Seymour Library

It's time to read, CNY!

Seymour Library is kicking off its participation in CNY Reads this week with live music - and, naturally, lots of books!

CNY Reads is a community reading project that encourages people to read the same book at the same time, then come together to discuss it and enjoy events. This year's book selection is "The Tortilla Curtain," by T. C. Boyle. It examines the immigration debate through the eyes of two couples who live in close proximity but occupy different worlds.

The library is hosting its first CNY Reads event Friday, Feb. 1, with live music by Ithaca classical guitarist Matthew Ocone. He will perform from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Ocone specializes in the music of Latin America. The concert coincides with First Friday in Auburn. The library is open until 8 p.m. for First Friday, and all library services are available.

Also coming up in February: a discussion of "The Tortilla Curtain" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, and genealogy workshops through the month: at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, and at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25.

Many libraries in Onondaga County are hosting events as well. Link to the CNY Reads event calendar to learn more.

Seymour Library has multiple copies of "The Tortilla Curtain" available. Read it and let us know what you think of it.

 

 

Same number, new greeting

A new phone system is being installed at Seymour Library, and you might notice a different greeting if you call. We're still at the same number - 252-2571 - but there will be different menu options. You'll still be able to select the Main Desk or the Children's Room, and you'll also be able to listen to a staff directory to reach a particular staff member. You'll also be able to select an option to listen to library hours (which are on every page of this web site as well).

Why some e-books aren't available at the library

Many of you may wonder why you're not able to borrow some popular e-book titles from the library. It's not a problem only at Seymour Library; it's a problem at every library. Publishers are denying library access to some of their most popular e-book titles, from Hilary Mantel's award-winning novel "Wolf Hall" to Peter Ames Carlin's best-selling biography of Bruce Springsteen, "Bruce." You can read more in this fact sheet produced by the American Library Association.

Did you get an e-reader?

Whether holiday gift-giving brought you a Nook or a Kindle, an iPhone or an Android device, you're just one click away from help! Our e-book help page will get you started downloading free e-books and audiobooks no matter what device you have. You'll find links to handy "cheat sheets," to e-books and audiobooks that can be borrowed from the Finger Lakes Library System, and to web sites that offer free public domain books for e-readers.

Beginning Friday, Jan. 4, we'll be offering a series of workshops on borrowing e-books. Librarians will be available in the Reference Room to answer your questions about downloading e-books from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. every Friday in January, as well as noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, and 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22. The sessions are designed for people who have mastered the basics of using their e-reader, so make sure you've familiarized yourself with the device before attending. Bring your e-reader, any cables it requires, and your library card. No registration is needed.

Library budget passes, 152-7

Voters in the Seymour Public Library District approved the 2013 budget Tuesday, with 152 yes votes and 7 no votes. The $880,125 budget will allow the library to maintain current services and cover modest increases in operating costs.

Susan Ahner was re-elected trustee representing the town of Sennett. She ran unopposed and received 14 votes.

Facts for voters: Seymour Public Library District budget referendum, 2012

The Seymour Public Library District will conduct a referendum on its proposed 2013 budget of $880,125. One trustee also will be elected.

Voters will be asked to vote on the following question: Do you approve of the 2013 budget of the Seymour Public Library District in the amount of $880,125, of which $742,000 will be raised by a property tax levied against real property within the district?

Voters in Sennett will elect a trustee. One candidate, Susan Ahner, has submitted a petition and will be on the ballot.

When: From noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012

Where: At the library, 176-178 Genesee St., Auburn

 Who is eligible to vote: All registered voters in the library district are eligible to vote on the budget. The library district consists of the city of Auburn, the town of Owasco, and the portions of the towns of Sennett and Fleming that are within the Auburn Enlarged City School District. Voting will be by paper ballot, and names will be checked against voter registration lists.

 Voters in the part of the town of Sennett that is within the Auburn Enlarged City School District are eligible to vote for the Sennett trustee.

 The budget in brief:  Like other local governments in the state, the library district is now subject to rules under the tax cap law. The New York State Office of the State Comptroller provides local governments with a formula to calculate the tax levy. One part of that formula limits the annual growth of property taxes to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.

 Using the tax cap formula, the library district is permitted to collect $743,443 of its budget through property taxes. The library board rejected that amount, however, and instead approved a budget that would collect $742,000 through property taxes, an amount lower than the allowable tax increase. To see an illustration of the impact of the library budget on an individual homeowner, click here.

 The library district did not seek any increase in property taxes last year.

 The proposed budget will enable Seymour Library to maintain current services and cover modest increases in operating costs since voters last approved a budget two years ago.  

 

 

October book recommendations

Looking for some good books? Follow the lead of some of the most well-read people we know: members of our book clubs!

