Category: News Items 2017

Teens, Win a Scholarship and Have Your Book Added to Emma Clark Library’s Collection

Setauket, NY – November 1, 2017 –

A unique girl who wanted to spread color around her town, a lion trying to figure out where he belongs, a young child afraid of the noises at night, a happy sock who gets lost in the laundry, and a lesson that we can all be friends. These are just some subjects of the past winning books for the Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Contest at Emma Clark Library.

For the 4th consecutive year, the Library is showcasing the young writing and artistic talent in our community. The contest calls for teens grades 7 through 12 who live in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book. Winning authors will receive a monetary prize, have their book bound and added to the Library’s collection, and be recognized at an awards ceremony on Monday evening, April 23, 2018. This reception is well-attended by teachers and administrators from the school district, as well as local elected officials.

The contest is 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. Each entry can be the work of a single author/illustrator or can be a collaborative effort of an author and an illustrator.

Each of the First Prize award recipients will receive a $400 scholarship, and each of the Second Prize award recipients will receive a $100 scholarship (in the event that a winning entry is a collaboration between an artist and artist/illustrator, the prize will be shared). The winning entries will also be bound and added to the Children’s Local Focus Collection. All entrants will receive a Certificate of Participation.

Teens may obtain an Official Entry Form in-person in the Library’s lobby or online at emmaclark.org/picturebookaward starting November 17, 2017. Included with the form are the contest procedures & guidelines. They should bring their completed picture book, along with a completed Official Entry Form, to The Children’s Department anytime between January 3 – 31, 2018.

Last year’s Grand Prize winners were Eliana Sasson (Grades 7 – 9 category) and Katie Zhao (Grades 10 – 12 category). The public may view previous year’s winning entries at emmaclark.org/picturebookaward.

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 ongoing cost of the scholarships. This gift, in a sense, is an investment in our younger generation, and an inspiration for teens to continue to develop their creativity and work ethic.

Please note: A maximum of one entry will be accepted per author. Entries may be a collaboration of no more than one author and one artist/illustrator. 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.

“The Heart of the Three Village Community”

Retro Game Night is BACK at Emma Clark Library!

Setauket, NY – July 17, 2017 –

Thanks to the success of last year’s Retro Game Night, Emma Clark Library is once again going back in time on Throwback Thursday, August 3 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Like last year, local Three Village resident, Gale Putt, has generously loaned the library various classic gaming systems which she and her late husband Jay collected over several decades.
Re-experience games you played as a child, or those that your parents have told you about…the Vincent R. O’Leary Community Room will become a haven for gamers! Additionally, the Technology Center will have modern games such as Wii U. and Minecraft. There will also be a Super Mario Bros-themed craft for the younger children.

Last year’s gaming systems at the event included the Odyssey 2 (1978), Intellivision (1979), various Atari systems (1977 – 1986), Coleco Vision (1982), various Nintendo systems (1985 – 2001), Sega Genesis 16 (1989), and Virtual Boy (1995), and games included Pick Axe Pete, Gorf, Pepper II, Star Strike, Star Wars, E.T., Space Invaders, Pong, Star Raiders, Sonic the Hedgehog. This year’s games are TBA.
This is the perfect family event, and it’s open to all (residents and nonresidents). There is no need to register, so drop on over to the library for some old school gaming fun!

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”

2 New Museum Passes to be Added to Emma Clark Library’s Collection

Setauket, NY – July 10, 2017 –

Starting in August, two new circulating museum passes will be added to Emma Clark Library’s collection: Cooper Hewitt and New York Transit Museum in New York City.

The museum pass program at Emma Clark started in 2013. It has grown to 22 museums and cultural institutions. Just last year alone, local families enjoyed 1,151 free museum visits through this service.

The following is a list of museums currently in the program:
• Brooklyn Botanical Garden (New York)
• Children’s Museum of the East End (Bridgehampton)
• Cradle of Aviation Museum (Garden City)
• Fire Island Lighthouse (Fire Island)
• The Frick Collection (New York)
• Guggenheim Museum (New York)
• Heckscher Museum (Huntington)
• Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum (New York)
• Long Island Children’s Museum (Garden City)
• Long Island Museum (Stony Brook)
• Maritime Explorium (Port Jefferson)
• Museum of the City of New York (New York)
• Museum of Modern Art (New York)
• Nassau County Art Museum (Roslyn Harbor)
• New York Botanical Garden (New York)
• Old Bethpage Village (Old Bethpage
• Old Westbury Gardens (Old Westbury)
• Parrish Art Museum (Water Mill)
• Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium (Centerport)
• Walt Whitman Birthplace (Huntington)
Visit www.emmaclark.org/museumpass for more information or to reserve a pass.

“Little Free Library” will once again stand tall at West Meadow Beach this Summer

Setauket, NY – June 26, 2017 –

Following the success of the Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach last summer, Emma Clark Library has once again erected the structure, made from recycled materials and maintained by teen volunteers for the summer.

As before, there’s no need for a library card or to return a book – this is a “take a book, leave a book” concept hosted by Emma Clark. Library staff and the public contributed books for the sole purpose of the Little Free Library (books are not owned by Emma Clark – don’t return your library books here!). The Little Free Library is located under the pavilion at the beach. There is no need to live in Three Village to share in this give and take project, as long as you are a visitor at West Meadow Beach.

“We see the Little Free Library as a great way to promote literacy and bring the library out into the community,” says Ted Gutmann, Director of Emma Clark Library, “Our hope is that the Little Free Library will help spread the joy of reading and discovery of new books.”

