On Our Minds

Details: Published: 06 March 2012; Created: 06 March 2012; Last Updated: 06 March 2012; Hits: 4223

CoffeeLibraryPhoto1 Since its strategic plan was launched in January, the library has been making changes to better meet the needs of the community. Whether they come for work, study or for pleasure, the Scarsdale Public Library wants its patrons to feel welcome and at home when they visit. A warm cup of coffee or tea goes hand in hand with reading, studying or chatting with friends.

With that in mind, the library has installed a Keurig Brewing System coffee station. The coffee brews in under a minute, there is no mess and it’s at the touch of a button. Patrons will be able to purchase a regular, decaf or tea K-Cup for $1.00 at the circulation desk. Cups will be provided or one can bring their own. Milk and sweeteners will be available at the coffee station.

Scarsdale Public Library Director Elizabeth Bermel says “We truly want the library to be a welcoming, friendly place. For many people, having coffee or tea available when they are visiting the library makes it more comfortable. Based on the feedback we received after we installed the café tables and chairs outside on the plaza last summer, the coffee machine is the next logical step.”

“This is just the beginning,” says Bermel. “We look forward to improving the patron experience, and making the library more of a home away keurigcoffee from home.”

The coffee station is located near the front entrance near the circulation desk and positioned in such a way to avoid any accidents with other people.

Above is a picture of Ronald J. Brown, a teacher/lecturer for the Scarsdale Adult School, enjoying the new Keurig coffee maker.

Other Library News:

E-book night at the Scarsdale Library: On February 27, the library ran an e-book Open House where librarians helped patrons learn how to use Overdrive, the library's free online book collection. To learn more about how to access the free e-books, go to scarsdalelibrary.org and click on the Overdrive icon to download books. If you need help, stop by the reference desk or call them at 914-722-1300 ext 2 to set up an appointment with a librarian to get help.

Author Tom Greenwald, who wrote Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading, will visit the library on Wednesday March 7 at 7pm.

Details: Published: 20 February 2012; Created: 20 February 2012; Last Updated: 20 February 2012; Hits: 5239

YOGAbookjacket William J. Broad, bestselling author, senior science writer at The New York Times and lifelong yoga practitioner will discuss his new book The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards on Sunday, March 4, 1pm at the JCC of Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale. A question and answer period and book signing will follow the discussion. This event is free and open to the public.

Broad interviewed not only yogis and yoga instructors, but also sports scientists, medical doctors, physical therapists, sex researchers, physiologists, neuroscientists and immunologists – all to find out if yoga was really doing him good. Five years in the making, the book draws on a hidden wealth of discovery and surprising fact to show for the first time what is uplifting and beneficial and what is delusional and dangerous. On balance, the book shows that the benefits far outweigh the risks, but only if yoga is done intelligently to curb the hidden dangers.

This program is one of several informational events that the JCC is hosting this year. “We are hosting these events as a way to provide easy access to the community on a variety of topics that are of interest to them. This event in particular will give insight into the practice of yoga, as well as provide the community with an opportunity to ask questions and voice their opinions about Mr. Broad’s findings”, said Michael Witkes, Interim Executive Director of the JC.

The Jewish Community Center of Mid-Westchester, a proud beneficiary of UJA-Federation of New York, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the community by providing cultural, social, educational and recreational/fitness programs, human services and Jewish identity-building opportunities to people of all ages and backgrounds. For more information about this event contact Tobe Sevush, , 472-3300, x346, sevusht@jccmw.org or visit the JCC of Mid-Westchester website at www.jccmw.org .

Details: Published: 30 January 2012; Created: 30 January 2012; Last Updated: 02 February 2012; Hits: 7593

littlebees As a Scrabble addict and a crossword puzzle aficionado, I didn’t expect to be stumped at the second annual Friends of the Scarsdale Library Spelling Bee on Friday January 27th. But stumped I was! The evening began with a bit of confusion about the word embarrass – or was it embarass? Neither the judges nor the competing teams were sure. And the confusion was only compounded when “embarass” was projected above the stage, confounding everyone in the audience as well.

The contest included 20 teams with clever names like the Killer Bees, the Bee to Bees, Bee Informeds and Let It Bee. The event was so popular this year that several additional teams were on stand-by. Ed Coleman served as emcee and the tough panel of judges included Mayor Miriam Flisser, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Library Teen Advisory Board member Jamie Tanzer. Just minutes into the first round, one team was caught writing after the bell rang and was out of the contest barely before they began.

