Author Archive

Spring Community Events at the Library

Setauket, NY – March 4, 2019 –

Events that are both important and enjoyable at Emma Clark Library this spring:

Shed the Meds – Monday, March 25 from 12:00noon – 4:00 p.m. in the Vincent R. O’Leary Community Room. Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office hosts this safe way to properly dispose of their unused medications and covered hypodermic needles. Proper disposal is essential protect the environment and ensure that old drugs don’t end up in the wrong hands.

Community Shred Day – Saturday, May 4 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Library parking lot. Protect your privacy and get rid of clutter. You will watch as your documents are securely destroyed by a shredding truck from A Shred Away, Inc. No plastic, carbon paper, hanging files, red well folders, cardboard, newspapers or magazines. Clips and staples are fine to put through the shredder. No wet papers, and please take any boxes, bags, etc. back home with you. All paper collected will be 100% recycled at a certified paper mill.

Local Author Reception – Sunday, May 5 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. in the Library’s historic 1892 reading room. Here’s your chance to meet many of the neighbors whose works you have come to know through our Local Focus collection. Following the reception, there will be refreshments and in informal book-signing opportunity in the Vincent R. O’Leary Community Room. No registration is necessary for the general public; however, local authors should call the Library at 631.941.4080 ex. 127 by April 18 to let the Library know you will be attending so that you may be properly honored.

Pet Adoption Fair – Saturday, May 18 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on the Library lawn. This annual event will feature various animal rescue organizations and animal advocacy associations, and there will be pets for adoption. Bring the family and pick out a new family member! Please note: No outside pets permitted.

All of these events are open to the public and no registration is required (except for authors at the Local Author Reception). Questions? Email askus@emmaclark.org.

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”

Need a Charge?

Need a charge & forgot your cable? We have charging cords available to borrow at the Circulation Desk!

Library & Museum Partner for Three Events This Spring

Setauket, NY – February 14, 2019 –

Emma Clark Library and The Long Island Museum have once again partnered to offer unique events for visitors of all ages. These are one-of-a-kind reading experiences, where the museum exhibit enhances conversations about the books, and the Library and Museum are thrilled to bring these events to their visitors.

Kids in grades 4 – 6 and their parents/grandparents/caregivers are welcome to join a collaborative book club, which will meet at the Museum on Sunday, April 7 from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. It will begin with a tour of the exhibit Long Road to Freedom: Surviving Slavery on Long Island with a member of the Long Island Museum’s educational team. Afterwards, Emma Clark Librarians Carol Denby and Irene Ericksson will lead a book discussion on Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, a historical fiction novel about a slave in New York City during the Revolutionary War. This book discussion is open to Three Village residents and Long Island Museum members only, and those interested should register in-person at the Library beginning Saturday, March 2 (books will be supplied at the time of registration).

For the adults, there will be two events this spring. On Thursday, April 25 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., there will be a tour of the exhibit Long Road to Freedom, led by a museum educator, followed by a conversation about Kathleen Velsor’s The Underground Railroad on Long Island with Emma Clark Librarian Carolyn Emerson. Registration is open to both residents and nonresidents of Three Village, and those interested must register online at emmaclark.org or by calling the Adult Reference Desk at 631.941.4080 ext. 127 by March 15 in order to receive the book.

In honor of Walt Whitman’s Bicentennial, the Library and the Museum will be hosting a Read-In and Curator’s Tour of Walt Whitman’s Arcadia: Long Island Through the Eyes of a Poet & Painters at the Carriage House of the Long Island Museum on Thursday, May 16 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. Registrants will be given the opportunity to listen to and participate in reading of Whitman’s poems, especially those which celebrate Long Island. Suffolk Poets Laureate Gladys Henderson and George Wallace will each read a Whitman poem, sharing why it’s meaningful to them. Following the readings, Professor Susan Scheckel, Professor of English at Stony Brook University, will speak briefly about Whitman’s relationship with art, before the group moves to the Art Gallery for a tour of the exhibit led by Museum Curator Joshua Ruff. Registration is open to both residents and nonresidents of Three Village, but must be done by May 1, either online at emmaclark.org or by calling the Adult Reference Desk at 631.941.4080 ext. 127. Those who wish to receive the poetry selections should provide an email address when registering. For those who wish to be a reader, they must email Librarian Carolyn Emerson, carolyn@emmaclark.org.

