Off the Shelf: September events at Maxwell Library

Submitted by Rena Brower

Thanks to all our participants and sponsors, the 2018 Summer Reading Club was a great success! Reading provides its own pleasures, but the support, funding and donated prizes made our programs even more fun. Special thanks to the Friends of Maxwell, New York State Library’s Family Literacy Library Services grant program, Senator John DeFrancisco, Edible Arrangements, Fairmount Glen Miniature Golf, and Wegmans. Kids, you did a fantastic job. Keep on reading!

Are you planning on visiting a New York State or an Onondaga County park? Borrow a NYS Empire Pass or an Onondaga County Park Pass from Maxwell Library before your trip. Both passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis to patrons over the age of 18 with OCPL library accounts in good standing. They may be checked out for three days, and must be returned in person at Maxwell. Call or stop in for more details.

Art exhibit:

Paintings by Ali Brink

Aug, 28 through Sept.  27

Opening reception:

Monday, Sept.  10, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free. No registration.

A Christmas gift of an oil paint set when she was ten sparked Ali Brink’s lifelong devotion to art. Mainly self-taught and currently retired, she is finally able to spend much of her time painting nature-inspired acrylics, oils, and watercolors and has even won several awards for them.

Two new program series for adults:

New: CNY Technology User Group

Tuesday, September 4, 5:30-7:30PM. Free. No registration.

The CNYTUG comprises individuals whose level of skill with computing ranges from novice to professional. What draws the members together is the desire to explore the ever-changing world of technology, whether it involves laptops, cell phones, home security systems, or anything else that interests the inquisitive mind. The group meets on the first Monday of the month, unless it falls on a holiday. Each meeting starts with a Q&A session, so bring those pesky problems that have been troubling you. The meetings are open to the public. For more information on the group, go to the Central New York PC User Group website at cnypcug.org.

New: Cookbook Club

Tuesday, Sept. 25, noon to 1 p.m. Free. Registration preferred.

Love to cook and talk about food? Love to look through cookbooks or read food-themed books? Then this is the book club for you. Each month a theme or a book is chosen, each person brings a prepared dish to share and the cookbook that inspired the recipe, and everyone enjoys a potluck while discussing the books and food. For this first meeting, please bring a favorite food and the cookbook you used, plus a serving utensil for your dish. All other dishes and utensils are provided.

TBL Peer-Based Suicide Support Group

Sept. 5, 13, 19, and 27, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free. No registration.

Two Brothers’ Light is a non-profit organization that promotes suicide prevention and awareness. It holds peer-based support groups for individuals affected by suicide and other mental health issues. These meetings are free and open to anyone seeking information on suicide prevention and awareness, alternatives to suicide, or grief support for those affected by suicide. For more information, call 315-632-1996, or go to twobrotherslight.org.

Craft Class: All-Occasion Cards

Thursday, Sept. 6, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free. Registration required. For adults.

Tonya Wilson will share how to create up to four all-occasion cards with a Halloween and Fall theme. Learn stamping techniques and use of paper cutters, paper punches, tape, and scissors. All supplies are provided. Registration is required to ensure enough supplies are prepared. Class size is limited to twenty participants.

Duct Tape Craft

Saturday, Sept. 8, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Free. Registration required. For ages 5 to 12.

Use duct tape to make your own back-to-school pencil case and composition notebook. Bonus craft: make a pencil pal. All supplies provided.

Maxwell Matinee

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2 p.m. Call for title. 2018; PG-13; 104 minutes. Free. Registration preferred. For adults.

Four friends in a book club are inspired to spice things up after reading Fifty Shades of Grey. Licensing laws prevent us from publicizing certain details, but you may call the library or go to our website for the title. Seating is limited, so please reserve your place online or by calling 315-672-3661. Bring snacks.

Genealogy Roundtable—Two sessions

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Focus on Research Plans.

Wednesday, Sept. 26, 1 to 3 p.m. Focus on Military Research.

Free. Registration preferred.

Join genealogist Amanda Perrine for Maxwell’s monthly Genealogy Roundtable. Library patrons interested in researching their own family histories get together to discuss problems in their research and share tips on sources and methodology. Both beginners and longtime researchers are welcome.

Unraveling Yarns Book Club

Thursday, Sept. 13, 10:30 to noon Free. No registration.

