The Heart of the Three Village Community
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Emma Clark Library Partners with Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare
Setauket, NY – September 14, 2023 –
Emma Clark Library and Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare have partnered to offer free social work services to the Three Village community. Emma Clark patrons may visit the Library each week during designated hours to have their questions answered, get help with filling out forms, or seek referrals from a graduate student who is furthering their studies in the field.
Inquiries that the social work graduate student may assist with include, but are not limited to, employment/job search, housing, paying utility bills, applying for benefits, education, medical assistance, mental health issues, bullying, domestic abuse, substance use, LGBTQIA+ topics, care coordination, and voting pre-registration.
Starting this month, graduate student Erin Vespoli will be on-site at the Library on Tuesdays from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Ms. Vespoli is a mother of three who is training to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and will be at Emma Clark through the end of the school year (May 2024). There is no pre-registration, and this service is open to all ages. In fact, afternoon/evening hours were chosen to accommodate afterschool hours for teenagers or adults who work during the day. The Wednesday hours coincide with the Library’s “Senior Bus” (transportation for those who can no longer drive so that they may take out library materials and attend events, offered on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month). While Ms. Vespoli will be located in the Library’s lobby to ensure that all patrons are aware of this new service, a private room can be made available as well. Conversations will be kept confidential; this is a safe and welcoming environment.
Libraries are information centers where the community goes to get answers to their questions, and at times help to solve their problems. Some of the challenges patrons are dealing with are at times beyond the scope of what most librarians are trained to handle. Here on Long Island, many libraries including Emma Clark, have recognized the value of adding social work assistance as a resource offering to their patrons.
Ms. Vespoli is at Emma Clark Library to answer questions but is not a therapist; referrals will be given to people looking for clinical therapy. Ms. Vespoli is a mandated reporter for cases of neglect, abuse, or harm.
The Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare provides a learning environment for individuals who wish to deepen and extend their knowledge and experience in bringing about social change. The School provides a place for the development of committed, analytical, and knowledgeable students who wish to undertake the difficult task of improving service delivery systems by attention to institutional structures. The graduate program prepares students for advanced social work practice and is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
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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Social Work Service
Graduate Student in Social Work from SBU Answers Your Questions – Each Week at the Library
Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare student intern, James, is on-site at the Library each week during designated hours to answer questions, help with filling out forms, or seek referrals. Inquiries that he may assist with include, but are not limited to, employment/job search, housing, paying utility bills, applying for benefits, education, medical assistance, mental health issues, bullying, domestic abuse, substance use, LGBTQIA+ topics, care coordination, and voting pre-registration.
This service is open to all ages. The social work intern meets with patrons in the Small Study Room on the Lower Level. Appointments are not required but strongly encouraged. Appointments can be made as early as a week in advance. Click here to reserve your timeslot. Or call 631.941.4080 and ask for the Reference Desk.
Conversations will be kept confidential; this is a safe and welcoming environment.
The social work intern is training to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He is at Emma Clark Library to answer questions but is not a therapist; referrals will be given to people looking for clinical therapy. He is a mandated reporter for cases of neglect, abuse, or harm.
Resources from the SBU Social Work Interns:
Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens
Questions? Email askus@emmaclark.org
Fall & Halloween-Themed Programs for Kids
Candy and some not-so-scary Halloween-themed fun for all ages in our Children’s Department this season:
Life-Sized Candy Land – Friday, October 4, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Children will travel through the game’s winding trail, while meeting characters (played by teen volunteers) and getting treats. Halloween costumes are encouraged but not required. Games will begin at 10-minute intervals from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. An adult may accompany up to 2 children. Ages 3 – 7 years old with parent/guardian.
Register in-person or by calling 631.941.4080 x.123 for your start time beginning 9/20.
Halloween Scene – Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Skele-brate Halloween by coming to a spook-tacular program!
“Stretch” Your Imagination: Spooky Style – This class has been cancelled.
1:45 – 2:30 p.m.
Movement and stories. Ages 3.5 – 5 years old.
Register here now.
Spooky SLED Bus
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
If you dare, walk through the Suffolk Libraries Community bus, decorated for Halloween. Fun for the whole family. No registration required.
Spooky Rock Painting
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Paint Halloween rocks with acrylic paint. Grades K – 6. No registration required.
Candy Science – Tuesday, October 29, 2024
4:30 – 5:15 p.m.
Sweet experiments with candy! Grades K – 2.
Register here starting 10/15
No Oven Needed: Candy Apples on a Stick – Wednesday, October 30, 2024
5:30 – 6:15 p.m.
Use chocolate & toppings to make sliced apples on a stick! Grades K – 6.
Register here starting 10/16
Halloween Parade! – Thursday, October 31, 2024
10:00 – 10:45 a.m. OR 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.
Join us for a Halloween program and parade in the Library. Ages 18 months – 5 years old with parent/caregiver.
Register for the 10:00 a.m. program here starting 10/17
Register for the 11:00 a.m. program here starting 10/17
Click here to view all children’s programs.
Questions? Email kids@emmaclark.org
Important Workshops for Kids
Emma Clark’s Little Free Library Back at the Beach
Setauket, NY – June 23, 2023 –
If you forgot a book for your beach day, it’s not a problem. The Little Free Library, hosted by Emma Clark Library, is back at West Meadow Beach for the summer!
This “Take a Book or Leave a Book” concept is one that exemplifies recycling and community and in addition, encourages lifelong reading. Beachgoers are encouraged to grab a book and/or donate one to this structure located under the pavilion at the beach. The books are all donated by the public. This little library is possible thanks in part to many generous booklovers (books are not curated or owned by Emma Clark – don’t return your library books here!). Library teen volunteers “adopt” the library each week to ensure that it is neat, undamaged, and well-stocked.
Emma Clark Library has hosted the Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach in July and August since 2016, to inspire beachgoers to read, share, and reuse. There is no need to live in Three Village to participate, as long as you are a visitor of the beach. The Town of Brookhaven and Environmental Educator Nicole Pocchiare have once again graciously given their consent for Emma Clark to host the Little Free Library at the beach.
Councilman Jonathan Kornreich attended the re-installation and remarked, “I was thrilled to have attended the 8th annual installation of a Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach! As a firm believer of the power of reading and learning, I’m excited to see this resource available to the community again. Thank you Director Ted Gutmann, Jen Mullen, Lisa DeVerna, and Emily Ostrander from the Emma Clark Library for making this all happen.”
Little Free Libraries have become an international phenomenon since their inception in 2010, and Little Free Library was established as a nonprofit organization in 2012 in Wisconsin. According to the official Little Free Library website, there are over 150,000 registered book-sharing boxes across the United States and 120 countries worldwide. Emma Clark’s Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach is registered on www.littlefreelibrary.org and can be found on the site’s official map of all Little Free Libraries.
Emma Clark Library is happy to promote literacy outside the walls of the building and help our neighbors discover new books. Whether it be a hot summer day or a beautiful, breezy sunset, the Little Free Library simply enhances the already beloved West Meadow Beach here in Three Village.
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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The Heart of the Three Village Community
