Author Archive

10 Years of Books at the Beach, Thanks to Emma Clark Library

Setauket, NY – May 12, 2025 –

2025 marks the 10-year anniversary of the seasonal Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach, hosted by Emma Clark Library. This “Take a Book, Leave a Book” structure, located under the pavilion at the beach and made from recycled materials, is now open for the late spring and summer, through the first week of autumn.

As before, there’s no need for a library card; visitors are invited to take any books that interest them. These books are donated for the sole purpose of the Little Free Library (books are not owned by Emma Clark – don’t return your library books here!). There is no need to live in Three Village to share in this give and take project; all guests of the beach are welcome to donate and/or take books.

The Library would like to thank the Town of Brookhaven and Nicole Pocciare, Environmental Educator, for their constant support and consent to host the Little Free Library at the beach. Additionally, the Library appreciates the teen and tween volunteers who “adopt” the library each week to ensure that it is neat, undamaged, and well-stocked.

Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich attended the installation and remarked, “Today, I celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Little Free Library installation at West Meadow Beach. This special milestone is a reminder of how small acts—like sharing a book—can make a lasting impact. As someone who strongly believes in the power of reading and lifelong learning, it’s wonderful to see this beloved resource continue to serve our community.”

Since 2016, Emma Clark has been enhancing a day at the beach with this delightful exchange of books. The Library is grateful for the amazing community partners and the ability to share, read, and reuse books and encourage a love of reading out into the community.

The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and on the web at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.

“The Heart of the Three Village Community”

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Emma Clark Officially a Family Place Library

Setauket, NY – April 30, 2025 –

Emma Clark has been formally approved as part of The Family Place Libraries™ national network, which emphasizes play-based learning as an essential tool to early childhood development, particularly for those families with young children ages one to three years old.

The Children’s Department at Emma Clark began the process to become certified as a Family Place Library in late 2024, which included extended training for librarians beyond their library schooling. These workshops were taught by child development experts and Family Place Trainers and served as a good refresher regarding building pre-reading skills and helped to spark new ideas for learning through play. The training also focused on supporting parents and caregivers by connecting them with resources and professionals, as well as providing engaging programming opportunities.

“I am excited to be a part of the Family Place initiative which provides a framework for expanding my role as a librarian in connecting with young children, parents and caregivers and facilitating the support they need,” says Marcela Lenihan, one of the children’s librarians who attended the training.

Literacy begins at birth. At birth, only 25% of a newborn’s brain is developed, but by five years old, the brain is 90% wired. Young children learn about themselves and the world around them though play, and this “important work” is what prepares them for their future of intellectual development (reading, math, and science), as well as their social and emotional development.

Although Emma Clark already had many of the initiatives in place such as board and picture books, puzzles, a train table, and a coloring spot, in the past year they added more imaginative toys to the Children’s Library, such as dramatic play items (kitchen, market, dress-up clothes, etc.). Looking ahead, Brian Debus, the Head Children’s Librarian, is hoping to add more toys geared towards infants, as well as more comfortable seating for parents, grandparents, and caregivers.

“By joining this initiative, we’re investing in early learning, parent engagement, and community connection, ensuring every child and family gets the best possible start in life,” remarked Mr. Debus.

Furthermore, the children’s librarians are working to fine-tune the already well-established Parent/Toddler Workshop by including community resource professionals at the program on a regular basis. This weekly workshop for children ages 18 months – 3.5 years old and their caregivers has always focused on open play, sharing, and connections with other parents and caregivers. It will now include specialists – such as pediatric nutritionists, speech pathologists, social workers, and child development experts – so that parents and caregivers may speak one-on-one with professionals and ask questions in a comfortable, informal setting. This program not only aids in the child’s development, but it helps parents and caregivers to feel less isolated and gives them an increased sense of community belonging. The librarians also plan on offering more handouts from reputable organizations on parenting and childhood development, making the information easily accessible to patrons.

The Family Place Libraries™ model is now in over 500 libraries in 32 states serving thousands of young children and their parents/caregivers. Emma S. Clark Memorial Library is proud to officially be among this nationwide network.

The mission of Family Place Libraries™ is to increase the capacity of libraries throughout the nation to recognize and realize their full potential as community hubs for healthy child and family development, parent and community involvement and lifelong learning beginning at birth.

The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and on the web at www.emmaclark.org, provides public library service to all residents of the Three Village Central School District.

“The Heart of the Three Village Community”

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