July is National Ice Cream Month

First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, this month celebrates ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by 90% of the nation's population. Listed below are some recommended books for your reading (and cooking) pleasure.

• The Soda Fountain: Floats, Sundaes, Egg Creams & More--Stories and Flavors of an American Original
• The Ice Cream Maker Companion: 100 Easy-to-Make Frozen Desserts of All Kinds
• Ice Cream Sundae: 100 Greatest Fountain Formulas
• Ices: Sorbet, Granitas, Lollies and More
  Make Your Own Organic Ice Cream: Using Home Grown and Local Produce
• Celebrating Ice Cream and Cake
• Soda Fountain Classics: Ice Cream, Sundaes, Milkshakes, and More
• Gelato Sorbet And Ice Cream
  Cookies & Cream: Hundreds of Ways to Make the Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich
• The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Ice Cream: Over 300 Gelatos, Sorbets, Cakes & More
• Sundaes & Splits: Delicious Recipes for Ice Cream Treats
• Serendipity Sundaes: Ice Cream Constructions and Frozen Concoctions
• Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery
• Irresistible Sorbets, Sherbets, Water Ices & Granitas
• Sweet Scoops: Ice Cream, Gelato, Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet and More!
• Making Artisan Gelato: 45 Recipes and Techniques for Crafting Flavor-Infused Gelato and Sorbet at Home
   

Find additional titles on this topic and many others by visiting our Pinterest boards. You may also place a hold on books by clicking here. 

Book Bingo for Adults - Back by Popular Demand!!

 

Back by popular demand...Book Bingo for Adults, a summer reading challenge!

►Begins Monday June 23. For adults over 18.  

 

►Fill out a registration form and give to the reference librarian. Receive a game card to take home and keep until you have completed your Book Bingo card. Participants will receive one free book for registering (while supplies last.) 

 

►Put an 'X' through each completed square on the game card. Try to get a 'Bingo' by completing a full row in any direction. Keep track of all the books you have read, etc. on the back of the game card.

 

►All game cards must be returned on or before August 26. 

 

►Once you have completed and turned in your game card, you will be entered into a raffle for a grand prize drawing. So go ahead - have fun, try something different, and join with children and teens in summer reading. Who knows...you might be a lucky winner!

June is Great Outdoors Month

 

June is Great Outdoors Month...a perfect time to pack your bags, grab your hiking shoes, and tell the family it's time for a vacation! Where can you find some of the best places to visit? Our National Parks!  Did you know that The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016? Mountains, lakes, rivers and waterfalls are just a few of the many treasures that await you and your family. Adventure is yours to enjoy - from the tropical wilderness of the Everglades to the magnificent redwood trees of Yosemite. To find a listing of all of the National Parks, click here.

• National parks guide U.S.A. : The Most Amazing Sights, Scenes & Cool Activities from Coast to Coast!
• National Parks of America : Experience America's 59 National Parks 
• See America : A Celebration of our National Parks and Treasured Sites
• The National Parks: An American Legacy
• The National Parks Coast to Coast: The Best Hikes
• The National Parks: An Illustrated History
• Secrets of the National Parks: The Expert's Guide to the Best Experiences Beyond the Tourist Trail
• National Parks: A Kid's Guide to America's Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks
• The Ten Best of Everything National Parks: 800 Top Picks From Parks Coast to Coast
• Ansel Adams in the National Parks:  Photographs from America's Wild Places
• Our National Parks: America's Natural Heritage
• Great Lodges of the National Parks
• Volcanoes in America's National Parks
• Underwater Wonders of the National Parks

Find additional titles on this topic and many others by visiting our Pinterest boards. You may also place a hold on books by clicking here. 

The Teen Creative Writers Workshop Spring Reading

The Somers Library is very proud of our teen creative writers. This group of young people worked very diligently honing their writing skills during the winter. Lead by Christine Adler as
their teacher and mentor, the Teen Creative Writers Workshop started in the cold month of January and met bi-weekly through April. On May 12 th 2016, this wonderful group presented readings of their creative writing pieces to an audience of parents, friends, and library staff.

