Board of Trustees: Mary Ellen Ledwith, President Charles Shimel, Vice President Dr. Carol Stewart, Secretary Gerry Miras Susan Nemesdy Susan Schmetterer Kathryn Shattuck David Shire Beatrice Agnew, Director

SUNDAY SYMPOSIA

From Desperately Seeking Susan to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Actor Aidan Quinn, in conversation with Didi Conn, travels over 20 years with as many characters.

Adventures: Armchair or Otherwise

Artist, adventurer and author Christina Biaggi and Milbry Polk, author and co-founder of Wings World Quest, discuss their work and expeditions.

Do You Believe in Normal?

Work-Family researcher and author Ellen Galinsky discusses The New Normal reflected in the changing family and workplace dynamics.

Dates of the above programs to be announced. And Save the Date for the annual meeting - January 27th, 2008. Watch for the flyer.

Children’s Programs with Carolyn Travers

Holiday Photo Fun, Tags and Cards

Thursday, Dec. 6, 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Bring some family photos to design a photo book to give as a gift for someone special in your family. Make holiday cards and tags, using stamps and punches. Ages 8 and up.

Seasonal Story Time

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Hear about the different winter holidays and create a decoration for your holiday house. Ages 2 1⁄2 to 4.

Gingerbread Gathering

Wednesday, Dec. 12, 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Create your own gingerbread house. Bring a box of graham crackers. Fun to make and yummy to eat. Ages 5 and up.

Outragehiss Pets Coming

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Get ready for a very special program. Back by popular demand, “Outragehiss Pets” is returning to the Palisades Library. A variety of reptiles, mammals, insects and arachnids will be here to see and touch. Ages 5 and up.

Mardi Gras Madness

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 4:30 to 6 pm. Celebrate Mardi Gras with some crafts, games and stories about this worldwide festival. Ages 5 and up.

Happy Birthday Elmo!

Tuesday, Feb. 12, 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Come to a birthday celebration for beloved Elmo, whose special day is February 2nd. Learn about his life and make an Elmo craft and card. Ages 2 1⁄2 to 4.

Valentine’s Day Gathering

Wednesday, Feb. 13, 4:30 to 6 pm. Learn about Hershey’s chocolate, founded on February 9th, and taste some samples. Hear Valentine stories and play Heart Bingo. Ages 5 and up.

Spring Sensations

Wednesday, Mar. 12, 4:30 pm. Say goodbye to “Old Man Winter” and enjoy springtime stories and folklore. Create a bunny bucket and some goodies to put inside. Ages 5 and up.

Family Tree Wreath

Thursday, Mar. 27, 4:30 to 6 pm. Bring some small pictures of you and your family to frame and place on a wreath to decorate your room. Ages 8 and up. Please register at the front desk for all our children’s programs.

Going on a Trip?

Take a course while you drive. The library has a number of “Great Courses” on CD covering history, religion, fine arts and music. Sample titles include Ancient Greek Civilization; World War I: The Great War; How to Listen to and Understand Opera; Thomas Jefferson, American Visionary; The Symphonies of Beethoven; The English Novel and Famous Romans. Learn from the best university professors without the exams, homework or expense!

Beyond the Job - An Interview with Lillian Gunther

Lillian Gunther
(Click to enlarge)

Shh! Keep your voices down! We’re interviewing a librarian this month. Just who are the people who immerse themselves in the nuts and bolts of books and research – particularly children’s books? Lillian Gunther who has always wanted to work within a library setting has been Coordinator of Children’s Programs at the Palisades Library for the last two years. Previously, Lillian was a 7th grade social studies and English teacher at the George White Middle School in Hillsdale, New Jersey. Lillian had worked at the Palisades Library from 1973 to 1984. Back then the library was much smaller. “Everyone was a jack of all trades. I worked the circulation desk, did reference work and worked in the Children’s Room.”

Librarians, with the notable exception of Laura Bush, aren’t often in the spotlight and publicly appreciated, which is exactly why this writer decided to interview Palisades’ own community librarian. The notion of the sourpuss book marms long depicted in literature and film bears little resemblance to this enthusiastic colleague. Today’s librarian is less likely to be a “mousy Marian” than the passionate, highly trained facilitator of a one-stop community library, navigating everything from social services to educational programming – and doing it on a budget.

Let’s take a closer look at one of the more recent programs held in the Children’s Room. Carolyn Travers who plans and presents many of the craft and story programs was creating library magic for our younger audience. There were 20 youngsters present to respond to a single question, “What has green skin? Black hair? And two bolts through the sides of his neck?” Many of the 2 to 4 year olds replied, “FRANKENSTEIN.” During the share-a-story time at the “Halloween Haunting,” Miss Carolyn read the story, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. Carolyn completed the program with a picture storyboard, a craft project, apple juice and a goodie bag.

When asked for her own favorite book, Lillian hurried over to the shelves to share her most liked book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. “It’s so creative. I read this book to my own children and recently to my granddaughter. The simple story is enhanced by the caterpillar eating its way through the pages of the book. Its great visual fun.” She also loves historical fiction that combines both history and a fictionalized story line. “I recently finished Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows and was completely won over by the author’s creation of this magical world.”

One of things Lillian thinks has really enhanced children’s services at the library is the Homework Help Center “Study Buddies” program. “We are beginning our third year of this program and already have three pairs that work together once a week. The interaction between the high school students and the younger kids is really great to see and is also a very productive partnership.”

When asked about technology versus books, she is well aware that children tend to rely a great deal on “Google” and other web sites. While acknowledging that the school of the future will enable greater and faster use of technology, she holds a healthy skepticism for sources found too quickly with questionable authorship and reliability.

What would she like to have on a dream list to increase children’s attendance and programming? She replies, “More space where we could do additional things with and for kids. When we plan programs we are limited simply because of space restrictions. I would love a large children’s meeting room with a big screen TV, a small puppet theatre and a piano for singing songs.”

As a vociferous reader all her life, Lillian Gunther has never needed any inducements to keep on reading. “My job here at this stage of my life is a wonderful opportunity. I get to work in a beautiful setting with great people and pass my joy of books to future generations. What could be better!”

Carol L. Stewart, Ed.D.

Postmaster Mary Whatley urges all to mail your holiday packages and cards early. Domestic, international and military cut off dates are available in the Post Office. Mary wishes everyone happy holidays and thanks you for your patronage.