tax forms, helpful tax tips and, yes, rules & regulations. E-filers with federal adjusted gross incomes between $10,000 and $50,000 may e-file for free at www.TaxEngine.com, a commercial firm. New York tax officers will answer your general tax questions by email via the website, but specific information such as social security numbers and bank account information should not be included in your email. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Children’s Story Hours to resume After a holiday break, Children’s Story Hours will once again brighten the winter scene, starting Jan.23. Miss Bobbie and friends invite toddlers (and their designated adults) to Mother Goose Story Time on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 11 am. On Wednesdays, children of all ages are invited to listen, sing-along and otherwise shine during Music Rhyme and Story Time from 10:30 to 11 am and from 1 pm to 1:30 pm. Later on Thursdays, your children are encouraged to dress in pajamas for Blankets, Books and Slippers PJ Story Time, which starts at 7 pm and ends at 7:30. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org From left: Lise Gilliland, Frank Coccho and Kris DiLaura. January 4, 2006 Corning mayor, trustees pay call Today, before a tour of the Southeast Steuben County Library, Paul Danielson, President of the Library Board of Trustees, and Director Lise Gilliland welcomed Corning Mayor Frank Coccho and newly appointed library Trustee Kris DiLaura. "I'm looking forward to continuing to support the library," Mayor Coccho said. Now only a few days into his first term as mayor, Coccho said he was pleased to have accepted the director's invitation to visit. "I've learned a lot today" he said.
"It was a pleasure taking Mayor Coccho and Kris DiLaura on a tour of the library. It gave me a chance to talk about some of our programs and it gave our staff and volunteers a chance to meet them both," Gilliland said. DiLaura is no stranger to the library. She worked at the Corning Public Library (our former name) for 14 years, until it closed. DiLaura, who worked at the circulation desk and everywhere else in the library, is the mother of two children attending Corning-Painted Post schools. She works part-time with her husband, Vincent DiLaura at his Real estate business, Exit Realty Pro Source. "We are looking forward to having Kris on the Board of Trustees." "I think she will be a terrific library advocate," said Gilliland. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Manga is hot Here at the library, we encourage reading any way we can, and so we are interested in talking with teens about anime and manga, a genre of animated films and graphic novels imported from Japan. In the U.S., where teens are a market reality that retailers no longer ignore, anime and manga sales account for a large portion of teen demand for books. Last year, manga sales surged to $125 million in the U.S., up from $55 million in 2002, according to a September 18, 2005 report by Sarah Glazer of the New York Times. Girls and women account for more than 60 percent of the readership. Even newspapers are paying attention. USA Today reports that manga, the print-media form of anime is “one of the fastest growing genres in U.S. publishing.” So it is no surprise that west coast Newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer now include a manga strip or two in their comics pages. One of these strips, “Peach Fuzz,” was labeled “quirky” by MSN. It explores a nine-year-old girl’s desire to become friends with her pet ferret, Peach. Another, “Van Von Hunter,” is about warriors on “a mission to fight evil,” according to MSN. “It’s giving teens a voice,” Shannon said about anime and manga, adding that a devotee of anime is known as an “otaku.” Are you an otaku? If so, we want to hear from you. Come to the library to discuss anime and manga on January 18 at 4 p.m. Click on this link for more about this get-together. “I want teens to teach us why anime is important,” Shannon explained. Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org Visit the Library Home Page Read the latest Library news in The Circulator |
Everyone
was a winner yesterday at the library’s “Cocktail Glass Design
Competition.” Held in the Laura Beer Community Room, the event was
conceived by glass artist Dan Mirer, a 2005 Artist Fellowship Recipient
of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). The participants, shown
above, submitted their designs for a cocktail glass specially suited to
an existing or invented drink. Judging was by ballot of the
participants. Prizes were awarded to all participants, with the top
vote-getter taking home a $100 bill. Second-place and third-place
designs won gift certificates to Bottles & Corks and Frills. 
You don’t have to be a glass artist to enter
our Cocktail Glass Design Competition, and you don’t have to be a
contestant to join in the fun on Thursday evening, January 26 at 7. 
Southeast Steuben County Library volunteer
Carol Araujo rarely buys new books. She doesn’t have to. At the Friends
of the Library’s twice-yearly book sales, she takes advantage of the low
prices on books that community members recycle as book-sale donations.
With his testimony before the US Senate
Judiciary Committee concluded, legislators will soon vote on Judge
Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Thanks
to
Tom McGrath and Mike Powers reviewed
The Grail
Bird: Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, written by Tim
Gallagher. 
Both speakers offered
their first-hand insights into the search for the bird that was once
thought to be extinct and the controversy surrounding its apparent
rediscovery.
Never blown glass? No problem. You don’t have
to be a glass artist to join in the fun of the Cocktail
Glass Design Competition here at the library on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7
pm.
Taxes are inevitable and so are tax forms. But help is here, in the library.
The
mayor was introduced to staff and volunteers at their work stations and
throughout the library. He is shown here with Volunteer Coordinator
Kathleen Richardson.