Stuffed Animal Sleepover

On July 7th, local children each brought a favorite stuffed animal with them for Pajama Storytime.  The children and their silent friends listened to What Does My Teddy Bear Do All Night? by Bruno Hachler, and sang a lullaby from Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas. The stuffed animals were then tucked into our 'magic reading tent' to spend the night.  The next morning when the children picked up their stuffed animals they watched this little video of what their friends got up to during the night! 

Somers Library Battle of the Books 2014

In the late fall, youth services librarians all over Westchester County decided to plan a special book trivia competition called the Battle of the Books.  After many meetings, emails and phone calls, the details are nearly finalized and the Westchester Library System will be holding its first annual Battle of the Books on Saturday, October 18, 2014!

The Somers Library is excited to announce that we will be sending two teams totaling 21 team members to the Battle of the Books!!!!!  Each team member will read 5 books chosen for their grade levels and then, in the fall, they will meet with their teams to practice answering questions. 
 

The Friends of the Somers Library has sponsored these teams by purchasing the books for each team member.  The Friends will also graciously supply the materials for us to make our team tee shirts.  At the competition, there will first be preliminary elimination rounds and double jeopardy style final rounds.  At the conclusion of the competition, there will be trophies, prizes, and a whole bunch of fun!

Picnic Pleasers

Is your summer calendar filling up with invitations to parties, reunions and picnics? Are you being asked to bring a dish to share? No worries!! The library shelves are stocked with a variety of wonderful cookbooks to help you make an impression on your friends, families, and neighbors. Here is a sampling of books for your enjoyment.

►Good Housekeeping Great Potluck Cookbook by Rosemary Ellis

►The Trader Joe's Party Cookbook by Cherie Twohy


►The Good Neighbor Cookbook by Sara Quessenberry



►The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten




►A Return to Family Picnics by Russell Cronkhite 




►Tassajara Cookbook by Karla Oliveira 


►The Totally Picnic Cookbook by Helene Siegel

►Picnic: 125 Recipes with 29 Seasonal Menus by DeeDee Stovel

►The Perfect Picnic by Anita Louise Crane

You may place a hold on these titles, or look for additional books on this topic by clicking here. You may get additional ideas by using our Pinterest boards. Click here to view that list.

Cozy Mysteries

According to the website Cozy-Mystery.com, most cozy mysteries take place in small, picturesque towns or villages, with characters the reader could envision having as neighbors or friends. The detectives in cozy mysteries aren't usually experts, but rather everyday people who happen to stumble across dead bodies or have friends who need help. They often have friends or relatives who are in law enforcement who can help them out. One thing that often pulls readers into cozy mysteries is the underlying theme (i.e. pets, hobbies, cooking, etc.) Most cozy mysteries tend to be written in series, so the reader gets to know the character, and can dig further into the theme. Here is a sampling of cozy mysteries to try:   

►Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton
►The Fashion Hound Murders by Elaine Viets
►The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lilian Jackson Braun
►Key Lime Murder by Joanne Fluke
►Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton
►Hounded to Death by Rita Mae Brown
►Gone West by Carole Dunn
►English Tea Murder by Leslie Meier
►Cat's Claw by Susan Albert Wittig
►Agony of the Leaves by Laura Childs
►The Deception at Lyme by Carrie Bebris
►House of Seven Mables by Jill Churchill
►Broken Dishes by Earlene Fowler
►If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle
►The Ghost and the Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly

You may place a hold for these, or check the online catalog for similar titles by clicking here.

Travel Guidebooks

Most travelers like to bring along guidebooks that can be stashed in a backpack or suitcase. Guidebooks can help save you time and money as they help you locate places to visit as well as help to prioritize your travel time. The library has numerous travel guides for you to borrow (see our extensive travel section.) Some of the various guidebooks the library carries are:

►Explorer's Guides (U.S. states)
►DK Eyewitness Travel
►Fodor's Travel Guides
►Frommer's Travel Guides
►Lonely Planet Travel Guides
►Rick Steves Travel Guides
►Regional Travel Guides: Adirondacks, NYC, Hudson Valley, etc.

You may place a hold on these titles or look for additional books on this topic by clicking here. You may get additional ideas by using our Pinterest boards.

What Do Librarians Do All Day?

There are many stereotypes about librarians. Even though we assist many voracious book readers in Somers (of all ages!), in fact, people may not have a clear idea about what else librarians do on a day-to-day basis. We thought we would compile a list of the things we work on during an average day.