All book selections have a mystery or suspense theme. Bring your needlework and unravel a different plot each month. Stop in at Maxwell for a copy of this month’s book, Margaret Truman’s “Murder at Ford’s Theatre,” and a reading guide. Non-knitters are also welcome.

Maxwell Library Board Meeting

Monday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m.

The Board of Trustees meets on the third Monday of each month unless stated otherwise. The public is welcome to attend. If you would like to address the board or request a topic to be put on the agenda, please contact director Amanda Perrine at [email protected] at least two weeks before the meeting. The agenda is posted online one week before.

Finders Keepers Mining

Thursday, Sept. 20, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free. Registration preferred. For kids and families.

Attention, rock hounds: Want to see and hold Herkimer diamonds, dinosaur bones, and other fossils? Learn how geodes are formed, and take home gemstones and minerals? Then don’t miss this special family program presented by Finders Keepers Mining at Maxwell Memorial Library.

Between the Lines Book Club

Monday, Sept. 24, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Free. No registration.

The group reads a variety of genres, from literary fiction to suspenseful bestsellers. Copies of this month’s selection, Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad,” and reading guides are available at the desk. Everyone is welcome.

Financial Wellness Workshop for Families

Monday, Sept. 24, 6 to 7 p.m. Free. Registration preferred.

Is it time to put your family’s financial house in order? Learn how to set goals to achieve your family dreams. You’ll understand key concepts to plan for retirement, pay off credit card or loan debts efficiently, build savings for education, protect your income and much more. Presented by Jon Smith, an independent representative with PFS Investments.

SPG: Safe Place to Game

Wednesday, Sept. 26, 4 to 6 p.m. Free. Registration preferred. For ages 7 to 18.

Safe Place to Game is a community program where students and families can learn and play trading card games like Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Tech Class: How to Google

Thursday, Sept. 27, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Free. Registration preferred. You may bring your personal laptop, tablet, or phone.

This month’s tech program will introduce you to some of the ways you can tweak your online searches to get results that better answer your actual questions.

Alphabet Coloring Book Craft

Saturday, Sept. 29, 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. Free. Registration required. For ages 3 to 6.

Make your own coloring book. Scavenger hunt for the pages in the library, assemble, and decorate the cover. All supplies provided.

Ongoing programs for kids and teens (all free; no registration unless otherwise noted):

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

To promote reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers as well as to encourage parent and child bonding through reading, the 1000 Books Foundation has issued a challenge to parents to read 1000 books to their children before kindergarten. Stop in at Maxwell Library to get your first reading log and informational materials, and start reading!

Stories with Sally, for the under-3 crowd and a participating adult.

Mondays and Wednesdays, Sept. 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, and 26, 10:30 to 11:15 a.m.

Sally’s Story Time, for preschoolers ages 3 to 5.

Tuesdays, Sept. 4, 11, 18, and 25, 10:30 to 11 a.m.

Go Digital:

With OverDrive and Hoopla, great entertainment is only a click away on your computer or mobile device. We have ebooks, audiobooks, music and videos, with new titles added daily. It’s easy, fun, and free! Call to set up a help session.

Get tech savvy by attending Tech Librarian Pete’s monthly classes. Catch up on what you missed with Handouts and Other Resources through the Digital tab on our website.

Your library card is the key to amazing free online encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, archives, tutorials, and courses. Go to the Digital tab on Maxwell’s website, or to onlib.org/research/databases.

Ask about the variety of digital devices available for borrowing or in-library use.

Stay Connected:

Sign up for Maxwell’s monthly e-newsletter through our website, Facebook page, or at the circulation desk. See upcoming events and register as needed through our online events calendar. You can support Maxwell Library online through the PayPal Donate feature on our website.

Being a Friend of Maxwell is a great way to support the library. The group sponsors library programs and fundraising events. Click the Friends tab on www.maxwellmemoriallibrary.org for news and updates of meetings and special events.

Maxwell Memorial Library is located at 14 Genesee St., Camillus. The library is open Monday through Thursday, 10 to 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 to 3 p.m.; closed Sundays. Closed Friday through Monday, September 1 through 3, for Labor Day. Please call 315-672-3661 for additional information about any of our programs, visit our website at maxwellmemoriallibrary.org, like us on Facebook, or find us on Instagram and Twitter @maxmemlib.