Author Archive

Tech Help

Emma Clark patrons have two options for personalized Technology Help:

OPTION 1: Local teen & tween volunteers are in our Technology Center on certain dates (weekday evenings and weekends) to answer your simple technology questions and help you learn how to use your mobile devices, including cell phones, tablets, and e-readers. Appointments are required. Click here for our adult program calendar to find dates and to register. Or call 631.941.4080 to register. Questions? Email askus@emmaclark.org

OPTION 2: Patrons can schedule one-on-one appointments for Tech Help with Jen, Technology Librarian, and Bob, IT Manager. Simply email techhelp@emmaclark.org. Be sure to include your library barcode number and telephone number. Jen or Bob will get back to you between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Examples of things we assist with include:
• General assistance with mobile devices, phones, tablets, and laptops
• Computer software (Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, etc.)
• Web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)
• Roku and Fire Stick devices
• Setting up communication options (FaceTime, Zoom, Google Hangouts) to stay in touch with loved ones, have video conferences, etc.

Things to do from home, thanks to your library card

Family - wife, husband, and daughter - looking at their laptop

Some things you can do from home, thanks to your library card!

– Download an eBook or eAudiobook through OverDrive
– Watch a movie that you streamed through Kanopy or Hoopla
– Have a dance party in your living room! Free music (that you never have to “return”) through Hoopla
– Learn a new language (& daydream about that trip you’ve always wanted to take) with Pronunciator
– Brush up on your skills or learn new ones with Hoonuit or Universal Class. These are online learning platforms, each with over 500 video classes. Hoonuit has tutorials software applications, including Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver, Final Cut Pro, Social Media, WordPress, GoogleDocs and more. Universal Class has a multitude of topics such as accounting, career training, health & medicine, DIY, medical billing, pet care, psychology, real estate, special education, and test preparation, just to name a few.
– Get crafty with CreativeBug
– Read up on your local history and find out what the “Setauket Spies” did during the American Revolution.
– Research that big purchase. Consumer Reports is free with your library card.
– Do your taxes. It’s not fun, but it IS productive. Links to tax forms are available right on the library’s website.
– Download free digital magazines through Flipster or RB Digital
– Check out a museum from your home! Click here for a handy list of museums with virtual tours.

What to do with the kids?
– Take them on an adventure – learn about science, nature, culture, archaeology, and space through National Geographic Kids.
– Learn a new language through games and stories (they won’t even realize they’re learning!) through Muzzy.
– Check out more than 200 countries and all U.S. states on the CultureGrams Kids Edition. There are maps, videos, photos, interviews, biographies, recipes, flags, graphs, tables, and more!
– Read an eBook. Tumble Books for Kids and Sesame Street eBooks are animated, talking picture book libraries that help kids learn to read and build vocabulary in an interactive format.

For even more resources, click here for a list complied by the Suffolk Cooperative Library System.

6th Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award – Winning Books Highlight Imagination and Doing Your Part

Setauket, NY – March 12, 2020 –

Emma Clark Library is thrilled to announce the winners for the Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award, an annual contest for junior high and high school students in the Three Village Central School District:

First Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Oliver’s Walk by Celia Gordon (8^th grade
homeschooler)

First Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Your Part by Rebecca Blumenthal (11^th grader at
Ward Melville High School)

Second Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): The Knight and the Monster written by Ricky
Herling and illustrated by Ashton Hopkins (both 8^th graders at Gelinas Junior High School)

Second Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): How Tom Talks by Riley Meckley (10^th grader at
Ward Melville High School)

For Oliver’s Walk, Celia Gordon used watercolors to illustrate the story of a baby bird and mother bird taking a stroll together. The bird uses his imagination and pretends that the puddle is really a river or that a single pink flower turns into a big bouquet for his mom. Your Part by Rebecca Blumenthal gives examples of what one can do to be a good person for the earth and for others. It’s told in a sing-song voice, which makes it a perfect read aloud book.

The winners will be celebrated at a private awards ceremony at Emma Clark Library on Monday, April 27, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. At the reception, each First Prize award recipient will receive a $400 scholarship, and each Second Prize award recipient will receive a $100 scholarship. The newly bound books – made into hardcover by the Library – will be presented to the winners and copies will be added to the Library’s Local Focus Collection. Light refreshments will be served at the reception, and desserts are once again being generously donated by The Bite Size Bake Shop, a local Three Village business.

The Helen Stein Shack Book Contest called for teens in grades 7 through 12 who live in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book. Each entry could be the work of a single author/illustrator or a collaborative effort of an author and an illustrator. The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 7 through 9 and grades 10 through 12, with one First Prize Winner and one Second Prize Winner selected from each group.

This award is given in memory of Helen Stein Shack by her family. As a teacher, Mrs. Shack was committed to the education of children, and she especially loved literature written for them. She was a frequent visitor to Emma Clark Library where, even in retirement, she kept current with the latest children’s books. The Library is grateful to the children of the late Mrs. Shack who have established a substantial endowment with the Library to cover the cost of the prizes.