• The biggest part of a librarian's job is to help connect people to all the information in the library. That means showing people how to use all the different resources in a library, from computers to card catalogs to websites 
•  Manage the collection; ensuring books and other items in the library are ones that people want/need/will benefit from, and are up-to-date
•  Reader's advisory services 
•  Order books/catalog books
• Read professional journals
• Attend training and events to ensure that library service is keeping up with new developments 
• Work on developing new, innovative and relevant programs 
• Teach people how to use their eReaders or how to use the Internet as well as basic computer skills
• Show people how to apply for jobs online 
• Maintain the library's website for ease in obtaining information and/or registering for programs 
• Prepare monthly homebound deliveries 
• Promote and market the library, including using social media - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and this blog
• Place holds and requests for books from outside of the library system (Inter-library loan) 
• Prepare and run Story times for babies, toddlers, preschoolers 
• Run book clubs/groups for K-12 students 
• Summer reading programs (children, teen, adult) 
• Teen programs and ACT/SAT prep classes 
• Partner with local organizations (i.e. Energize Somers, PTA, etc.) 
• Partner with schools at all grade levels 
• Order books for the 25+ book groups the library serves 
• Manager student volunteers from SMS, SHS and adult volunteers 
• Supervise and train pages. 
• Prepare reports for and attend staff meetings 
• Prepare newsletter, emails, and publicity to maximize use of library services 
• Prepare displays 

So there you have it. Essentially, our main goal is to help you, the library user locate the things you are looking for. We do this by maintaining accurate records for all the items we buy, describing them accurately so that relevant search terms will find them, and by ensuring that books covering similar subject matter sit alongside each other on the shelves. We provide programs of interest, and discover new ways to provide the best service possible. We hope this gives you some insight into the various jobs we take care of each and every day.

The Big Scoop

It's hard to not think about all things ice cream during these hot summer months which is probably why July is National Ice Cream Month. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. Some interesting facts about ice cream:

1. Americans eat on average 20 quarts of ice cream a year.

2. Vanilla is the most popular flavor.

3. The ice cream cone was invented at the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis.

Here are some of our favorite books about ice cream and other frozen treats to celebrate this amazing food. 

• The Soda Fountain by Gia Giasullo
• Ice Cream and Iced Desserts by Joanna Farrow
• Make Your Own Organic Ice Cream by Avner Laskin
• Ice Cream Sandwiches by Donna Egan
• Italian Ice Cream by Carla Bardi
• Sundaes and Splits by Hannah Miles
• Ice Cream Made Easy by Annette Yates
• Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream by Molly Moon
• Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones by Anne Walker
• Irresistible Sorbets by Sara Lewis
• The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
• Artisan Gelato byTorrance Kopfer
• Vegan a La Mode by Hannah Kaminsky
• Soda Fountain Classics by Elsa Petersen Schepelern
• Ultimate Guide to Homemade Ice Cream by Jan Hedh
• Sweet Scoops by Shelly Kaldunski

Find additional titles on this topic, and many others by visiting our Pinterest boards, or place a hold on any of these books by clicking here. 

Working Together

 Somers Historical Society and Somers Library Seed Lending Library are collaborating with local businesses to establish a garden at the Wright Reis Homestead this year with herbs, flowers and produce being donated to the St. Luke's Church Food Pantry initiative. Heirloom seeds donated from Somers Seed Lending Library, as well as heirloom plants donated by Katonah Nursery, Somers Historical Society and Somers Seed Lending Library volunteers, are being cultivated in a dedicated garden at the Homestead. Volunteers will install, tend to the garden and make deliveries to St. Luke's Food Pantry. At the end of the gardening season, seeds will be harvested from the heirloom plants to return to the Somers Seed Lending Library. Supplies and labor for the project, initiated by Somers Seed Lending Library and Somers Historical Society, have been donated by Katonah Nursery, Lawton Adams, Somers Historical Society and Somers Seed Lending Library. The Wright Reis Homestead was chosen as the site of the garden because it represents an extension of the familial relationship between the Wright family of Somers, Somers Library, Somers Historical Society and St. Luke's Church. The Wright family of Somers has been an integral part of town history for generations. The last surviving member of the family, Caroline Wright Reis, operated her farm, now known as Reis Park, until the mid- 20th century. The 84-acre farm was bequest to the Town of Somers in the late 1960's and is now home to Somers Library, of which Caroline was an original trustee. The property's farmhouse and outbuildings, the Wright Reis Homestead, as well as the Wright family's collections and archives, are cared for jointly by Somers Historical Society and Town of Somers Historic Properties Board. Caroline's grandfather, Charles Wright, was one of the first vestrymen of St. Luke's Church, as well as being the first lion tamer in America.

Initially, gardeners will meet Tuesdays (11am & 6pm) and Fridays (12:30pm) at the Wright Reis Homestead. Anyone is invited to participate. For more information, contact: Somers Library Seed Lending Library ((914)232-5717; email vherman@wlsmail.org) or Somers Historical Society (914)277-4977; email somershistoricalsoc@yahoo.com.

Initially, gardeners will meet Tuesdays (11am & 6pm) and Fridays (12:30pm) at the Wright Reis Homestead. Anyone is invited to participate. For more information, contact: Somers Library Seed Lending Library ((914)232-5717; email vherman@wlsmail.org or Somers Historical Society (914)277-4977; email somershistoricalsoc@yahoo.com