The word “embarrass” was followed by several more words that included double letters like mozzarella, Hawaiian, hippopotamus and fricassee. Who knew that “mellifluous” had two “l’s” or that bellwether was spelled without the “a” in weather. The teams fell quickly and the four original rounds were over in a flash.

Intermission was just as much fun as the contest, as Carolyn Mehta and Christine Bensche posed trivia questions to the crowd and gave out prizes for correct answers.

Perhaps you can answer a few of these:

What is Tin Tin's dog's name?
Who was the Belle of Amherst?
Who lived in "an old house in Paris, that was covered in vines?'"
Which Broadway musical features the song "Marian the Librarian?"
In what language was “Pippi Longstocking” first published?

While contestants wrote down their answers on white boards during the initial round, in the final round contestants had to come to the mike at center stage to spell the words aloud.

The four final groups were:

The Meili “Bienli” – Heather Gilcriest Meili and Stephan Meili
Hip To Bee Square – Lucas Meyer, Esther Sloan and Ian Weston
Trigens: Randy Jr., Randy III and Brian Guggenheimer
SpellYouLater: High School students Maleeha Chida, Viveka Kymal, Malika Laurence

They were served up some very tricky words and the final contest was whittled down to two teams from four when one group misspelled “whippoorwill” and

Bee winners Ian Weston, Esther Sloan and Lucas J. Meyer

another, “occurrence.” (Those double letters proved to be their undoing.)

That left the Trigens vying against Hip To Bee Square. They went several rounds before the Trigens tripped up on “reconnaissance,” leaving Ian Weston of Hip To Bee Square on stage to spell “conscientious.” And conscientious he was, spelling the word correctly and taking first place for his team.

Spelling bee committee member Carolyn Mehta said, "We are delighted that so many members of the community opened their wallets AND opened their dictionaries to support the Scarsdale Library. The 2012 bee was even more successful and even more fun than last year's bee!"

Thomson Reuters was this year’s “Platinum Sponsor” and the “Diamond Sponsors” included Houlihan Lawrence, Paul Hastings LLP, Bradford and Phyllis Perkins, and Rick and Sara Werder.

Photos courtesy of Jake Brodsky

The Friends of the Scarsdale Library sent in the following letter to thank the community and bee sponsors:

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Friends of the Scarsdale Library, we would like to express our gratitude to so many in the community for making our Second Adult and Teen Spelling Bee a tremendous success. As Carolyn Mehta commented, “We are delighted that people opened their wallets AND opened their dictionaries to support the Scarsdale Library.” The funds raised will be used to revitalize the Children’s Room.

Congratulations to all the team members and particularly to our winning team, Hip To Bee Square (Lucas J. Meyer, Esther Sloan and Ian Weston). Both our champions and our runners up (the Trigens, Randy Jr, Randy III and Brian Guggenheimer) made the finals last year also!

Please support our generous sponsors: Platinum: Thomson Reuters; Diamond: Houlihan Lawrence, Paul Hastings LLP, Bradford & Phyllis Perkins, and Sara & Rick Werder; Gold: Country Bank, Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty, Renu & Anil Lalwani, and Sylvan Learning Center; and Silver: Christie-Spencer Corporation, Christine & John Bensche, Coldwell Banker, Frank’s Home Improvements & Siding Co, Joan & Howard Rothman, Scarsdale Improvement Corporation, Sontag Advisory, and Jonathan & Nicole Ungar. Numerous “Friends of the Bee” also made donations to help us achieve our goal.

Our heartfelt appreciation to Prudential Centennial Realty for donating the grand prize (Kindle Touch 3Gs) and Testtakers for donating an SAT study course; our other raffle donors (Scarsdale Skin Care, SoulCycle and Tracey Novick/Ah!Dorned); our team prize donors (BlueQ, Chat, Eastchester Fish Gourmet, Hartsdale Wine and Liquors, Moscato, and Vintology); and our refreshment donors (Shop Rite, California Pizza Kitchen, Standing Room Only, and Whole Foods).

