Tuesday April 16, 2024 
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 All stories must be previously unpublished, original stories.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.
East Greenbush Community Library Programs
EAST GREENBUSH – Regular Hours: 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):
1/25: Monday Night Book Chat, 7pm on our Facebook channel.
1/26: Virtual Storytime* at 10am
1/27: Virtual Adult Bingo* at 7 pm
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/.
North Greenbush Public Library Update
NORTH GREENBUSH – Eager for an interruption to this dreary winter? Then join the library’s Winter Reading Challenge! Download a Bingo sheet or pick up several at the circulation desk. You have until February 27 to enter completed sheets in a prize-winning raffle; one winner from each category–children, teen, and adult–will be announced on March 1.
And add some creativity to these dark days with craft kits from the library – children’s kits include a paper plate snowflake twirler, a polar bear paper plate craft, and coffee filter snowflakes; teens and adults can create a desk calendar with the help of a tutorial posted on the library’s YouTube page. Remember, only while supplies last!
If summer seems far away, you can bring it closer with our new DVD “All Summer Long,” a romantic comedy about a restaurant and a sea-faring couple. Ask for it at the circulation desk.
Our hours for appointments and Grab ’N’ Go remain 10 AM to 2 Pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; Tuesday and Thursday 3-7 PM. A mask is required for both appointments and Grab ’N’ Go. Call the library at 518-283-0303.
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.
Sand Lake Town Library Board Meeting & News
SAND LAKE – The Sand Lake Town Library Board will hold their monthly meeting virtually on Thursday, January 21 at 6:45pm on zoom.us. Connection information will be posted on the SLTLibrary website that day.
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. Also, to make life a little easier in these challenging times, the SLTLibrary Board reviewed the fine policy and has made some changes. The biggest of these is that children’s items will now be fine-free. Any other changes can be found on the library website under “About Us”- “Policies.”
The library is continuing to post storytime videos on YouTube (search Sand Lake Town Library). There will be links on our website www.sandlaketownlibrary.org to the video and to a page of related books, songs, rhymes, & a simple craft. The page and materials for the craft can be requested for pickup; call 518-674-5050.
We thank you for your patience & understanding as we navigate through this pandemic. Continue to check the library website for changes to hours and building access.
Nassau Free Library News
NASSAU – Due to the increasing positive COVID-19 cases in Rensselaer County, we have suspended in-person appointments until further notice. We will continue to offer Parking Lot Pickup, as well as copy and fax services, Monday-Friday 2-6 pm. The Board of Trustees Meeting will be open to the public through a virtual meeting platform on Feb. 3rd, at 7 pm. If you would like to participate in the meeting, please contact director@nullnassaufreelibrary.org. The Nassau Free Library is looking for construction bids for building 2 wooden library shelves and a computer table for our children’s section. Please contact the library director for details at (518)766-2715. Visit www.nassaufreelibrary.org for more information about what’s happening at the library.