Southeast Steuben County Library

300 Nasser Civic Center Plaza

Corning, NY 14830

(607) 936-3713

 

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  Clock Tower, Corning, NY

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Campbell Central School

Chief Montour Monument in Painted Post, NY

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February 28, 2006

Nutrition & exercise team up

Kids learned some of the basics about good nutrition and exercise yesterday in the Children's Department. Cornell Cooperative Extension educators Nancy Thorpe and "Chef" Jon Sterlace used a parachute, an obstacle course and other devices to make their points. The event was part of the library's "Get Fit in 2006" Winter Reading Program.

Mad Hatters to appear March 2

Don't forget to bring your child to the library this Thursday at 2 pm. The Mad Hatters storytelling troupe and the Children's Department of the Southeast Steuben County Library will celebrate 'Read Across America' and the birthday of Dr. Suess (Theodor Seuss Geisel). There will be costumes, healthy snacks based on foods found in Dr. Seuss books, storytelling and more.

The fun begins at 4 p.m. on March 2 in the Children's Department at the Southeast Steuben County Library. No registration required.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


DuFu's Garden, Chengdu, China

February 27, 2006

Four

Weeks

in

China

 

Last summer, Mary and Derek Wollatt, spent four weeks touring China. They visited the sights with the help of English speaking guides and walked around many towns by themselves. The Wollatts also visited several sections of the countryside. From Hong Kong to Lhasa (Tibet) to the Yangtze River to Beijing (and points in-between), the Wollatts witnessed rebuilding of many structures destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. They saw first-hand China’s ancient culture, rapidly changing lifestyle, friendly people and amazing scenery.

Mary and Derek Wollatt will present a travelogue of their month-long journey at the Southeast Steuben County Library on Sunday, March 5 at 2 pm in the Laura Beer Community Room. The informal program will include an illustrated presentation of the sights seen and ample time for questions. The program is free and open to the public. We hope you will attend.

The Southeast Steuben County Library is located at 300 Nasser Civic Center Plaza in Corning, NY. Click here for a map and driving directions. Or, click here for public bus routes and schedules.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 24, 2006

Audio books: Listen up!

Libraries encourage listening as well as reading, even when it means listening to books. At the Southeast Steuben County Library we have more than 2,500 audio books on CD and cassette. We encourage you to browse our collection of fiction and non-fiction titles with your eyes and your ears.

Reading aloud is an art all its own. Some of our unabridged and abridged audio books are read by authors, and others by actors and orators. Whichever the case, we hope you will enjoy the convenience of hands-free participation in literature.

Here are a just a few of the audio fiction books we have on our shelves as CDs:

The Christmas Train and Total Control by David Baldacci;

Good Harbor by Ann Diamant;

Tishomingo Blues, Mr. Paradise, The Hot Kid, City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit and When Women Come Out to Dance; all by Elmore Leonard;

The Egyptologist, by Arthur Phillips;

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare, a collection of the plays of William Shakespeare;

Seven books, mystery and fiction, by Alexander McCall Smith;

The Rescue, by Nicholas Sparks, and

The Bonesetter’s Daughter, by Amy Tan.

If these titles don’t bend your ear, others in our collection will. Drop by or browse us online at ssclibrary.org. Click on the “Catalog” link at the top of the page, and don’t forget your library card and PIN.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 23, 2006

Grandparents:

Know Your Legal Rights

In New York, the legal rights of grandparents are often ill-defined and subject to change. Grandparents who are acting as parents, who seek visitation rights, or have school enrollment issues face a complex and ever-changing legal landscape. They need to know their legal rights and where to go for assistance.

Come to our free workshop and panel discussion, “Grand Parenting 101: Know Your Legal Rights and Resources,” on March 23, from 1 pm to 3 at the Southeast Steuben County Library.

Panelists, including experts on grand-parenting & the law and grandparents, will consider issues such as advocacy, finding a lawyer, custody & adoption rights, school enrollment and more.

This workshop is the first of three in the Library’s Relations as Parents Project (RAPP) series. All workshops are held in the Laura Beer Community Room, Southeast Steuben County Library, 300 Nasser Civic Center Plaza in Corning, NY. The workshops are free of charge. Registration is required.

"Back to School: Grandparents and the School Age Child" will be held on April 27 from 2 pm to 4.

The series will conclude with “The Status Quo: Human and Social Services Available for Grandparents,” on May 18 from noon to 2 pm.

