Author Archive

Winners of the 3rd Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award Honored

Setauket, NY – May 1, 2017 –

On Thursday evening, April 27th, Emma Clark Library, the family of the late Helen Stein Shack, local elected officials, representatives from the Three Village Central School district, and guests from the community gathered to honor the winners of the third annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award:

First Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): We Can Still Be Friends! by Eliana Sasson
First Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Claire and Her Bear by Katie Zhao
Second Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Sammy the Sock Monkey by Nicole Freeley
Second Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Color Your World by Cassidy Oliver

At the ceremony in the Vincent R. O’Leary Community Room, Library Director Ted Gutmann, along with the family of Helen Stein Shack, presented all of the winners’ books – bound and added to the library’s Local Focus Collection – along with $400 scholarships to first prize winners Eliana Sasson and Katie Zhao and $100 check for second prize winners Nicole Freeley and Cassidy Oliver.
Karen Shack Reid, daughter of the late Mrs. Shack, explained how the endowment was started. “My brother had suggested we need to do something in Mommy’s memory…we threw around some suggestions, kind of talked about it, reached out to my nieces and my nephews…got a lot of great ideas. That’s how supportive this family is. My oldest nephew, my sister’s son, is a librarian, and he said, ‘Why don’t we do something at Emma S. Clark Library that Zafta – that’s grandma in Hebrew – loves so much? …that just fit.”

Assemblyman Steve Englebright spoke at the event, and the winners also received certificates from Senator John Flanagan, Legislator Kara Hahn, and Councilwoman Valerie Cartright. Library Board President Linda Josephs, along with Trustees Deborah Blair and Richard Russell, were there to congratulate the winners. And Three Village Central School District President of the Board of Education William Connors, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Kevin Scanlon, Ward Melville High School Librarian April Hatcher, and Gelinas Junior High School Librarian Nicole Connelly were all in attendance.
Guests enjoyed special treats donated by The Bite Size Bake Shop, a local Three Village-owned business. Ward Melville High School teen volunteer Mimi Zahed photographed the event.

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. 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 winning scholarships.

Assemblyman Steve Englebright remarked to the winners, “It was an extraordinary level of creativity that you brought to this, and you will continue to show that as you develop your own adult lives and careers, which is part of the genius of this family’s gift: to make an investment into young people like this.”

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”

5 Years of Adopted Pets at Emma Clark Library

Setauket, NY – April 24, 2017 –

For the 5th year in a row now, Emma Clark Library will be hosting a Pet Adoption Fair, featuring various animal rescue organizations and animal advocacy associations. The event will be held on Saturday, May 20 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on the library lawn. The following organizations will be participating:
• Canine Companions for Independence
• Gimme Shelter Animal Rescue
• Happy Tails Dog Rescue, Inc.
• Last Chance Animal Rescue
• My Shadow Rescue along with Kids Adopt a Shelter
• PRAAT – Patchogue Rotary Animal Assisted Therapy (informational purposes only)
• Post Consumer Pet Rescue
• Save-A-Pet Animal Rescue and Adoption Center, Inc.
• Sweetest Dog Rescue, Inc.

There is no need to register and all (not just local residents) are welcome to attend. The library will also be collecting donations of pet food at the event.
Last year, 10 animals were adopted, and 1animal was fostered. Come pick out your next “fur baby” at the library!
Please note that no outside pets are permitted. If you have any questions, please email askus@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080.

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”

Community Recycling of Old Electronics

Setauket, NY – April 5, 2017 –

Do you have old electronics and metals laying around your house or business, collecting dust and taking up space? Are you unsure about how to dispose of your old cell phone and computer? Arrow Scrap Metal and Encore Electronic Recycling, a New York State registered electronic waste recycling facility, will be in Emma Clark Library’s parking lot on Saturday, April 29 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Bring your used computers, cell phones, laptops, servers, wire & cable, metals, circuit boards, printers, hard drives & storage devices, power tools, small appliances, small electronics, keyboards, mice, stereos, flat screen computer monitors and more.
There is no need to register, and all are welcome (residents and nonresidents).
Please note that the following items will not be accepted: old CRT tube televisions and monitors and flat screen televisions.

If you have any questions, feel free to call the library at 631.941.4080 or email askus@emmaclark.org.
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”

4th Annual Community Shred Day at Emma Clark Library

Setauket, NY – March 1, 2017 –

Are you ready to start “Spring Cleaning”? Emma Clark Library is here to help you get rid of that unnecessary paperwork in a safe and environmentally-friendly way!

On Saturday, March 25, the Library will host a Community Shred Day from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. A shredding truck from A Shred Away Inc. will be in the library’s parking lot for on-site shredding of personal documents. All paper will be 100% recycled at a certified paper mill.

This service is open to the public. There is no need to register or to be a Three Village resident to participate. In the past 3 years, close to 20,000 pounds of documents have been shredded and recycled as a result of the library’s Community Shred Day!

Please note that they do not accept plastic, carbon paper, hanging files, red well folders, cardboard, newspaper 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 in order to keep our library parking lot clean. They will take up to six boxes per family.

If you have any questions, please email askus@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080.

Emma Clark Library Announces Winners for the 3rd Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award

Setauket, NY – March 1, 2017 –

Emma Clark Library has announced the winners for the Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award, a contest which showcases the young writing and artistic talent in the Three Village Community:

We Can Still Be Friends! by Eliana Sasson teaches children to embrace and celebrate their differences, and the delightful illustrations even mention the five elementary schools in the Three Village Central School District. Claire and Her Bear by Katie Zhao (who won First Prize in the grades 7 – 9 category last year) is about a young girl whose beloved teddy bear goes missing and the emotions she experiences when this happens.

Winning authors will be recognized at a private awards ceremony at Emma Clark Library on April 27, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. At the reception, each First Prize award recipient will receive a $400 scholarship, each Second Prize award recipient will receive a $100 scholarship, and bound books for all winning entries will be presented and 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. All contest entrants will receive a Certificate of Participation at the awards ceremony.

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 winning scholarships.

Councilwoman Valerie Cartright spoke to the winners and their families at last year’s ceremony, “I think that allowing kids to express themselves in an artistic manner – positive artistic manner – is important. You are the future leaders…Keep expressing yourself. In a world today where there are so many negative things going on, every time you turn on the television it’s something negative, something that makes you want to cry or be mad, you need to have outlets. Positive outlets. And these [books] are positive outlets, not only for you, but it puts a smile on the faces of those who view it.”

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”