Emma Clark Library also offers free passes to the Long Island Museum for Library patrons. For more information, visit emmaclark.org/museum-passes.

For questions on the kids program, please email kids@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080 ext. 123. If you have any questions about the adult programs, please email askus@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080 ext. 127.

The Long Island Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate and located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook, is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages with an understanding and enjoyment of American art, history and carriages as expressed through the heritage of Long Island and its diverse communities.

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”

Calling All Creative Three Village Kids!

Setauket, NY – January 28, 2019 –

It’s that time of year again – the 4^th Annual Bookmark Contest at Emma Clark Library!

The Children’s Department is once again asking all kids in the Three Village Central School District, Kindergarten through 6^th grade, to create an original bookmark for entry into the contest. Winners will receive the honor of having their bookmarks printed and distributed at the Library throughout the year. Last year’s bookmark champions were Evelyn (Minnesauke Elementary), Emma (Minnesauke Elementary), and Claire (Setauket Elementary). In the past 3 years, the Library has received close to 200 original bookmarks.

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, 2019. Winners will be chosen in three categories (K – 2, 3^rd & 4^th, and 5^th & 6^th grades) and announced on May 1, 2019 in celebration of Children’s Book Week (April 29 – May 5).

Be sure to tell your kids. They can lend their artistic expertise to inspire others in the community to read!

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

“The Heart of the Three Village Community”

New Items Recently Added!

We’ve been busy ordering new items!

Check out the recently added items listed below. Some items are 2 week loans, and others are 3 day loans where you get to choose the dates!

Here are the NEW items just added in March 2025 (in addition to our existing items):

Bocce Set
Coin Sorter
Cornhole Outdoor Game
Congratulations Yard Banner
Jenga (Giant Size)
Kan Jam Outdoor Game
Ladder Toss Outdoor Game
Metal Detector
Photo Light Box
Ring Toss Outdoor Game
Stud Finder
Text-to-Speech Reader
Travel Voltage Converter/Adapter
Voice Translator

Place a hold on an item NOW! Click here for a listing of ALL items in our Library of Things collection and how to reserve the items.

What if you could convert all of your VHS tapes to digital format without paying someone or buying a machine?

What if you could see a close up of the night stars with your family in your cozy backyard without purchasing a telescope?

What if you could scan all of your important documents in the comfort of your home without owning a scanner?

Now you can, thanks to Emma Clark Library’s “Library of Things!” We carry non-traditional items for patrons to borrow. It’s perfect for that one time use or a great way to try out a new item before deciding to purchase one for yourself. It’s also a wonderful space-saver in your home; a way to rethink whether we need goods that we rarely use. The library, in general, reduces wasted resources, and this collection will expand upon that concept. Items don’t sit around your house collecting dust or end up in the trash.

It’s not unusual for the Library to carry items beyond books (think music, movies, and museum passes), and we continue to develop this notion of the library as a place for the community. The “Library of Things” increases sharing and gives people access to equipment and gadgets without the burden of ownership. Think of it as a “tool library.” Or learning not just through books, but through experience.

Library cardholders are able to reserve items ahead of time right from here. Or they may borrow items while at the Library, as long as there is not a hold already placed on the item. Full descriptions of each item are available on the website and on the item itself.

Lending equipment is done through the Circulation Desk in the Library’s lobby. Items must be returned to the Circulation Desk (not through the book drop). Borrowers must have a valid adult Emma Clark Library card in good standing. A maximum of 2 items per library card may be borrowed at a time. Some items have a three-day loan period and others have a fourteen-day loan period.

Consume less, share more, thanks to the Library.