To sign up for the March 23 workshop, “Grand Parenting 101: Know Your Legal Rights and Resources,” or for any in the series, visit the Reference Desk or call (607) 936-3713 ext. 502.

Comments & Questionsns email: turnerb@stls.org


February 22, 2006

Celebrate 'Read Across America'

Join the Mad Hatters storytelling troupe and the Children's Department of the Southeast Steuben County Library in celebrating 'Read Across America' on March 2, the birthday of Dr. Suess (Theodor Seuss Geisel). The Mad Hatters headline a fun-filled program sure to please children of all ages.

The fun begins on Thursday, March 2 at 4 p.m. in the Children's Department at the Southeast Steuben County Library. No registration required. Click here for a map and driving directions. Or, for bus routes and schedules, click here.

Read Across America is a nationwide initiative sponsored by the National Education Association to celebrate the joy of reading every day of the year, and on Dr. Suess's Birthday in particular.

Nutrition Fun on Monday, Feb. 27

Cornell Cooperative Extension will present a Nutrition Program for ages 5 and older from 4 pm to 5 on Monday, February 27. This 'Get Fit in 2006" Winter Reading Program special event will feature healthy snacks, an obstacle course, a parachute and more. No registration required.

Comments & Questionsns email: turnerb@stls.org


February 21, 2006

Maps change as we do

Today, most computer users have swift Internet access to interactive maps of many kinds, from road maps to political maps to topographical maps and more. Services including MapQuest provide point-to-point driving directions and hyperlinks to local commercial services. Online map services like Google Maps and Virtual Earth let us look at map-photo hybrids that match satellite imagery or aerial photography with street names and points of interest.

Satellite imagery and aerial photography were not designed to replace topographical maps. As hikers, surveyors and others know, US Geological Survey (USGS) maps have their own special uses. They are available online (at no cost to users) from TopoZone. True to its claims, TopoZone has ‘stitched’ together thousands of USGS quadrant maps to form, in effect, an “interactive topo map of the entire US.”

NASA WorldWind users can access climatologic and other scientific data from almost any region on Earth at the push of a button. Like WorldWind, Google Earth combines ‘3D’ imagery and graphics. Users can view the contour of the landscape from many angles and vantage points. At times, these services skirt the traditional distinction between “map” and “territory.” It’s almost like being there. Unlike Virtual Earth and Google Maps, WorldWind and Google Earth have demanding system requirements and components need to be downloaded to your computer. NASA's "Blue Marble," a WorldWind image, reduced, is shown at left.

Even with online and computer-based maps now in common use, there is often no substitute for printed maps, which are often easier to use than maps displayed on computer screens. Printed maps and atlases come in all shapes and sizes and have features designed to serve particular interests. At the Southeast Steuben County Library we have a wide variety of maps and atlases in our Reference stacks and at the Reference Desk. Whether you are a trucker, a businessperson or a hiker, you’ll find something of interest in our collection.

If you don’t see what you need, ask at the Reference Desk. Someone will be glad to help.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 20, 2006

Black history:

DC's Mall set for museum

Actor Morgan Freeman advocated for a nation free from race distinctions when he said on CBS’ 60 Minutes in December, 2005 that Black History Month was “ridiculous” and that “Black History is American History.”

Freeman had his point. So did the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents in late January when it selected a five-acre plot on the Washington, DC Mall for the future National Museum of African American History, set to open in 2016. The museum will likely draw from the collections of the National Museum of American History, among others, and establish its own collection, according to the Washington Post on January 31, 2005.

Situated at the southwest corner of 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, near the Washington Monument, the future museum will do more to emphasize the importance of African Americans to the history of the United States as a whole than to promote racism, argued Mark McCormick of the Wichita Eagle on February 5.

Whether you prefer a cultural mosaic or a melting pot, the future museum, planned by order of Congress, will complement existing institutions devoted to Black history including the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center near Dayton, OH and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN.

Congress will fund half of the $300-500 million estimated cost of the National Museum of African American History. The rest is to be raised through private contributions.

Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who in 1965 as a civil rights worker was beaten at the hands of police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, was one of the original sponsors of legislation to create the museum, first introduced in 1988. He is shown in this photo from the Library of Congress as a lead marcher (right, front), alongside civil rights activist Hosea Williams, on March 7, 1965.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org
 


February 17, 2006

Web searches: Diving deeper

Search engine use rose dramatically last year as more people used Google or Yahoo or other automated Web-indexing tools to find the resources they needed on the World-Wide Web. Search engines are used by more people, more frequently than any other Internet application with the exception of email. Yet, powerful as they are, search engines have their limitations.