Past ceremonies have had Library trustees, teachers and top school district administrators, as well as elected officials from New York State, Suffolk County, and the Town of Brookhaven, all in attendance to honor the winners and present them with certificates. Emma Clark Library is delighted to once again host a ceremony to recognize these talented young authors and illustrators and to add their creative and heartwarming original books to the Library’s collection.

The Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, located at 120 Main Street in Setauket and online 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”

Sunday Afternoon Concerts in a Beautiful Historic Setting

Setauket, NY – February 27, 2020 –

Enjoy classical music in the stunning, historic 1892 section of Emma Clark Library. This spring, the Library is hosting a music series with literary undertones and a nod to Jane Austen.

March 22 – “Music from an 18^th Century Drawing Room” – featuring Natalie Kress on the baroque violin, presented by the Three Village Chamber Players. Works by Telemann, Bach, Locatelli, and Guillemain.

May 24 – “The Curious Fantasy of Catherine Morland” – featuring Kyle Collins on the clavichord. Dive into the world of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey as we explore London’s popular novelists and the music they once heard.

June 28 – “Practicing with Mary Bennet” – Kyle Collins on the harpsichord and clavichord will highlight music from the period of Jan Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, including some readings.

All concerts are on Sundays from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. They are open to the public, and there is no registration.

Praised by the New York Times for her “splendid playing,” Natalie Rose Kress enjoys a varied career as both a modern and Baroque chamber musician based in Washington, D.C. Following three summers as a Tanglewood Fellow, she was awarded the Jules C. Reiner Violin Prize from the Tanglewood Music Center and performed with Yo Yo Ma and Pamela Frank at the Kennedy Center Honors. Natalie is co-founder, director and executive advisor of Musicivic Inc., a national non-profit arts network supporting local chamber music residencies in towns nationwide, including the Setauket-based Three Village Chamber Players. Natalie received her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Psychology and Master of Music from Stony Brook University where she studied violin performance with Soovin Kim and Philip Setzer and chamber music with the Emerson String Quartet. She is currently a full-tuition student at The Juilliard School studying Historical Performance and tours extensively with Juilliard415.

Kyle Collins began his harpsichord studies when he studied for his MM at the University of North Texas in 2015, where he also earned his Graduate Artist Certificate in Harpsichord. Mr. Collins is now at Stony Brook University in New York, where he is studying for a DMA in Harpsichord Performance with Arthur Haas.

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

Calling All Artistic & Poetic Three Villagers

Setauket, NY – February 5, 2020 –

Emma Clark Library is hosting two contests this winter and is looking forward to seeing the creativity of our community.

Kids Bookmark Contest

This year marks the 5^th annual Kids Bookmark Contest at Emma Clark Library. This contest is for kids in the Three Village Central School District, Kindergarten through 6^th grade. Winners receive the honor of having their bookmarks professionally printed and distributed at the Library throughout the entire year. Last year’s bookmark champions were Madison (Nassakeag Elementary), Evelyn (Minnesauke Elementary), and Raymond (Minnesauke Elementary).

To pick up an Official Entry Form and Bookmark Template, kids may stop by the Children’s Reference Desk or download the form at kids.emmaclark.org. The entry deadline is March 31, 2020. Winners will be chosen in three categories (K – 2, 3^rd & 4^th, and 5^th & 6^th grades) and announced on Friday, May 1, 2020, right in time for Children’s Book Week which begins the following Monday. All contestants’ entries are displayed in the Children’s Department for the entire community to enjoy!

The children of Three Village have been inspiring others to read with their original bookmark entries for the past four years. Each year there have been about 60 bookmark entries, for a total of 237 unique pieces. The Librarians cannot wait to see the latest creations!

If you have any questions, please email kids@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080 ext. 123.

Poetry Contest on Social Media

Emma Clark Library wants to hear from the local poets! Community members are encouraged to share an original poem on Facebook or Instagram by Sunday, March 15 and share with the Library for a chance to win. The poem should be on the topic of “Reading”, using any style of poetry.

Poets should be sure to:

Follow the Library’s Instagram and/or Facebook accounts – @emmaclarklibrary
Tag the Library handle – @emmaclarklibrary
Hashtag #EmmaClarkPoetryContest in the post

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 1 on the Library’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, in honor of National Poetry Month. Besides being reposted on all of the Library’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest), the winning poem will be displayed in the Library’s lobby for the month of April and will be featured in the Library’s summer newsletter.

Contest Rules:

A poem in its entirety must be an original work by the person entering the contest. Using poetry from another person or other sources will result in disqualification from the contest.
One submission per Instagram or Facebook account.
Do not include your name or any other information at the end of your poem.
Poet must be at least thirteen years of age.
Poem cannot exceed 20 lines.
Poem must be around the theme of “Reading.”
All poems must be written in English.
Poems containing language that is vulgar, offensive, or wholly inappropriate will not be accepted.
Entrants give permission to share, repost, and print the poems.

If you have any questions, please email socialmedia@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080 ext. 107.

Please note: With all Emma Clark Library contests, Emma Clark employees, trustees, and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter.

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.