Spring 2015

Book Friendly Did You Nominate Our Next Book? Vicki Pompa Which of these titles will most likely appeal to our community readers? Which will encourage lively discussions? Which will inspire relevant events? Which will reveal an interesting map for this season’s travels? These are the questions we ask as our journey to find the next Book of Choice begins. The Two Towns-One Book Selection Committee thanks you for your nominations for our 2016 Community Read. A group of enthusiastic, well-read bibliophiles will examine the list of possible contenders, research the titles, and choose the texts to be read over the summer. Oh, yes…we have embarked on another exciting adventure for our fifth season! After we have narrowed down the list of nominations to a most appealing top 25, we will form reading discussion groups. Each group has the responsibility of reading five nominees to determine the suitability of each to be one of

our five contenders for your votes. Discussions are opinionated, passionate, and joyful. The next step is to present recommendations to our Steering Committee. Representatives of each discussion group advocate for books to be our five contenders. The results of this exhilarating discourse will be shared in September as the five final contenders are revealed to all for a public vote. You will then determine our next Book of Choice with your votes. The winning book will be announced by November 1. Thematically connected junior companion books will be selected for our “Kids Read, Too!” friends. Our event-filled 2016 season celebrating the book and its themes will run from January to May. We invite you all to take this journey with us. Visit our web site for updates and opportunities to participate. www.twotownsonebook.org

Anthony Doerr Coming in October Nicole Kear Author Event Kathy Adam to Retire More Travels with Rhona Shanghai Golf by Dan Riley Membership Follow Us! Like Us! Becoming Jinn by Keith Willis FOL Annual Meeting The Art of Hearing Heartbeats Kids Read, Too! Community Scholarships Volunteer of the Year Used Book Sale Annual Financial Report Friends Travel the World Alpine Countries Photo Essay Proctors 2015-2016 FOL Board of Directors FOL Committee Chairs Another Digital Library About Book Friendly

The Residenz Palace, Munich

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St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest, Hungary, beautiful neoclassical cathedral, a stop on our recent FOL European holiday. See photo essay on page 13.

Pulitzer Prize Winner, Anthony Doerr, Coming to our Library October 14! The New York Times best-selling author, Anthony Doerr, was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his “imaginative and intricate novel, All the Light We Cannot See, inspired by the horrors of World War II and written in short, elegant chapters that explore human nature and the contradictory power of technology.” Published in May of 2014 to positive critical reviews but little fanfare, his book made it onto the NY Times Bestseller list, gradually creeping up the list over the next several months. Last fall, the book was named a finalist for the National Book Award. Renown started to pick up, mostly through word-of-mouth, but also by winning a myriad of end-of-the-year best book awards. Finally, early in 2015, All the Light We Cannot See ascended to the NY Times top spot for three weeks.

Anthony Doerr will be appearing at the Library on October 14

Our Tuesday Evening Library Book Club will be discussing the book in September. All are welcome to join us. Then, on Wednesday, October 14th at 7:00 pm, Anthony Doerr will be appearing at the library. The Friends of the Library are co-sponsoring this event, along with the adult services department. More information will be coming, in our summer Book Friendly and registration will begin in latesummer or early-fall. Mark your calendar!

Nicole Kear, Author of Now I See You, at the Library A good crowd gathered on Wednesday, May 20th in our Library community rooms to hear author, Nichole Kear (pronounced “Car”) share insights gained from her life and from experiencing the shock of hearing, at age 19, that she would be blind by her early thirties due to a hereditary ailment, retinitis pigmentosa. Nicole shared that she initially decided to hide the illness from her closest friends, denying the gravity of the outcome. Instead, she began a series of life experiences, jumping headlong into life, while attempting to get as much living (her bucket list) accomplished including travel, becoming an actress and driving a car despite her visual disability.

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Librarian, Jim Foster, with author, Nicole Kear, author of Now I See You: A Memoir. Jim worked his magic to help us bring Nicole and soon Anthony Doerr to our Library!

