Column: At the library
The calendar may say “spring” but here on the East End, we march to our own rhythm.
While the days are blessedly longer, they are still very chilly (OK, some are downright cold!) with gardening and outdoor play still on the the long-term wish list. And to add insult to injury, Tax Day, April 15, is looming. What can be done to fill these last few dismal weeks of “pre-spring”?
Fortunately, there are several new free services that the Shelter Island Public Library is offering that can help you cope with the cold and the tax man, too.
Thanks to a sponsorship by Bridgehampton National Bank, the library’s popular museum pass program was expanded this year to include the new Parrish Art Museum and the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center. These two local institutions join the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Children’s Museum of the East End. The details of each pass are different but all provide free admission for one to four adults and, in most cases, children as well. Just inquire at the library’s front desk to get the specifics for each museum. It’s easy, it’s free and it’s a great way to while away a dreary spring day. Thank you, BNB!
Another fun new service is TumbleBooks, an online collection of animated talking picture books that teach kids the joy of reading in a format they love. According to Library Director Denise DiPaolo, TumbleBooks has been described as “e-books for e-kids.” The collection provides enrichment for those who are reading independently, as well as providing support for students who require skill-building with a variety of exercises that can be matched with other areas of the curriculum. “The program has been exceptionally well received by ESL and special education teachers,” Ms. DiPaolo said.
TumbleBook e-books are ideal for pre-school to early middle-school-age children. The TumbleBookLibrary has a selection of children’s favorite storybooks, including old-time favorites, classic fairy tales and new children’s literature. All come to life in an educational and interactive way. Older students or more accomplished readers can read the collection of read-along chapter books featuring narration, sentence highlighting and automatic page turning. A special Language Learning Section includes a growing selection of Spanish and French titles, many of which are bilingual and allow the user to read the book in two languages.
There’s much, much more to be found in the TumbleBooks database, including a collection of puzzles, games and videos from National Geographic that explore subjects such as history, geography, social studies, science and more. These videos are paired with non-fiction titles in the collection. You can read “Meet the Meerkat,” for example, then watch the National Geographic video to learn more about this fascinating creature. To access this exciting database, just go to the library’s website, readshelterisland.org.
Now on to those taxes. The AARP tax preparer will be at the library every Monday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. until April 15, providing free tax services. Are you a student with a W-2 who needs to file taxes? In addition to completing tax returns for adult library card-holders, this year’s AARP tax preparer will also be completing the 1040 EZ form for students. Reservations are required, so please call the front desk to schedule an appointment for this service.
Looking ahead, it’s time to mark your calendars for two upcoming events: National Library Week and the Friends Student Art Show. During National Library Week, April 14 to 20, the library will be raffling off four $25 IGA gift cards. Winners will be announced on April 22, so stop by the front desk for details. The annual Student Art Show, a wonderful collaboration between the Friends of the Library and the Shelter Island School, will be held on Friday, April 26 in the community room with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Come see the wonderful works done by our student artists, which will be hung for the first time in the beautiful lower level gallery space.
Spring weather will come but in the meantime, see you at the library!
New fiction
“Calculated in Death,” J.D. Robb*
“Deadly Stakes,” J. A. Jance
“Guilt,” Jonathan Kellerman
“Hit Me,” Lawrence Block
“Proof of Guilt,” Charles Todd
“Red Velvet Cupcake Murder,” Joanne Fluke*
“Speaking From Among the Bones,” Alan Bradley
“Three Graves Full,” Jamie Mason
“Touch and Go,” Lisa Gardner
“Calling Me Home,” Julie Kibler
“Dreams and Shadows,” C. Robert Cargill
“Ever After,” Kim Harrison
“The Power Trip,” Jackie Collins
“See Now Then,” Jamaica Kincaid
“The Night Ranger,” Alex Berenson
“The Storyteller,” Jodi Picoult*
“Vampires in the Lemon Grove,” Karen Russell
“A Week in Winter,” Maeve Binchy*
“Big Sky River,” Linda Lael Miller (large print)
“The Lady Most Willing,” Julia Quinn (large print)
“Suspect,” Robert Crais (large print)
“The Third Bullet,” Stephen Hunter
“Extinction,” Mark Alpert
Non-fiction
“Going Clear,” Lawrence Wright*
“My Beloved World,” Sonia Sotomayor*
“Coolidge,” Amity Shlaes*
“Francona,” Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy*
“Hitmaker,” Tommy Mottola
“Long Shot,” Mike Piazza
“Fat Chance,” Robert H. Lustig
“The Future,” Al Gore
“Give Me Everything You Have,” James Lasdun
“Ike and Dick,” Jeffrey Frank
“Inside Rehab,” Anne M. Fletcher
“The Inventor and the Tycoon,” Edward Ball
“New Netherland,” Firth Haring Fabend
“Nigellissima,” Nigella Lawson
“The Plan,” Lyn-Genet Recitas
”Radiation,” Robert Peter Gale and Eric Lax
“The Searchers,” Glenn Frankel
“Ten Years Later,” Hoda Kotb and Jane Lorenzini
“Why Priests?” Garry Wills
*New York Times best seller
