There have been a lot of changes at the library lately. As our veteran team members adjust their schedules to fit with family and other responsibilities, and our pages leave for college, you'll notice some new part-time faces. Come on in and say hi!

Paul may be a new face in Red Hook, but he brings years of experience to the counter.

We're sharing his talents with the Hyde Park Library. He's a whiz with technology, a super-nice guy and he's tall enough to reach the tops of our shelves!

Fiona is also familiar with the ol' Octagon, having interned here last summer while a Bard student. The recent grad also works in Bard's library, as well as freelancing as a journalist. 



Christian has risen from our volunteer ranks to become our newest page and Teen Tech.

He's a great addition to the Red Hook team, and along with Paul, vastly increases our overall height.


   


Woohoo! Red Hook Public Library's Battle of the Books team, known as Re(a)d, came home with first place in the BOB competition at Columbia-Greene Community College, on Saturday, September 6. Re(a)d went undefeated against the teams from Kingston, Beekman, Beacon, Clinton, Kinderhook and Staatsburg libraries in a double elimination bracket system.

Twenty-two teams from 23 libraries competed in the 10th annual competition for students entering 6th through 9th grade in the 2014-2015 school year. Participants read eight books over the summer and were asked numerous questions regarding the books.

Visit the library to see the first place trophy and banner, which are on display here until the 2015 Battle of the Books.

Well done, Re(a)d, and props to team coach Lisa Mollica and pages Allix Coon and Elizabeth Ricci.
 


The initial meeting of the new Dollars & $ense group was held on Tuesday, September 16. Participants were very busy clipping coupons and trading thrifty secrets. So much so, that they need more time and will continue to meet every other Tuesday at 6 p.m. The group will meet in October on the 14th and 28th.
 


East meets west in the library's Tween Room for Mahjongg. Interested? Mahjonggers meet Fridays at 1 p.m. If you want to learn, come by -- there's someone to teach you the intricacies of this fun game.
 


Did you read a banned book for Banned Books Week (Sept. 21 -27)? Along with decorating our mantel, the library celebrated with libraries nationwide the freedom to read books—even ones like that nasty Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee—that have been challenged throughout the years in many locales.
 

BOB team members march in the parade

Hardscrabble Day is one of our favorite days all year. This year, like in the past, we had a full slate of activities on Saturday, September 20. Staff and volunteers, including members of our Friends, helped out with crafts, a raffle, a plant sale, launched the Geek the Library program and marched in the parade. Check out our Facebook page for more photos.


Local minions carry the Friends' banner with another imaginative float by our dynamic duo, Frank and Loretta Campagna


Samara Genee and Beth Cooper preside over the Friends and craft tables


One of many who wrote on our "What do you geek?" sheet
 

Have you heard about Amazon's Smile donation program? You can shop Amazon and donate to a favorite not-for-profit cause. We bring this up because one cause included in the program is the Friends of the Red Hook Public Library. It isn't much, but every little bit helps. Click on the logo above to take you to the AmazonSmile web page to check it out.

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Rotary Club Book Sale
10am - 4pm Saturday, October 25
Village Hall
 

The Red Hook Rotary Club is holding a giant book sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 25, at the Red Hook Village Hall. Books of all kinds will be on sale at bargain prices. All proceeds will benefit Red Hook Public Library’s early literacy program, in support of Rotary’s campaign to improve literacy.

Rotarians will accept donations of used books from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following Saturdays: October 4, 11 and 18. Books in good condition are welcome and appreciated; no textbooks or encyclopedias please.

The library is having a Pumpkin Photo Contest this month. Patrons have until October 22 to submit a photograph of a pumpkin carved or decorated as their favorite book character. Entrants must bring in a photograph and fill out a competition form at the library. We will announce a winner at our Monster Mash on Friday, October 25.
 

Meet Buster, Certified Therapy Dog and our new Literacy Dog!

Studies show that hesitant readers are more comfortable reading to a non-judgmental pet than to a parent or teacher. That’s where Buster comes in. He is gentle, patient and, let’s face it, irresistibly cute.

He and his trainer Barbara (pictured here with Buster) will be here for a meet & greet open introduction at 5 p.m. on Tuesday October 7. We’re now taking appointments for one-on-one 20-minute sessions to start October 21.

Please call the library or stop in to make an appointment.
 

Don't forget about our visiting authors this month.

 

Jack Kelly
 

First we’ve got local author Jack Kelly coming to discuss his new book, Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers who won America’s Independence. He’s bringing his own band of costumed re-enactors. This special event will be held at the Elmendorph Inn 7 p.m., Thursday, October 2.

Next up is Guillermo Fesser, whose book One Hundred Miles from Manhattan is about his experience moving with his family from Madrid, Spain to the Village of Rhinebeck. You’ll recognize many people and places in his narrative. But more than that, his is a fresh and objective take on just what it means to be American, especially in a small town. Mr. Fesser will be with us 6 p.m., Thursday, October 9 at the library.

But wait, there’s more! For those of you enamored with all things Italian, we have local author Joseph Luzzi. He will be with us 6 p.m., Thursday, October 16 at the library, to discuss his book, My Two Italies, which examines Italian identity and the dual nature of Italian heritage. With passages NPR calls “heartbreakingly tender” within this “elegant and thoughtful” work, you won’t want to miss this unusual opportunity.
 
Join us at on the 14th when Matt Merchant, the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Regional Sportsman Education Coordinator, shares his expertise regarding all things hunting. What types of hunting are there and how does one obtain a license? What are some pertinent safety considerations? How does hunting relate to wildlife management in our area? This promises to be a truly informative session.

Those interested in attending must register for this program by calling the library at 758-3241 or stop in.

 

Learn your rights in the work place at this workshop with Albany Law School's Labor and Workers' Rights Pro Bono Project.
 

3 - 6:30pm Tuesdays, October 21
 

Employment Clinic sessions continue this month with one on Tuesday, October 21. Make an appointment for a 45-minute, one-on-one help session writing resumes, online job searches and online applications at Red Hook Public Library. Participants will meet with a Human Resources Consultant, specializing in career development.

Red Hook Firehouse

Book Clubs

November's Tuesday Afternoon Book Club
2:30 pm Tuesday, November 11
 

Poetry

Bring your favorite poem(s) to share.
 

 

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
by Jan-Philipp Sendker; translated from the German by Kevin Wiliarty

A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present. When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be ... until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of.