Search engines “crawl” the Web, capturing the full text of web pages they link to. They help you find pages by matching your search terms with words in the pages you want. Web links to these pages are ranked and returned as search results according to complex algorithms particular to each search engine. But pages retrieved may be irresponsibly written, incomplete, misleading or false because they are not individually evaluated by knowledgeable humans. Search engines also miss a great deal of what lies below the surface of the Web; the so-called “Invisible Web” or “Deep Web.”

What is the Deep Web? It is that portion of the Web that is not captured by search engines, sometimes because the desired resource is compiled in a separate database that creates web pages in response to individual queries.

“You can’t search the NOVEL databases on the Internet, but you can access them through the Internet,” explained Adult Services Librarian Matthew Hogan, referring to an “Invisible Web” resource that Southeast Steuben County Library cardholders can use from any Mac or PC with an Internet connection, but which is not generally available to the public.

In addition to finding resources you can’t find on the Web, another advantage of the NOVEL databases and many other Deep Web resources is that their full-text newspapers, journal articles and texts come from established sources and have undergone editorial or peer review.

You can access the NOVEL databases by visiting the library’s Internet Quick Links page. It’s a good place to start your exploration of the Deep Web. Then, visit CompletePlanet.com, an index of more than 70,000 Deep Web databases.

The University at Albany has an online tutorial about the Deep Web at this link.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


S. Priyashree, right, and Pauline Emery, Director of Children's Services, hang a Rangoli pattern in the Library display area on Feb.15

February 16, 2006

Kolam & Rangoli on display

When you visit the Southeast Steuben County Library now through March 12, you will notice our new display of Kolam and Rangoli patterns, courtesy of Big Flats resident S. Priyashree.

Kolam and Rangoli, one of India’s beloved cultural traditions, is decorative portico art made from white or dyed rice flour, limestone, sandstone or other powders deposited in patterns traditionally thought to protect the home. Birds eat the flour or the powder dissipates due to exposure to the elements, so Rangoli are recreated each day in the entranceways of houses. The artwork is drawn by hand or created using funnels, stencils, perforated rolling tubes or other simple devices. The motifs of Rangoli are often drawn from nature, resulting in colorful patterns resembling peacocks, swans or flowers, for example.

The art of Kolam, a daily ritual in South India, is passed on from mother to daughter. Kolam patterns consist of lines connecting or curved around predetermined points, a characteristic that distinguishes it from other traditional forms.

Rangoli patterns vary and include wall art as well as floor art. The designs are drawn on doorsteps, in the courtyards of homes or in temples. The photo at left is from the Canadian Museum of Civilization website at www.civilization.ca.

Priyashree created the Kolam & Rangoli exhibit to help spread the art and culture of her native India. It complements her collection of traditional arts & jewelry from India. Selected pieces from the collection are featured in our display case nearby.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


 

 

 

 

LIBRARY VOLUNTEER HIPOLITO CORTES (left) recites a Spanish version of Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman. Pauline Emery, Director of Children's Services, reads in English during Spanish Story Time, Feb. 16 in the Laura Beer Community Room of the Southeast Steuben County Library.

 

 

 


February 15, 2006

Income tax: Help is here

The Steuben County Office of the Aging and AARP once again offer confidential free tax help at the Library. Middle- and low-income taxpayers of any age qualify for assistance. Special attention will be given to those age 60 and older, according to the AARP Tax-Aide Foundation.

Tax preparers will answer questions, check over state and federal returns or prepare tax returns for you from 10 am to 1 pm on Fridays, Feb. 17, 24; March 3, 24, 31; and on April 7. Tax prep. help will not be available on March 10 and 17.

Those seeking assistance should bring all pertinent papers including a copy of last year's income tax returns. Also bring this year's tax forms. (NY state and federal income tax forms are available at the Library if you need them.)

For tax help, come to the Laura Beer Community Room of the Southeast Steuben County Library; 300 Nasser Civic Center Plaza, Corning, NY. Click here for a map and driving directions. Or, for bus routes and schedules, click here.

Tax help is also available at other locations in Southeast Steuben County. To locate a site near you, call AARP at 1-888-227-7669.

Visit the Southeast Steuben County Library home page for links to other important tax resources. Our Reference staff will not answer income tax questions.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 14, 2006

I Mother Goose's Story Time!