The Somers Library would like to thank the teens who participated in the Teen Creative Writers Workshop, Christine Adler for all her hard work and dedication to this group, the Friends of the Somers Library for their partial funding support, and Poets & Writers, Inc. for the bulk of thefunding that made this workshop and reading possible.

Summer Reading Collection at the Somers Library!

Here at the Somers Library, we are dedicated to helping students become lifelong readers. Besides purchasing books that teens and tweens would read for pleasure or for school assignments, the Somers Library has a Summer Reading Collection with multiple copies of the required reading for middle school and high school students.

Every spring, we reach out to the Somers Middle School and the Somers High School to find out what books are required reading for the upcoming summer. We then purchase multiple copies of books to add to our summer reading collection located in the Young Adult area of the library. Although this collection has been at the Somers Library for many years, it often amazes us to hear that people had no idea that such a collection exists! Please come by an “checkout” this great collection and get your summer reading done early!

Planting a Family Garden

Now is the best time of year to go outside and let your child get back in touch with nature. One of the most delightful ways we can think of, is to plant a garden. Some parents might hesitate to take on the responsibility of a garden, whiles others may think they don't have a green thumb, but here a few things to consider:

* You don't need to have a large garden...just start with a small plot and a few plants. What may seem small to you might seem a lot bigger to a child!
* If you don't want to dig up a portion of your lawn, consider container gardening. Although you must water your plants regularly, they will get fewer weeds in containers, look beautiful, and can be moved around if desired.
* Planting a garden gives your child the opportunity to get fresh air and exercise. It is a fabulous way to spend quality time with your child, is a great learning opportunity, and encourages environmental awareness.  

*By growing your own fruits and vegetables, you are providing healthy food for your family. Picky eaters might even be willing to taste food they've grown themselves!

Don't forget to keep your child involved in the process. Visit your local garden center together to select flowers, fruit and vegetable plants; or some of each. Also consider borrowing seeds from the Library's Seed Lending Library.  Some easy-to-grow options include: 

• Sunflowers
• Marigolds
• Tomatoes
• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Strawberries
• Peas

Once the plants are in containers or the ground, give your child the responsibility of caring for them by having them weed and water regularly. Your child will have a sense of pride and accomplishment as they watch their plants grow! And don't forget to stop into your library to get a book to help you along the way.  Here are a few great choices to get you started:

• How to Grow Perennial Vegetables by Martin Crawford 
• Flower Gardening by Julie Bawden-Davis
• Gardening With Children by Beth Richardson 
• Month by Month Gardening in New York by Andre Viette
• Natural Gardening in Small Spaces by Noel Kingsbury
• Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy  
• Fine Gardening Magazine  
• Organic Gardening Magazine 

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?

Always worth a repeat...

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 (includes creating and upkeep of the various reader’s advisory brochures)
• Order and catalog books
• Attend training and events to ensure that library service is keeping up with new developments 
• Booking (and publicizing) new, interesting, and relevant programs 
• Developing innovative materials to check out of the library (seeds, cake pans, knitting kits, etc.)
• Teach people how to use their e-Readers or how to use the Internet as well as basic computer skills
• Maintain the library's website for ease in obtaining information and/or registering for programs 
• Maintain online calendar
• Create monthly newsletter, program emails to maximize use of library services
• Create program flyers
• Prepare monthly homebound deliveries 
• Promote and market the library using social media - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and our Blog
• Place holds and requests for books from outside of the library system (Inter-Library Loan) 
• Partner with local organizations (i.e. Energize Somers, PTA, etc.) 
• Assisting people applying for jobs online 
• Manager student volunteers from SMS, SHS and adult volunteers 
• Supervise and train pages 
• Prepare reports for and attend staff meetings 
• Prepare monthly displays 
• Read professional journals
• Order books for the 25+ book groups the library serves 
• Book, organize, publicize teen programs and special events (ACT/SAT prep classes, and more) 
• Prepare for and run teen groups: Teen Advisory Board, Anime Club, Middle School Book Group, High School Gaming Club, and Magic the Gathering Club
• Prepare for and run story times for babies, toddlers, preschoolers 
• Run book clubs/groups for K-12 students 
• Summer reading programs (children, teen, and adult) 
• Partner with schools at all grade levels 

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.