Monday April 29, 2024 
East Greenbush Community Library
EAST GREENBUSH – Regular Hours: Capacity limit of 5 visitors/15-minutes, 1 or 2 visitors per family is encouraged to minimize wait time. Mon, 11-2pm for Returns only; Tue/Thu/Fri 11-6pm; Wed 11-7 pm; Sat 10-2pm; Building closed Sundays; Virtual library is always open! Information is subject to change, for updates call 518-477-7476 or visit eglibrary.org. Visitors are required to wear a mask, covering both mouth and nose, at all times when in the library or using our drive thru.
To learn more about programs or to register go to: https://events.eglibrary.org
Programs going on right now are: Winter Reading Challenge for all ages (ends 3/5); Pen to Pandemic Short Story Contest for local authors in Rensselaer County (deadline 3/15).
Upcoming programs (*Registration required):
2/1: Monday Night Book Chat, 7pm on our Facebook channel.
2/2: Virtual Storytime* at 10am
2/11: Virtual Hands-On Cooking* with Felisha from Cornell Cooperative Extension, 6:30 pm
2/17: Trivia Night (TV Shows theme)*, 7pm
2/22: Crafts & Conversation*, 11 am
Visit kids blog “Check It Out with Charlie” at https://eglibrarykids.wordpress.com/. Readers Advisory Services https://eglibrary.org/adults/recommendations/ and Kids Book Bundles https://eglibrary.org/children/book-bundles/. Fill out the online form with your preferences, we’ll select books to match and put them on hold for you! You can also call 518-477-7476 for help.
Borrow Laptops and hotspots! Kids tablets, movies-on-the-go, and audiobooks from Playaway. No car stereo or DVD player required.
Free Webinars, Articles, Workshops & Resources with topics in technology (for beginners to advanced, go to https://bit.ly/egtechtalk), business, career skills, education, and more at https://eglibrary.org/popular-subjects/ee/.
Services & Events at Castleton Public Library, 1/31-2/6
CASTLETON – CPL is located at 85 S. Main St., Castleton, NY 12033. All events are free. Questions? Call 518-732-0879.
Notes on Library Service: Castleton Public Library is open for walk-in service! Building capacity and services are limited. Check www.castletonpubliclibrary.org or call 518-732-0879 for up-to-date information about services provided. We offer curbside pickup!
Our Events, 1/31-2/6
Castleton/Schodack Community Window Art Project: Snowflakes! – Through Feb. 27
A community-wide snowflake window art project to enjoy this winter with our neighbors! Use materials in our Snowflake Window Art kit, or what you have at home.
Winter Break Week Fun Pack – Feb. 1-Feb. 20
Packs include a Cool Science experiment, coloring & puzzle sheets, a craft, and a surprise toy for something to do during the school break week! Kits available for pick-up from 2/1-2/20.
Cool Science at Home: Lava Lamps –Feb. 1-Feb. 27
Make a lava lamp and learn about density and polarity! Kits available for pick-up from 2/1-2/27.
Take & Make Crafts: Valentine Crafts – Feb. 1-Feb. 27
Celebrate love and friendship with Valentine’s Day-themed crafts! Kits available for pick-up from 2/1-2/27.
Virtual Storytime with Miss Joelle – Wednesday, Feb. 3
Join Miss Joelle for a story and rhymes/songs that you can participate in at home! A new video is posted every Wednesday. Available on-demand to fit your schedule. The complete Virtual Storytime playlist here: tinyurl.com/CPL-storytime
Favorite Book Photo Challenge – Submit your photos from Feb. 1-Feb. 22 to enter to win a prize!
Take a photo with a copy of your favorite book and email it to youthservices@nullcastletonpubliclibrary.org and you’ll be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift certificate (3 winners drawn randomly!). All ages. The deadline to send photos is 2/22.
Sand Lake Town Library News
SAND LAKE – The Sand Lake Town Library Book Club will meet on zoom on Wednesday, February 3 at 7pm to discuss “The Second Sleep” by Robert Harris. Contact the library at 518-674-5050 or director@nullsandlaketownlibrary.org for details.
Check our website and YouTube for storytime videos. Related craft kits are available from the library, please call to request one.
As we work towards getting back to normal, we will be reinstating fines for overdue items by the end of January. Any fines that result from items sitting in quarantine will continue to be waived. To make life a little easier in these challenging times, the SLTLibrary Board of Trustees has reviewed the fine policy and made some changes. Children’s items will now be fine-free and DVD fines have been reduced.
Current hours are M-W-F 11 – 3, T – Th 11 – 6 and Saturday 10 – 2. Please call for an appointment and continue to check the library website for changes to hours and building access.
Attention Local Authors! Enter Our Short Story Competition “Pen to Pandemic”
East Greenbush – At the East Greenbush Community Library, we love our local authors! In support of our home-grown talent, the Library, in partnership with the Town of East Greenbush and the Hart Cluett Museum, is hosting a short story competition. The theme is “Pen to Pandemic.” This work of fiction will be set in Rensselaer County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Any genre is welcome. The word count must be between 1500 to 2000 words. The contest is open to adults 18+ who reside in Rensselaer County. Participants must provide a name for their story when registering for the contest. All stories must be previously unpublished, original stories. Registration begins online January 15th at https://eglibrary.org/pen-to-pandemic/. Submissions must be received by March 15, 2021 (.doc or .pdf format). See eglibrary.org for more information. For questions, contact Jody Squadere, Adult Services Librarian at 518-477-7476 ext, 107.
Stories will be judged anonymously by a joint committee. The judges are Roberta (Bobbie) Reno, East Greenbush Town Historian, Kathy T. Sheehan, County & City Historian at the Hart Cluett Museum, and Frankie Y. Bailey, Professor at the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Albany (SUNY) and published author. Fifty (50) entries will be accepted. One entry per person. Two winners will be chosen (one from each age group; 18-49 and 50+). Winners will be notified by May 1, 2021. The Library will host a public reading for the winners to read their stories and publish their work.
Short Story Cafe at The Troy Public Library
TROY – On Wednesdays, February 24th – April 7th at 6PM (no meeting March 31st), Short Story writer David Sylvester will lead a reading and discussion group at the Troy Public Library.
Local short-story writer Dave Sylvester hosts The Short Story Café, an informal discussion of the short story form that examines how writers handle structural elements such as plot, character and theme in their writing. Each week we will read and discuss two stories by well-known (and some lesser-known!) masters of the form.
Copies of the stories will be available in advance and should be read before the discussions. This program will be presented using Zoom. Joining the presentation will require the installation of the Zoom client on your computer (microphone and speakers required for audio, camera for video) or the Zoom app on your mobile device.
The first set of stories will be emailed to you one week prior to the first class and will be available at the information desk of the main library.
For more information and to register call the library at 518-274-7071 or online at www.thetroylibrary.org. The Troy Public Library is located at 100 Second Street, Troy, NY.