Toddlers, young children and their caregivers celebrated Valentine’s Day today during Mother Goose’s Story Time in the Laura Beer Community Room here. Miss Bobbie of the Children’s Department told Valentine’s Day stories, played a counting game (see photo above) and showered paper hearts on a large group of enthusiastic listeners. Folk singer Mary Lu Walker (see photo below) added live music to the program. Story Time was followed by treats including heart-shaped cookies, sandwiches and snacks that were enjoyed by all.

Our Valentine’s Day event was the first of two special Story-Time programs this week. On Thursday, Feb. 16, the Children’s Department will host Spanish Story Time featuring Hipolito Cortes. Hipolito, an active library volunteer, will tell stories in Spanish and English to children of all ages. It starts at 10:30 am and is free of charge. Spanish Story Time promises to be both fun and educational for Spanish and English speaking children.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 13, 2006

Links to our history

In 1926, when American historian Carter G. Woodson selected the second week of February as “Negro History Week,” he may not have envisioned the extent to which this national observance, now known as Black History Month or African American History Month, has grown. But by 1976, the organization he founded in 1915 - The Association for the Study of Negro Life - “succeeded in expanding the observance, which then became Black History Month,” according to the US Department of State.

This year’s White House Proclamation on Black History Month encourages “public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States” to participate in its observance.

One way to do that is to take some time to learn more about America’s struggle with slavery and racism, and about the contributions of African Americans to our national heritage. You can start that project right now, by following these important resource links:

Follow this link for a rich collection of online reference sources and bibliographies from Louisiana State University Libraries.

For text of Dr. Martin Luther King’s, “I Have a Dream,” delivered in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, follow this link.

And, for an excellent collection of librarian-vetted links to African American history resources, visit the Black History Month page of the Librarians’ Internet Index.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 10, 2006

Winter Reading: Yoga adds kick

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) is one of the most easily recognizable yoga poses. According to Yoga Journal, the pose has many benefits. It calms the brain, reduces stress, strengthens arms & legs, stretches the shoulders, hamstrings & calves and may even help prevent osteoporosis. Yoga instructor Retha Cazel is shown yesterday (above, center) in an energetic variant of the pose, with students in the Laura Beer Community Room. The ‘Teen Yoga’ session was the first event in the library’s “Get Fit in 2006” Winter Reading Program.

This year’s Winter Reading theme, health and wellness, encourages participants to make the most out of body and mind. Click here for program details and the schedule of events. All events are free.

No registration is required for events, but young adults and children may sign up to win prizes awarded for the reading they do through March 17. Everyone who participates in the Winter Reading Club is a winner. We encourage very young children and their caregivers to sign up for the “Read To Me” club.

Manga fans take note: Reading this genre of graphic novels qualifies for credit toward prizes as does writing a short review of an Anime feature.

Sign up for the Winter Reading Club in our Children’s Department today or call (607) 936-3713 ext. 503 for more information. Happy reading!

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 9, 2006

Romance (novels) for sale

You are invited! Whether you like Jane Austin's classic romantic novels or Harlequin Romances, the Friends of the Library, SSC has the books for you, and just in time for Valentine's Day.

Get carried away with romance at the Romance Novel Book Sale at the Southeast Steuben County Library lobby, from 10 am until 6 pm on Valentine's Day, Tuesday, February 14. The sale is a great way to pick up books by romance authors you may have missed and by old friends.

It's a special Valentine's Day book sale, and it's happening here. If you enjoy romance novels, it will be love at first sight.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 8, 2006

Internet Privacy:

Smart cookies and you

Most of us know something about cookies, the little text files that are placed on your computer by most of the websites you visit. Cookies deliver information from your Mac or PC to these websites, enabling many desirable features from the user standpoint, and allowing Web-based businesses and their advertisers or business partners to collect information about you.

In recent years, cookies have been paired with Web beacons to deliver even more information about your browsing habits. Web beacons are small, invisible image files embedded in Web pages and HTML-enabled email. The images themselves are located on remote web servers, separate from the server that hosts the Web page you are viewing. In the virtual world, when you call up a Web page with a Web beacon embedded in it, you are viewing a Web page with elements stored on two or more Web servers.

Web beacons let third parties, including advertisers, know the address of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) you are using, the resolution of your computer screen, the type and version of your Web browser and more. When programmatically connected to cookies, advertisers and others can find out a lot about your web-viewing habits.

