Communities Matter @the Olean Public Library

Communities matter @ your library: celebrate National Library Week April 14-20

(OLEAN, NY) –This week, the Olean Public Library  joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week, a time to highlight the value of libraries, librarians and library workers.

Libraries today are more than repositories for books and other resources. Often the heart of their communities, campuses or schools, libraries are deeply committed to the places where their patrons live, work and study.  Libraries are trusted places where everyone in the community can gather to reconnect and reengage with each other to enrich and shape the community and address local issues.

Librarians work with elected officials, small business owners, students and the public at large to discover what their communities needs are and meet them.  Whether through offering e-books and technology classes, materials for English-language learners, programs for job seekers or those to support early literacy, librarians listen to the community they serve, and they respond.

“Service to the community has always been the focus of the library,” said Lance Chaffee, Director. “While this aspect has never changed, libraries have grown and evolved in how they provide for the needs of every member of their community.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

The photos below highlight some of the ways that the library supports the community.

Author Talk With Gail Black April 9th at 6:30pm.

Gail L. Black will speak about her first book, “Asses and Angels: A Journey from Abuse to Achievement.” Signed copies of the book will be available for $10 at the presentation.

Gail Black is living proof that success and failure in life are interwoven like the tangled brambles in a thicket of wild berries. Asses and Angels shares the moving story of her personal path through life as it wove through tangled fields of good and evil. She learned to hope and survive on her journey from abuse to achievement.

Born just as World War II intensified, Gail grew into a spirited little girl and then into a woman who never forgot that each day was a new opportunity with the possibility of success and happiness. Family health challenges compelled her to mature early. Religious control, physical abuse, and financial manipulation caused her to experience divorce, widowhood, and annulment. Learn how she prevailed in male-dominated business ventures and environmental battles as she farmed her land. Her grit, sense of humor, work ethic, and love for her farm helped insure her entrepreneurial success in the business of making fruit syrups with her grandmother’s recipe.

Lego Bricks Wanted!!

We are looking for permanent donations of new or gently-used LEGO bricks. Old sets, new sets, mismatched jumbles, wheels, people, specialty sets, Duplo – we’ll be thrilled to accept all the LEGO bricks you can find!

Please bring donations to the Olean Public Library’s Information Desk.
We will happily provide a receipt for your donation.

Watch for LEGO Club coming this summer @ the library…

National Library Week Photo Contest

Theme: Communities Matter @ Your Library

Sponsored by the Olean Public Library

As part of the National Library Week celebration (April 14-20^th), the Olean Public Library will host a photo contest.  This contest is open to amateurs only (a professional is defined as on whose primary source of income results from his/her photographic work).  The photograph must include the current Olean Public Library or the Old Library (interior or exterior) as a significant part of the picture.

Submissions for this contest will be accepted in person or via e-mail (oleanpubliclibrary[at]gmail[dot]com) in JPEG format.  Limit one submission per person.  Submission deadline is Monday April 8^th at 9pm.

Photographs will be displayed in the display case in the lobby area of the library through the end of April.  During National Library Week, patrons of the library will be asked to vote for their favorite picture.  The winner will be announced on April 22^nd and will receive a $20 gift certificate to Pleasant Valley Greenhouse & Nursery.

Each photo must be accompanied by the contestant’s name and phone number.  The photo must also have a short description attached which will be displayed with the photo (e.g. “Old Library, Summer 2012” or “Summer Reading Program, 2009”, etc).  Photographs must be suitable for a family environment.

Entries may be in black & white or in color.  Submission of a photograph implies photographer’s consent for the work to be publicly displayed in the library.  By submitting a photograph, the contestant represents that he/she is the sole and exclusive owner of the image and is not aware of any copyright infringement.

The photographs will be available for pick up after May 1^st.  If the photographs are not claimed by the end of May, they will become the property of the Olean Public Library.  A submission to the contests indicates understanding and acceptance of the above rules.

For any questions or clarification, please contact the Olean Public Library at (716) 372-0200 or by e-mail at oleanpubliclibrary[at]gmail[dot]com. This contest is open to all members of the public.

Robert Lax, Mentor & Peacemaker by Dr. Steven Georgiou

 

The Olean Public Library has partnered with St. Bonaventure University’s School of Arts and Sciences, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, and Friedsam Library to present a program entitled “Robert Lax, Mentor & Peacemaker” by noted Lax scholar Dr. Steven Georgiou.

This presentation is part of a a week-long series of lectures, performances, and discussions in the Olean area from March 4th-8th.

Robert Lax, who spent a significant part of his life in Olean, remains a well-known poet, artist, spiritual thinker, mentor and friend to many, including Thomas Merton.

Highlights of the week include three lectures by noted Lax scholar Dr. Steven Georgiou of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, an archive exhibit mounted by Paul Spaeth, performance of an original composition by Gwyneth Walker inspired by poetry of Lax, classroom discussions, and informal events.

St. Bonaventure University’s School of Arts and Sciences, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, and Friedsam Library have partnered together with the Olean Public Library, Olean High School, and members of the Olean community in planning this week of celebration and commemoration of the legacy, work, and enduring significance of Robert Lax.

2013 Teen and Adult Winter Reading Program

The Winter Reading Program Starts February 11 and Ends March 11, 2013

To participate: read or listen to at least one book or audio book of your choice between February 11^th and March 11^th.
Complete and return this reading log to the Information Desk by March 11^th.

All participants’ reviews will be published anonymously in a 2013 Winter Reading Program booklet.

As a thank you for participating, you will receive a postcard redeemable  for a reading program booklet and an Olean Public Library mug!

 

Click below for a copy of the reading log:
Winter 2013 Reading Log

2013 Friends of the Olean Library Short Story Contest Guidelines

1.  Entries must feature, in an imaginative way, AT LEAST TWO of the following four items: wi-fi, children (in the library), a local history book, an overdue book. You may use all four, but you don’t have to do so. (This rule is changed from previous years.)

 

2.  Permissible length is 350 words or less.  Please note: We do reject stories for excessive length or because they do not meet the requirements in number 1.

 

3.  This contest is open to students enrolled in grades 6 through 9.  Participants are limited to one entry and are expected to do their own work.

 

4.  Entries must be typed on 8½ x 11 paper.  Please choose a font that is easily readable, like the one you are currently reading (Arial) and a type size no smaller than 11 pt.  Students without other access to a word processor are welcome to use those at the Olean Public Library.

 

5.  Mechanical correctness — spelling, punctuation and grammar — is an important factor in the judging.

 

6.  Entrant’s name, grade, school, AND TEACHER’S NAME must be printed – legibly! – in the lower right corner of each page. Home-schooled students are welcome; use the name of the person doing most of the teaching as your teacher’s name.

 

7.  All entries must be received at the Olean Public Library by Monday, March 4.  Whether mailed or delivered in person, envelopes should be addressed to Friends Short Story Contest.  Mailed entries should be sent in care of the Olean Public Library, 134 N. Second St., Olean, N.Y. 14760.

 

7.  Winners will be notified through their English teacher.  The awards ceremony will be scheduled at the Olean Public Library shortly after winners are notified.

 

Thanks for your participation.  And good luck!