Category Archives: Events

Events of interest to library staff, trustees and patrons.

Community Canvas at the Library

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Community Canvas at the Library For more information, contact the library!

We are pleased to introduce the ‘Community Canvas at the Library’ project, a county-wide initiative inviting residents of Essex County to come together and create collaborative art at their local libraries. No prior art experience is needed to participate, as the programs are designed to offer opportunities for individuals to express themselves through the use of color, patterns, designs, or poetry. The projects are suitable for a wide range of participants, from age 7 to seniors, offering a unique opportunity for all generations to connect and create together. Contact your local library to learn more!

This project was made possible, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council’s Cultural Assistance Program Grant with funding provided by Essex County. We greatly appreciate their support!

Creative Aging Art Programs

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Creative Aging Art Program Header Image

Made possible, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council’s Cultural Assistance Program Grant with funding provided by Essex County

Elizabethtown, NY

July 11th
1:00 PM

Elizabethtown Library
8256 River Street
Elizabethtown, New York 12932

Keeseville, NY

July 23rd
6:00 PM

Keeseville Free Library
1721 Front Street
Keeseville, New York 12944

Upper Jay, NY

August 14th
2:30 PM

Wells Memorial Library
12230 Route 9N
Upper Jay, New York 12987

Westport, NY

August 24th
2:00 PM

Westport Library Association
6 Harris Lane
Westport, New York 12993
Please call 518-962-8219 to register

Essex, NY

August 22nd
1:00 PM

Belden Noble Memorial Library
2759 Essex Road
Essex, New York 12936

Summer Reading Begins

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Adventure Begins at Your Library

Summer Reading at New York Libraries is an annual program that encourages children and families to visit public libraries for reading and engaging activities. In 2023, a total of 1,877 participants registered at our member libraries across Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties. These participants collectively spent 233,477 minutes immersed in reading and recorded a total of 2,851 books read. The libraries hosted approximately 416 summer programs, with a combined total of 5,806 participants.

In preparation for this year’s Summer Reading program, we organized two full-day workshops featuring presentations and hands-on craft activities centered around the theme ‘Adventure Begins at Your Library.’ Some of the interactive activities included creating magnetic compasses, experimenting with cyanotype paper to make sun prints, and painting story stones as part of a group storytelling activity.

Kristin Collins

As part of our workshop, we collaborated with Environmental Educator Kristin Collins from Point Au Roche State Park, who delivered a presentation on ‘Adventures in Birding.’ We also had the opportunity to hear from Charity Lazore, Lead Library Clerk at the Akwesasne Library and Cultural Center, who discussed shifting the approach to storytime hour to better serve patrons. David Fuller from CEF gave attendees a hands – on demonstration of our virtual reality headsets. Additionally, Karen Glass, director of the Keene Valley Library, offered an immersive two-hour interactive storytelling session.

Our member libraries are planning some amazing things this year. You and your children are invited to join your library’s Summer Reading program and attend the fun events they are planning for children of all ages. The public libraries care about your children and have planned programs to keep them reading and learning all summer. Children who join the Summer Reading program keep their minds active and enter school in the fall ready to learn and ready to succeed.

Charity Lazore
VR Presentation

And remember, you are your child’s first teacher. Look at picture books with your younger children and point out people, animals, and objects in the pictures. Read to your children and ask them to read to you. Your librarian will be happy to help you find books that are just right. Together, you can discover the treasures of your library.

For more information, visit Summer Reading at New York Libraries – New York’s site that contains a ton of summer reading-related materials including reading lists for various age groups.

April is Autism Acceptance Month

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From our friends at the Autism Alliance of Northeastern NY:

In 2017, New Zealand officials added new words to the Maori language for mental health and disabilities. The word for Autism is “‘takiwatanga,” meaning “his or her own time and space.”

Autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability that commonly appears in children before the age of three. It is a disorder that impacts typical brain development in the areas of social interaction, communication, and cognitive function. As a spectrum disorder, autistic behaviors and traits are unique to each individual. That is why awareness, acceptance, and understanding are critical to helping people on the spectrum and their families.

This April, the Autism Alliance of Northeastern NY celebrates Autism Acceptance Month. We encourage our community to think about how we can make small changes to support and include people on the spectrum.