Web beacons are used by corporations, nonprofit organizations and individuals to track usage of websites and website components including advertising. It is also possible for companies with Web beacons and cookies to identify you personally if you have disclosed information through an online registration form or by making an online purchase.

Privacy advocates recently criticized Yahoo after its disclosure that it uses web beacons in Yahoo groups and in the email it sends to its other users. But Yahoo is not alone. Other large companies including HP, Paramount Pictures and dozens of others have similar policies. That’s why it is important to check the privacy policy of the websites to which you voluntarily disclose personal information.

You can block uniquely identifiable information about your computer from being disclosed through web beacons by disabling cookies on your computer. Unfortunately, this will limit the functionality of many of the websites you visit and prevent you from viewing others. Manually deleting cookies on a regular basis is an option preferred by some Internet users, while others use cache cleaners to help ensure privacy. But no method in common use is perfect.

Unless you are taking special precautions, it is wise to assume that when you surf the web and use email, your behavior is being monitored.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 7, 2006

Art Walk is for readers, too

We know, occasionally there is a perfectly good reason why you should look up from your book. One such excuse is the Corning Art Walk, held the second Saturday of each month, where local artists, including glass artists, showcase their work in the galleries and studio-storefronts of the Corning Gaffer District.

On Saturday, Feb. 11 from 10 am until 5 pm, the Art Walk - a self-guided tour - will include glassblowing and hors d’oeuvres at Lost Angel Glass and glassblowing demonstrations at Vitrix Hot Glass Studio. Both studios are on Market Street in Corning, NY. Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes, at 32 W. Market St., will have an “Open House” featuring work by 21 regional artists, music, demonstrations and more. Nearby West End Gallery will host an opening reception - from 2 pm until 4 - for its “Director’s Choice” exhibit.

Other participating venues will offer discounts and special events. For example, 171 Cedar Arts Center offers an “open studio” tour of its Bruce House facilities. Corning Art Walk participants include Noslo Glass, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art, The Corning Museum of Glass, Brown Bag Gifts, Gustin’s Gallery Goldsmiths, Soul Full Cup Coffeehouse and others.

So, if you absolutely must take a break from reading, keep this coming Saturday in mind. For more information about the event, call Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes at (607) 962-5871.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 6, 2006

Black History Month:

Young Adult books here

Civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, died last week on the eve of Black History Month, yet she leaves an important legacy to African American Literature. The Coretta Scott King Awards, named in her honor, spotlight African American authors and illustrators “whose books promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and the realization of the American dream,” according to the American Library Association (ALA), which presents the awards.

Here at the Southeast Steuben County Library, our Young Adult collection features both Coretta Scott King Award winners and other fine fiction about African-American youth in real-life situations. Behind You, by Jacqueline Woodson (G.P. Putnam’s Son’s), is one of the King Award-winners on display in the Young Adult area this month. It’s a novel about a young white man’s coming-to-terms with the death of his African-American girlfriend.

In Bronx Masquerade, another King Award winner, by Nikki Grimes (Dial Books), 18 teenagers take on the risky challenge of self-realization.

Double Dutch, by Sharon M. Draper (Aladdin), a new novel by the King Award-winning author of Forged By Fire, is also in our display and like the other books, available to take out.

The Autobiography of My Brother, by Walter Dean Myers, with art by Christopher Myers (Harper Collins), is about life in a neighborhood plagued by violence and crime.

Toning the Sweep, by Angela Johnson (Orchard Books), is about life in Alabama in 1964, during the civil rights era.

Also available is Days of Tears, by Julius Lester, a drama set in the antebellum South that confronts the hardships and consequences of slavery.

There are many more books in the Young Adult spotlight this month, so why not drop by to browse the collection?

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


Library Board of Trustees member Deborah Joseph is a patron, too. She is shown yesterday (Ctr.) checking out books with her daughter, Rosemary Joseph.

February 3, 2006

Circulation Desk can handle it

Ask Principal Library Clerk Linda Reimer what’s changed at the library Circ. desk during the past 20 years and she’ll tell you.

For one, bar codes and readers are now in use, speeding up the checkout process, and fully-integrated circulation software enables automated record-keeping on our computer network.

Moreover, as times change, the staff at the Circulation Desk takes on new jobs.