The Town of Brookhaven and Nicole Pocchiare, Environmental Educator, have once again graciously given their consent to host the Little Free Library at the beach. Councilwoman Valerie Cartright attended the installation to show her support of this outreach service to the community.

“I am so pleased that Emma Clark Library has provided West Meadow Beach with a Little Free Library again this year, “ stated Councilwoman Valerie M. Cartright. “Easy accessibility of books during summer, the participation of coordinated student volunteers and the dedication of library staff helps makes our beach a delightful destination.”

As the Little Free Library states on their website, “Little Free Libraries are hand-crafted structures filled with constantly changing collections of books donated and shared by people of all ages and backgrounds.” Their mission is to promote a sense of community, reading for children, and literacy for adults and libraries around the world. Little Free Library was founded in 2010 by Todd H. Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin and established as a nonprofit organization in May 2012. The organization has won numerous awards including the Innovations in Reading Prize from the National Book Foundation, the Movers and Shakers Award from the American Library Association, and the Literacy Award from the Library of Congress. Countless media outlets including USA Today, The Washington Post, and The Huffington Post have named Little Free Library as a global movement. An estimated 9.3 million books are exchanged through Little Free Libraries a year.

The 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 across the United States and 70 countries worldwide. Emma Clark Library is proud to bring this social project to the neighborhood.

Emma Clark Library is thrilled to once again present The Little Free Library at West Meadow Beach. It simply enriches the already welcoming feel here in Three Village.

Two Summer Traditions Back at Emma Clark Library

Setauket, NY – June 14, 2017 –

The weather has finally heated up, school is almost out, and Emma Clark Library has 2 great traditions back in full swing!

5th Annual Food Drive

The 5th Annual Food Drive, run by the Teen Services Department, will be at the library for the month of July. The public is welcome to bring in a donation of toiletries or nonperishable food items, and collection boxes will be located in the lobby to the left of the Circulation Desk. Teen volunteers will be collecting the contributions, sorting them, and delivering them to various food pantries throughout the community. Some suggestions for food items include cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, beans, tuna fish, juice, pasta, and pasta sauce. The food pantries can also use men’s and women’s socks, diapers, wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream, disposable razors, shampoo, and conditioner.

If you have any questions about the food drive or would like to become a teen volunteer, you may contact Nanette Feder, Teen Services Librarian, at 941-4080 ext. 116 or email her at teens@emmaclark.org.

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Summer Reading Club – “Build a Better World” – Read More Books!
The Children’s Summer Reading Club (SRC) is a fun way to include reading and related activities in summer family time! It helps children maintain and improve reading skills, and keeps their minds active. Readers enter school in the fall ready to learn, read, and succeed.
Children from Birth – 6th Grade are invited to join. Parents may register their children online right from the library’s homepage (emmaclark.org). Starting Monday, June 26, prizes will be awarded to kids who read at least one book each week. There will be weekly prizes for each child, as well as weekly raffle basket prizes, for a total of 7 weeks. The best part about SRC is that it is flexible. Registration is on-going, and does not have to be done by a certain date. If kids are away on vacation or can’t make it to the library one week, they may still enjoy the benefits of SRC the other weeks.

The 2017 theme is “Build A Better World.” There’s a big wall in the Children’s Department for Three Village Kids to write about how they are making a difference in their lives or the lives of others in the community. Patrons are invited to view and contribute to the wall throughout the summer.

In addition, for the 3rd year, the library is hosting a friendly competition between the local elementary schools. The school that has the highest percentage of children that sign up AND finish the SRC will have their School and Year inscribed in the “Emma Cup” trophy. Minnesauke Elementary has won the past 2 years. Which school will win it this year? Will Minnesauke win again, or will one of the other 4 schools dethrone them?
There will be a big family kick-off event, Willy Wonka’s Wonkaville, on Monday, June 26 from 6:45 – 7:45 p.m. on the library lawn. Patrons may register at emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080 if they would like to participate.

The big family celebration to close out SRC will be the National Circus Project on Friday, August 4 from 6:45 – 7:45 p.m. on the library lawn. There is no need to register for this event, but all children must be register in the Summer Reading Club.

If there are any questions about the Kid’s SRC, email kids@emmaclark.org or call 631.941.4080 ext. 123.

What about the Teens? They have a Summer Reading Club as well! Teens may register in-person at the Adult Reference Desk. The more books they read, the greater their chance of winning one of the fabulous gift baskets that are given away in August at the end of the program.

Emma Clark Library would like to thank the following businesses that support the library and our community by donating prizes for our Summer Reading raffle gift baskets:
• Adventureland Amusement Park
• Applebee’s
• Bobby’s Burger Palace
• Campus Bicycle
• Chili’s
• Crazy Beans
• Domo Sushi Japanese Restaurant
• Jamba Juice
• Luigi’s Pizzeria & Restaurant
• O Sole Mio Ristorante Pizzeria
• Panera Bread
• P.F. Chang’s
• Rolling Pin Bakery
• Setauket Village Diner *
• Splish Splash
• Staller Center for the Arts, Stony Brook University
• Starbucks
• Station Pizza
• Strathmore Bagels – Three Village Plaza
• Target – South Setauket
• Ten89 Noodle House
• Via Pizza
• Wahlburgers
*Special thank you to Setauket Village Diner for donation gift cards for all of the baskets.