If you haven’t read her book, you are in for a treat! It is available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions.

Kathy Adam, Library Assistant Director and Liaison to the Friends, Plans Retirement Wilma Jozwiak When Kathy Adam joined the staff of the Shenendehowa Free Library as a Reference Librarian on March 12, 1980, she had no idea that she would spend the next 35 years there. Kathy’s association with the Library actually began in 1978, when she volunteered at the Cemetery Road location. It has continued through Library location and name changes, an MLS Degree, and promotions to Head of Reference and Adult Services and finally to Assistant Director – Public Services. Now, Kathy is retiring and beginning a new chapter in her life. When asked what she has most enjoyed about her years with the Library, Kathy doesn’t miss a beat – it has been people - the patrons, the staff, the Friends of the Library – who have made Kathy’s job one that she was anxious to go to every day of the entire 35 years. There is really only one thing that she will NOT miss: having to be at the Library at a specific time. Kathy has a very special affection for the Friends of the Library organization. It was Kathy who was given the task of creating a Friends group those many years ago, and she has been the Library’s Liaison to the Friends ever since. In fact, Kathy will continue on a part time basis for a few months to help the person hired to fill her position make the transition and especially to ensure that the excellent working relationship between the Library and the Friends is nurtured and continues to grow. For now, though, Kathy is thinking ahead to what she will do with her new-found freedom in retirement. After taking the summer to let it all sink in, she will devote more energy to a long-time passion for genealogy, travel more, possibly take up the piano again, spend more time with family, and, of course, volunteer – at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library. Community members are invited to join the Friends in celebrating Kathy’s retirement with a reception at the Library on Sunday, June 28. We will be sending an email and posting information about the event on our website and Facebook page, as well as placing posters on our display boards with more information. We hope to see you there!

More Travels with Rhona Rhona Koretzky Van Gogh and Nature You are invited to join friend of the library, local storyteller and art enthusiast, Kate Dudding, on Monday August 31 when the Friends of the Library sponsor "Van Gogh and Nature." The program will begin at 9 AM in program room C-D at the library where Kate will present an introductory talk. We will then proceed by carpool to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA to view the special Van Gogh exhibit.

FOL Bus Trip to NYC to View The Hunger Games: The Exhibition The Friends of the Library are sponsoring a day trip to New York City on Saturday September 26. The featured activity is a visit to the Times Square Discovery Center to view "The Hunger Games: The Exhibition," or you can choose to spend the day on your own.

The library lecture is free of charge; admission to the museum is $20, free to Clark members. A special group rate will be available if a minimum number of participants is met.

The bus will leave the library parking lot at 7:30 am and departure from the city will be at approximately 6:30 pm. The cost of the trip including museum admission is as follows: $77 for adults, $72 for seniors (65+), $70 for students through high school age. Transportation only is available for $55 per person. FOL members are offered a $5 discount.

For more information about this program please contact Rhona at [email protected] or 505-1303. Advance reservations are requested.

For more information and to register for this trip please contact Rhona, the Friends travel coordinator at 3 [email protected] or 505-1303.

Shanghai Golf Dan Riley In checking over the golf scores in the sports section of my morning paper, I noted that the HSBC Champions Tournament was being played in Shanghai, China, and my thoughts turned to an long-ago time and a golf round played halfway around the world and notable for its uniqueness. It was March, 1946; my ship, the USS LSM 256 sailed into the Huang Pu River and anchored opposite the Shanghai Customs Jetty. Talk aboard ship dealt mostly with the enticements that awaited us in “The City of Blazing Night,” but my shipmate Russ and I had a different priority. Scuttlebutt had it there was a 9-hole golf course somewhere in Shanghai; we decided to find out for ourselves on our next liberty. Russ, like me a former caddie, had learned golf when he was 13 or 14, and we shared a passion for the game. The lush fairways and slick greens that we had known at the private country clubs in the States were now infusing our thoughts. But in our enthusiasm, we had overlooked the fact that in the aftermath of the War, poverty and homelessness were endemic in Shanghai; the city’s inhabitants in the grip of incredible starvation. We saw bodies floating down the river each morning. We used a line to lower garbage from our evening meal to a young woman and her two infant children who rowed out to our ship every night. It was a real stretch to think that there could be a golf course in this worn-out city. Nevertheless on our next liberty, Russ and I alighted from the small boat at Customs and forged our way ahead through a gaggle of emaciated young 4 boys pimping for their girlfriends or