[CLICK TO READ MORE]

Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons

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Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons

African Americans have always practiced medicine, whether as physicians, healers, midwives, or “root doctors.” The journey of the African American physician from pre-Civil War to modern day America has been a challenging one. Early black pioneer physicians not only became skilled practitioners: They became trailblazers and educators paving the way for future physicians, surgeons, and nurses, and opening doors to better health care for the African American community.

Visit the libraries listed below to see this exhibition that celebrates the achievements of African American pioneers in medicine by highlighting past and contemporary surgeons and educators who exemplify excellence in their fields and foster future excellence through the education and mentoring of young African Americans pursuing medical careers.

Made possible thanks to a grant provided by the Adirondack Foundation.

Mooers

Friday, February 9 – Saturday, February 24

Mooers Free Library
25 School Street
Mooers, NY 12958

Malone

Saturday, February 24 – Friday, March 8

Wead Library
64 Elm Street
Malone, NY 12953

Ticonderoga

Friday, March 8 – Friday, March 22

Black Watch Memorial Library
99 Montcalm Street
Ticonderoga, NY 12883

Celebrate and learn more about Black History month with all of the great resources available to you for free with a library card. Find books and DVDs you can check out from your local library via our online catalog. Browse all of the ebooks and e-audiobooks available about African American History or check out African American Fiction titles. Visit our own Black History local guide to find out more about organizations and projects like the North Country Underground Historical Association (NCUGRHA), as well as educational resources.

National Native American Heritage Month

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Talking Turtle Stories

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts.

The designation of November as National Native American Heritage Month was signed into law in 1990. Join us in honoring the rich culture, traditions, and achievements of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people as we celebrate this special month of recognition.

The Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System is pleased to announce that four libraries in Franklin County will be hosting Talking Turtle Stories! Join Perry Ground (Onondaga, Turtle Clan) for an engaging presentation filled with cultural and historical information for audiences young and old. 

Saranac Lake

Tuesday, November 28
12:30 – 1:30 PM

Town of Harrietstown Town Hall
39 Main Street
Saranac Lake, NY 12983
Sponsored by the Saranac Lake Free Library

Tupper Lake

Tuesday, November 28
4:00 – 5:00 PM

Tupper Lake Public Library
41 Lake Street
Tupper Lake, NY 12986

Malone

Wednesday, November 29
10:00 – 11:00 AM

Wead Library
64 Elm Street
Malone, NY 12953

Akwesasne

Wednesday, November 29
1:00 – 2:00 PM

Akwesasne Library and Cultural Center
321 State Route 37
 Akwesasne, NY 13655

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Creative Aging Art Programs

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Creative Aging Art Program Header Image

Made possible, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council’s Cultural Assistance Program Grant with funding provided by Essex County

Essex, NY

Create your own batik painting

July 21
1:00 – 3:00 PM

Belden Noble Memorial Library
2759 Essex Road
Essex, New York 12936

Upper Jay, NY

Create your own watercolor painting

August 3
1:00 – 3:00 PM

Wells Memorial Library
12230 Route 9N
Upper Jay, New York 12987

Westport, NY

Create your own acrylic painting

August 25
2:00 – 4:00 PM

Westport Library Association
6 Harris Lane
Westport, New York 12993
Please call 518-962-8219 to register

Wilmington, NY

Create your own batik painting

October 4
5:00 – 7:00 PM

Wilmington E.M. Cooper Memorial Public Library
5751 Route 86
Wilmington, New York 12997

Keeseville, NY

Create your own watercolor painting

October 11
6:00 – 8:00 PM

Keeseville Free Library
1721 Front Street
Keeseville, New York 12944

Rhonda Appleseed & the Tree that Learned How to Speak

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Traveling Lantern Theatre Company: Rhonda Appleseed

Rhonda is a descendant of Johnny Appleseed, and everyone calls her Ronnie. When she learns about her great great uncle’s story, she grows fascinated and then proud. Ronnie decides that she wants to follow in his footsteps. She decides she will protect nature and all the creatures on our planet from climate change. But how? She takes a journey to visit one of the beautiful, kind, wise old apple trees that Johnny planted so long ago to ask how she can help. The tree teaches her that her voice is needed to bring people together to do the right thing.

