Category: News Items
Emma Clark Library Announces the 5th Annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award Winners
Setauket, NY – March 7, 2019 –
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:
First Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Gerald’s Share by Nicole Xiao
First Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): You Saved the Earth: A Plastic Bottle’s Journey by Juliet Weschke
Second Prize (Grades 7 – 9 category): Lily and Liam’s Summer at the Library by Riley Meckley
Second Prize (Grades 10 – 12 category): Simon’s Day at the Beach by Nicole Freeley
Gerald’s Share by Nicole Xiao (8th grader at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School) tells the tale of a brown bear who has a hard time learning to share his beloved berries with his friends. You Saved the Earth: A Plastic Bottle’s Journey by Juliet Weschke (10th grader at Ward Melville High School) takes the young reader on the journey of a plastic bottle that starts out as a piece of litter.
Winning authors will be recognized at a private awards ceremony at Emma Clark Library on Monday, April 8, 2019 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.
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 winning scholarships.
At last year’s ceremony, the winners also received certificates from New York State, Suffolk County, and the Town of Brookhaven. Legislator Kara Hahn remarked, “What a great way to encourage teenagers to think about…what’s important to them and how to express that in a way that will resonate with children.” Emma Clark Library is delighted to once again hold this ceremony honoring these talented and hardworking teens and to add their 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”
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 4th 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 6th 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, 3rd & 4th, and 5th & 6th 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 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”
“Library of Things” Coming to Emma Clark Library
Setauket, NY – January 10, 2019 –
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!” Starting in February, the Library will 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 Emma Clark continues 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.
Here is a list of useful items that will be available at Emma Clark:
- Binoculars
- Bluetooth Speaker
- BluRay Player
- Cricut Explore (DIY cutting machine)
- Document/Photo Scanner
- Google ChromeCast
- Mini LED Portable Projector
- Osmo Mobile 2 (for filming “on the go”)
- Portable DVD Player
- Telescope
- VHS Converter
- Wifi Mobile Hotspots
Library cardholders will be able to reserve items ahead of time right from emmaclark.org. 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 will be 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. Items may be borrowed for 2 weeks.
Consume less, share more, thanks to the Library.
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”