sisters. Heading down The Bund, we buttonholed a local citizen, and by simulating the golf swing, learned that there was indeed a golf course at the Shanghai Race Track. With a vague understanding of his directions we started for the course, eager to once again tread the verdant fairways we remembered from our caddie days.

disappointment of not finding the course of our dreams was superseded by the excitement that comes from having accomplished a goal both challenging and unique. On our way back, we hit all the bars eager to tell anyone who would listen about our $500 golf round at the “Shanghai Country Club.”

Suddenly the racetrack grandstand loomed in the distance. Exultant, we broke into a run and as we My Favorite memory sprinted through the gates, we stared incredulously at the infield of of Libraries the track: flagsticks (sans flags) Andrea Davis Pinkney sticking out of the ground every 50 to 60 yards; greens indistinguishable My favorite memories of libraries from fairways. Not a tree or a sand are Saturdays with my mom, who bunker in sight. We cast a quizzical was a schoolteacher, going into glance at each other, our thoughts that library and first of all getting concurring – this is a golf course?? my first library card, and signing Then a reality check: we’d come my name and feeling like I was halfway around the globe to play official, I have my library card, this round – let’s get started! and that was like a golden ticket to me. We approached a young man in a small wooden shack to pay the I live in Brooklyn, New York, and green fee and rent clubs. In return we go to the library quite for $500 in Chinese National frequently, and it's the one time Currency ($500 CNC to $1 that we're all together and we can American), he handed us a few go to a place where everybody 1920 vintage rusty wooden-shafted gets what they want. My kids go irons and two “very experienced” to the children's room, my golf balls. Disheartened, but still husband and I go to the nondetermined, we set out for the first fiction room. hole and teed off. It's better than shopping, we all I can’t remember our scores that leave there very happy. Like I day or any memorable shots hit, or said, everybody's got something any long putts holed. Yet the in the bag that they can feel good Continued on page 15

Membership Linda Fennelly The membership committee began transitioning to “Green” practices in 2014 and has recently implemented yet another ”Green” change regarding member benefits. Handmade bookmarks have been discontinued because of the need for envelopes and postage to send them to members at the $50 level and higher. Instead, we increased the amount of the coupons for the used book sale. The $50 membership coupon increased from $5 to $7.50 and the $100 membership coupon increased from $5 to $10.

We have ceased issuing membership cards (memberships are verified at the used book sales via a master list), paper thank you letters, paper envelopes and postage. Membership forms and welcome/thank you letters/book sale coupons are sent electronically by e-mail. Although the membership committee of the Friends of the Library has made a commitment to going “Green” for the future, we will continue our once yearly, paper mailing membership drive in February/March. This year approximately 33% of our members have joined with the paper mailing membership drive, which means 67% joined electronically.

LIKE US! FOLLOW US! Social Media-Keeping Connected Patty Ruff, Social Media Coordinator for the Friends, has been working since January to increase our connections to you through Facebook and on Twitter. Our goal has been to increase awareness and interconnectedness with frequency and in real-time. We hope to expand our “interface” by adding other social media links, such as Instagram. Since January, new “Likes” to Facebook and “Followers” on Twitter have continuously increased. We have found that many appreciate seeing events reminders posted frequently and they like seeing real-time postings as events are actually occurring. Events are regularly updated and we have received numerous positive comments when participants get to see themselves enjoying the events as they occur! We are working with the Junior Friends of the Library to increase activity among our young adult constituency, as well. Continued on page 6.