Support for this work is from Generous Acts at Adirondack Foundation – a force for good that pools gifts from generous donors who love the Adirondack region and care about our communities. Adirondack Foundation enhances the lives of the people in the Adirondacks through philanthropy. To learn more, visit Generous Acts.

Dannemora, NY

August 2
11:30 AM

Dannemora Free Library
40 Emmons Street
Dannemora, New York 12929

Peru, NY

August 2
2:30 PM

Peru Free Library
3024 Route 22
Peru, New York 12972

Plattsburgh, NY

August 23
11:30 AM

Plattsburgh Public Library
19 Oak Street
Plattsburgh, New York 12921

Chazy, NY

August 23
3:00 PM

Chazy Public Library
1329 Fiske Road
Chazy, New York 12921

Summer Reading Programs in Your Library

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All Together Now Summer Reading Theme Logo

Summer Reading at New York Libraries is an annual program that brings children and families into public libraries for reading and activities. Throughout Clinton Essex and Franklin counties, a total of 1,041 children registered within our member libraries for Summer Reading 2022. The total number of minutes read by participants was 157,591 and those who recorded by book read a total of 5,396 overall. Libraries offered many grab-and-go craft activities with a total participation of 1,672. The grand total of all programs that included parents and caregivers saw 1,761 participants.

In preparation for this year’s Summer Reading, we hosted two full day workshops with several presentations and hands-on craft activities focusing on the All Together Now reading theme of kindness and community togetherness.

Some of the hands-on activities included making seed bombs with native wildflower seeds, creating heart shaped birdfeeders, and a fine motor pollination transfer activity done by building honeycombs, and demonstrating how bees pollinate with the use of craft pom-poms and homemade tongs.

We also partnered with organizations such as Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County, and a master gardener in Clinton County to present on how to “bee” kind to pollinators. Both presentations were engaging, informative, and taught about beekeeping and native bee identification.

Summer Reading Training Group Picture at CEFLS
Summer Reading Training Presenter Picture at CEFLS
Summer Reading Training Presenter Picture at Malone
Summer Reading Training Presenters Picture at Malone
Summer Reading Training Group Picture at Malone

Pictured: Master Gardener, Betsy Brooks discussing native bees, Kim Trombly from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County talking about pollinators and beekeeping, and Chelsie Russo and Karlee Martin from Wead Library in Malone presenting on their personal care pantry.

Additionally, we also hired an outside presenter for attendees to learn the benefits of using signs with babies and toddlers, as well as ways to incorporate signs into their program and educate parents. Kathy MacMillan (she/her) from Stories by Hand, is a writer, nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and signing storyteller. Kathy has worked in school and public libraries for over 25 years. Since founding Stories by Hand, Kathy has presented American Sign Language programs for thousands of children and parents in public libraries throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

Our member libraries are planning some amazing things this year, and you and your children are invited to join your library’s Summer Reading program and attend the fun events they are planning for children of all ages.

The public libraries care about your children and have planned programs to keep them reading and learning all summer. Whether you keep track of the amount of time your children spend reading or the number of books they have read this summer, children who join the Summer Reading program keep their minds active and enter school in the fall ready to learn and ready to succeed.

And remember, you are your child’s first teacher. Look at picture books with your younger children and point out people, animals, and objects in the pictures. Read to your children and ask them to read to you. Your librarian will be happy to help you find books that are just right. We hope that you and your family enjoy looking at books and reading. Together, you can discover the treasures of your library.

Children in Front of Book

Summer Reading at New York Libraries – New York’s site that contains a ton of summer reading-related materials including reading lists for various age groups.

April is Autism Acceptance Month

CEF Library System Posted on by

From our friends at the Autism Alliance of Northeastern NY:

In 2017, New Zealand officials added new words to the Maori language for mental health and disabilities. The word for Autism is “‘takiwatanga,” meaning “his or her own time and space.”

Autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability that commonly appears in children before the age of three. It is a disorder that impacts typical brain development in the areas of social interaction, communication, and cognitive function. As a spectrum disorder, autistic behaviors and traits are unique to each individual. That is why awareness, acceptance, and understanding are critical to helping people on the spectrum and their families.

This April, the Autism Alliance of Northeastern NY celebrates Autism Acceptance Month. We encourage our community to think about how we can make small changes to support and include people on the spectrum.

[CLICK TO READ MORE]