“We’re not only about checking-out books. We also help people find books in other libraries, including places outside the Southern Tier Library System (STLS),” Reimer said. In fact, the number of books and audio-visual materials coming to us from other libraries jumped nearly 35% last month compared with the same period last year. That means more telephone calls to patrons to let them know the book has arrived.

“Lots of the change in what we do is due to the new technology,” Reimer said.

These days, the Reference Desk uses more of its staff time to assist computer users. So the Circulation Desk pitches in by assisting with questions from patrons and callers, when qualified to do so.

The Circ. staff also handles lost books, overdue notices “lost and found,” scheduling of meeting rooms and, of course, library cards. (Megan, one of our newest Southeast Steuben County Library cardholders, is shown at left with her daughter, Emily, who appears fascinated with the informational brochures that come with new cards.) Circulation staff members handle many other tasks as well, including Technical Services, processing new library materials, rotating collections (with other STLS libraries) and audio-visual maintenance.

Circulation statistics at the Southeast Steuben County Library are kept by Missy, who is also our ‘Overdue’ Clerk. They show that total circulation increased by more than 8 percent last year to 158,550, from 147,041 in 2004.

Retired public school librarian and avid reader Barbara Dick knows the importance of the Circulation Desk. “It is the magic key of the library. Without the Circulation Desk, you wouldn’t have a library,” she said yesterday.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 2, 2006

On the roster:

Digital Photofinishing

If you want to learn how to make the most of your digital camera images, then we have a new class created especially for you. “Digital Photofinishing, Part I” will be held in the Southeast Steuben County Library conference room on Monday, March 6 at 6 pm, with Part II to follow two weeks later, on March 20 at 6 pm. Like all of the computer classes at the Southeast Steuben County Library, the new “Digital Photofinishing” series is free of charge and open to the general public.

The two ninety-minute sessions are targeted for PC users who know how to use a digital camera but want to learn how to make better images and prints after the snapshots are taken. The classes should be of interest to anyone who wants an overview of how digital photo-processing is done. General computer literacy is the only class prerequisite. Apple (Mac) systems will not be covered, but Mac users may benefit

The first session will cover topics including “Getting images off cameras and onto PCs with flash memory cards and USB cables,” “Camera manufactures’ software vs. the Windows XP Wizard” and “Competing file formats: JPEGs, GIFs, TIFFs and PSDs.” The session will also include a photo-imaging software overview.

Part II will cover basic digital photo-processing techniques including cropping, rotating, flipping; manual and automatic adjustments for brightness, contrast, color balance & color saturation; sharpening, and sizing your final image for printing, the Web or email.

Registration is required. Class size is limited to 20. You may register in person at the Reference Desk or by calling (607) 936-3713 ext 502. For more information about this class, email turnerb@stls.org or click on the “Comments & Questions” link below.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


February 1, 2006

'New' books to lend: fiction

It should be said that certain books in the library's New Books Collection appear, at second glance, to be rather old. Take Truman Capote's book, Summer Crossing, published by Random House. Capote died in 1984 but his first novel is here, waiting to be read, in the fiction division of the New Books Collection. That's because this previously unpublished novel was only discovered in late 2004, when a box in Capote's attic went for auction at Sotheby's. The acclaimed author's literate summer romance shows a lighter side of the complex man who wrote In Cold Blood.

But there is another reason why some of our new books may have old first-publication dates: We place books in our New Books Collection according to when they are added to our collection, not according to when they were first published.

Other books waiting to be read in New Books Fiction include:

The Last Days of Dogtown, by Anita Diamant (Scribner). A novel about a small group of eccentric misfits, set in isolated Cape Ann, about 50 miles north of Boston, in the early 1800s.

Shalimar the Clown, by Salman Rushdie (Random House), an epic, globetrotter's novel set in California, Kashmir and France by the author of The Satanic Verses.

The Shroud of the Thwacker, by Chris Elliott, an engaging romp set in 1882 New York City, where Police Chief Caleb Spencer enlists the help of Mayor Teddy Roosevelt and Evening Post reporter Liz Smith in solving a bizarre string of serial killings.

Not often appearing in our New Books section, which is opposite the Library's main entrance, are the fiction books currently on the top 10 New York Times Bestsellers list. These books are generally in circulation. (At this writing, we have nine out of 10 of the NY Times top 10 fiction books and the remaining book has been ordered.)

You may place a hold on books with your library card & pin by visiting the Southeast Steuben County Library Home Page and clicking on the catalog link.

Comments & Questions email: turnerb@stls.org


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