We are hopeful in coming years that more will join electronically thereby enabling us to use more resources for library programs. Membership in the FOL has increased over the years and benefits have expanded. We had 565 members for 2014 and are currently at 475 members for 2015. We have 6 months to go and hope to surpass 600 members this year. Membership has increased by 30% in the last 5 years as people realize the value of becoming a member of the Friends of the Library. The benefits are amazing! The FOL provides funds to purchase audio-visual materials for the library, sponsors author events, provides refreshments at library programs, and runs the ever popular used book sales. We provide discounted Proctors tickets, travel opportunities, the Two Towns-One Book Community Read Program, museum passes and MORE! We are actively seeking new members to make our group even better than it is now. There are many opportunities for members to volunteer if they choose to participate in our many committees. Will you help us reach our goal of 600 members for the 2015 year? Also, please forward this newsletter to people who would enjoy a membership with the FOL and the benefits that come with it. To download a membership form, 5 visit our website!

Becoming Jinn Keith willis I’ve been waiting for this book to come out for quite a while. Ever since I first heard the concept, I thought BECOMING JINN would be something really special. Turns out I was right. On Azra Nadira’s 16th birthday, she gets not only a party, but power. Azra is a Jinn (that’s genie to us ordinary mortals) from a long line of Jinn. And like all female Jinn, when she comes of age Azra is not only able, but required, to grant human wishes. She is under the control of a remote ruling class of Jinn known as the Afrit, who maintain their hold over the Jinn through blackmail and intimidation. And rebellious Azra isn’t interested. She hates the idea of being told what to do for the rest of her life—of becoming like her mother, whom Azra sees as being a ‘model Jinn.’ Azra is haunted by the death of her (human) best friend, and feels frustrated that the one thing Jinn magic can’t do is heal humans, which would have saved said friend. She’s frustrated with being forced to pretend to act human but never being allowed to be human. She’s frustrated that she can never know her father, who must live with all other male Jinn in Janna, the subterranean Jinn ‘paradise,’ cut off from the female Jinn who must stay in the ‘real’ world to grant wishes. And Azra’s frustrated with her own insecurities, especially as she finds herself in a romantic triangle, caught between Henry, the nerdy brother of her dead friend (who has learned Azra’s secret), and the hunky lifeguard Nate, who’s perfect exterior conceals his own insecurities. But even as Azra navigates the shaky relationships of her Zar—the circle of Jinn girls who are supposed to be her best friends and support network, whom Azra has consistently alienated over the years—she finds that her own power runs deeper and may have unexpected consequences that will put everyone Azra cares about at risk if she’s not careful. And the one thing Azra has never been is careful. I am in awe of this book. The writing is amazing, and the voice and characterization of Azra is spot-on (you’d think the author had once been a sixteen-year-old girl). Even though BECOMING JINN uses present tense voice, which I normally have a hard time reading, I found that the writing was so smooth that the tense just faded right into the background. Ms Goldstein’s world-building capabilities make me gnash my teeth in jealousy. The intricacies of Jinn society are presented with amazing clarity and detail, and the Jinn rules of magic are conjured with a consistent level of trickiness that reflects the need for the Jinn to remain hidden in plain sight. A number of reviews of BECOMING JINN have complained about Azra’s supposed whiney-ness, as noted in the catalog of frustrations above. I would beg to differ. My takeaway is that Azra is a teen rebelling (as much as she can in her limited ability) against a system which she finds absurd and in which she has no control of her own destiny. Of course she’s frustrated, upset, and beset by angst. Unless she complies with the Afrit’s directives, she’ll be subject to ever increasingly drastic punishment. 6

Continued on page 7

Social Media continued from page 5 Many Junior Friends have invited others to “Like” us on Facebook already! Another goal of the Social Media Coordinator is to form a committee in order to explore other social media that will help us stay connected. We are seeking volunteers. You can contact [email protected] if you are interested. Go to the Friends website to join us! “We’re getting there, one Friend, one Tweet at a time!”