The evening Coffee and Conversation book group is reading the best-selling memoir "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed. Reeling from the death of her mother and a painful divorce, Strayed set out on a dangerous 1,100-mile solo hike that tested her physical limits and ultimately helped her to heal. The book club discusses "Wild" at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15.

The morning Coffee and Conversation book group is reading Denis Johnson's novella "Train Dreams." The book tells the story of early 20th century day laborer Robert Grainer, who endures the loss of his family and struggles for survival in the Idaho frontier. The group meets at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 25.

The Coffee and Classics book group is reading a book perfect for late October: the Victorian mystery "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins. One of the most popular novels of the 19th century, the book features all of the elements of a page-turner: mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and an unorthodox villain. The book group meets at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 27.

Our book clubs are open to anyone with a love of reading and good discussion. Plan on reading the featured book before attending a meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

September book recommendations

Looking for a good book to read? Follow the lead of our book clubs. Here's what our members are reading this month:

The Coffee and Crime mystery book club is reading from Michael Didbin's Aurelio Zen series in September. It meets at noon Tuesday, Sept. 11.

The Monday evening Coffee and Conversation book club is reading "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffmann. You can join the discussion at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17. The Thursday morning Coffee and Conversation group is reading David Foster Wallace's "The Pale King." The club meets at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 27. By the way: The book "Every Love Story is a Ghost Story" by D. T. Max is on the New York Times bestseller list this week. It's a biography of Wallace, who committed suicide in 2008.

The Coffee and Classics book club takes up an American masterpiece in September: Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The group meets at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 29.

Summer reading idea: Science fiction and fantasy

Magical powers, daring adventures, and space travel are the main focus for this week’s summer reading suggestions. Science fiction and fantasy allow us to travel to unknown lands or the deepest parts of space without ever leaving the comfort of our home. Here are this week’s staff recommendations:

In 2019 we discover intelligent life in space. But how should we deal with this discovery? Who should make first contact? While the United Nations debates, the Society of Jesus quietly executes its own expedition. “The Sparrow,” by Mary Doria Russell, follows Jesuit priest Emilio Sandoz and his companions on the journey to planet Rakhat, and his return home as the sole survivor in 2059. The book bounces back and forth through time as the story of the mission, and what went wrong, unfolds. The story concludes in “Children of God.”

Nicodemus Weal may be a gifted wizard, but his dyslexia has always corrupted his spell-casting, causing dangerous outcomes. It has also held Nicodemus back. Now, at the age of 25, Nicodemus remains an apprentice, only allowed to perform basic janitorial spells at the wizardly stronghold of Starhaven. Things go from bad to worse for Nicodemus when a powerful wizard is murdered by a mis-spell, and Nicodemus becomes one of the prime suspects. As more deaths occur and suspicions continue to build against him, Nicodemus flees Starhaven on a quest to unravel the truth. “Spellwright” is author Blake Charlton’s first novel. The second Nicodemus Weal book, “Spellbound,” was released September 2011.

If you take Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia, mix them together, and make the leads college-aged, then you might have a story similar to that of “The Magicians,” by Lev Grossman. Quentin Coldwater can’t let the Fillory books go. Though he’s a senior in high school, he longs for the adventure and magic found in the fantasy realm of Fillory. But Quentin’s life takes a drastic turn when he is recruited by Brakebills, a wizard college in Upstate New York, and discovers that the world of Fillory may not be just a story. The adventure continues in the sequel, “The Magician King.”

 “Suffer ye not the life of a witch…” this is the main tenant of the Eodorian faith. Those that hear the songs of the earth must suffer death by burning. In “Songs of the Earth,” by Elspeth Cooper, Gair has heard the song since he was a child. He knows the dangers of using the magic of the song, and yet, he cannot resist. When he is caught and convicted of being a witch, a reprieve from the Rede saves him from the fires, only to brand him and exile him from his home and faith. Marked a witch, Gair leaves his past behind to seek out a place with the Guardians of the Veil, those who hear the song just as he does. As Gair discovers the full span of the powers within him, he uncovers a plot that may tear the world as he knows it to sunder, unless he can find a way to stop it.

 

Summer reading idea: Historical fiction

We learned something last week when we created a display of historical fiction: turns out a lot of our patrons are historical fiction fans. We've been replacing books on the display as fast as we can - and here are some more ideas for books that will transport you to a different era:

"A Blaze of Glory" by Jeff Shaara. A recreation of the Battle of Shiloh in 1862 from the bestselling author.

"The American Heiress" by Daisy Goodwin. Traveling abroad at the turn of the 20th century, the glamorous Cora Cash finds an English social scene full of traps and betrayals.

"Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. The winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize; the story of the clash between Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII.

"The Mission to Paris" by Alan Furst. In Paris in 1938, an actor stumbles into the clutches of Nazi conspirators who want to exploit his celebrity.

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. At a magical circus that whirls through major cities at the turn of the 20th century, two young rivals become collaborators as they fall in love.