We would also like to thank our fantastic emcee Ed Coleman; our esteemed judges NYS Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Mayor Miriam Levitt-Flisser and Library Teen Advisory Board member Jamie Tanzer; our photographers Jake Brodsky and Sofia Fabiancic; our tech crew including Steve Bogardus, Dave Berry, Jeff Langsam, and Sivan and Rohan Mehta; and our many “worker bees” who helped out during the evening.

And we are BEEdazzled by our incredible committee: Liz Blagg, Christine Bensche, Ellen Brodsky, Mona Longman and Carolyn Mehta.

Sincerely,
Renu Lalwani and Sara Werder, Spelling Bee Co-Chairs

Details: Published: 04 February 2012; Created: 04 February 2012; Last Updated: 04 February 2012; Hits: 4497

tutor The Scarsdale Public Library has launched a new program that offers students of all ages live, one-to-one help from certified tutors online. Any resident with a Scarsdale Public Library card can access the service from www.scarsdalelibrary.com , click on the tutor.com link.

The K-12 Student Center, College Center and Adult Career Center from Tutor.com include live, one-to-one tutoring, a real-time writing center and 24/7 access to worksheets, videos and tutorials in just about any subject. The live, online tutoring and resume writing service is available 3pm-midnight seven days a week. The service is completely free for Scarsdale Library cardholders.

Award-winning Tutor.com has a network of over 2,000 certified tutors, as well as career specialists, who are ready to help with just about any question. The network of expert tutors has conducted over 4.5 million sessions.

Here's the type of help available in each center.

K-12 Student Center: Students can get help with homework, test preparation, skills and concepts they are learning in class and standardized test preparation and college entrance exams. Subjects include math, science, social studies and English.
College Center: Besides subject-specific help, students can prepare for the GED and get resume help or prepare for graduate school entrance exams.
Adult Education: Adults going back to school can get subject-specific help, study for a Citizenship test and prepare for the GED.
Career Center: Job seekers can get help writing a resume or preparing for an interview.

Each center includes real-time writing assistance from English tutors or career specialists for adults working on resumes. Students will get immediate feedback, writing tips and strategies as well as proofreading. Need help after midnight? No problem. Each center includes 24/7 access to thousands of resources including study guides, worksheets, videos and more in math, science, social studies, English, resume writing, GED prep, Citizenship exam prep and more.

"Education is a core value in Scarsdale," says Elizabeth Bermel, Director at the Scarsdale Library. "By partnering with Tutor.com, the Scarsdale Library is virtually open 24/7 for its patrons when it comes to learning. This program allows Scarsdale students and parents to get the extra help they may need no matter what time of day or night."

Details: Published: 25 January 2012; Created: 25 January 2012; Last Updated: 20 February 2012; Hits: 5503

emmajean Registration opens on January 27th for the 17th annual Young Writers' Workshop. This community event for Scarsdale third to fifth graders will take place on Saturday, March 24th, 2012, from 9am until noon at Scarsdale Middle School. Once again, this promises to be a fantastic morning with many new and interesting workshops, as well as some favorites from the past.

The morning will begin with a keynote address by award-winning author Lauren Tarshis. She is the author of Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and its sequel, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love and is currently in the midst of writing the 10-book historical fiction series, I Survived (Scholastic), which has sold more than 2 million copies to date. In addition to writing books, Lauren works full-time at Scholastic creating language arts magazines and digital products used in elementary and middle school classrooms.

Ms. Tarshis, a sought-after visiting author to schools, will also be conducting two interactive Master Workshops for students.

The Young Writers’ Workshop will feature more than 40 classes taught by top creative professionals from the New York area. Along with journalists from the New York Times and a presidential speech writer, the program includes renowned children's book authors, sports writers, song writers, and even a top radio DJ.

View the online workshop guide at http://youngwritersworkshop.eventbrite.com

Once again The Young Writers’ Workshop also welcomes our two returning cultural partners - The Picture House in Pelham and New York City-based Writopia Lab. Both will provide teaching artists to the event.

All students will also have the opportunity to give back to the community by donating gently used books on the day of the event. The goal is to collect 2012 books, which will be donated to The Childcare Council of Westchester Inc.

Registration takes place online at www.youngwritersworkshop.eventbrite.com from January 27th through February 17th. Registration after February 17th will be charged a $10 late fee and is subject to workshop availability. (Note: Late registrations will not be accepted after March 2nd.) All fees are non-refundable.