Becoming Jinn continued from

Friends of the Library

page 6 Annual Meeting But ultimately, while Goldstein cleverly contrives the th Jinn world, it is more about relationships - with Wednesday, March 25 family, with peers, with friends and loved ones. The Ann Christoffel lines between some of these categories often become The Friends held their Annual Meeting on March 25th blurred as Azra seeks to navigate the treacherous with15 members in attendance. The highlights of the waters of emerging responsibility to her race, her meeting included: family, her Zar, and her confusing alliances with Henry and Nate. I found that BECOMING JINN had all • We presented the 2014 Financial Report, prepared by the key elements in place—well-honed characters, our Financial Auditor, Betty Treffilietti. A copy of her myriad conflicts, and ever-ratcheting stakes, and that Annual Financial Report is included on page 9. Goldstein’s punchy prose kept me hanging on the • We reelected the following board members to another edge of my seat even as I marveled at the seeming 3 year term: Toby Elman, Bernard Grossman, Andres ease with which she put her characters through their paces. Harnecker, Rhona Koretzky, and Cathy Lawrence. My one complaint—and this is a fairly minor one—is that there were so many subsidiary characters and secondary plot lines that it was hard to keep them all straight, and that some of those subsidiary characters suffered tangentially from lack of development. Admittedly, to do them justice would have taken another 200 pages or so, something not feasible for this book.

• We elected Patty Ruff to her first 3-year term. • We approved amendments to the FOL bylaws. A hard copy of our 2014 Annual Report is available at the Library on both of the Friends of the Library display areas - in the foyer of the Library and at the top of the stairs. A copy of the 2014 Annual Report is also available on our website.

Finally, BECOMING JINN is about choices and consequences. For Azra finds herself forced into making choices that will affect not only her own future, but the future of her family, her friends and her Zar sisters. And possibly even Jinn society as a whole. While the book ended at a perfect spot, it definitely made me long for more. And now I’m wishing (any Jinn out there listening?) for the sequel which won’t be forthcoming for almost a year. Like Azra, I’m frustrated. But in a good way. Keith W. Willis is a Clifton Park resident, former FOL Board Member and author. His debut fantasy novel TRAITOR KNIGHT will be released in July 2015 by Champagne Book Group, and will be available in various eBook formats and in fall 2015, in paperback. Find out more about Keith and TRAITOR KNIGHT on his website, Writing@Knight: or follow him on Twitter @kilbourneknight.

During our Volunteer Recognition Celebration on May 13, FOL President, Ann Christoffel, presented a check for $5,000 to Library Assistant Director, Kathy Adam, to add new media to the Library’s A/V collection. 7

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats Author event Linda Conklin Two Towns-One Book arranged for Jan-Phillip Sendker, author of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, winning book of the year, to speak on April 16th at Gowana Middle School. He talked about growing up in Germany and being a poor student in school. He did excel at one thing, story telling. His fellow students stopped participating in a class similar to “show and tell” so they could hear Jan-Phillip’s show and tell stories. After high school, he became a journalist for Stern, a magazine in Germany. His assignments took him to several countries. From 1995 to 1999 he lived in Hong Kong as the Asia correspondent for Stern. His job took him to Burma where he encountered a society so different from ours. He fell in love with Burma and the people and knew that it would be the setting for his first novel.

Fast forward to 2000 and we find Jan-Phillip, his wife and children living in what he called upstate New York, but we call downstate - Monticello, NY. His young son inspired the idea of hearing heartbeats when the toddler put his head on Jan-Phillip’s chest and heard his dad’s heartbeat. Here over a 2-year period he wrote The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. The family returned to Germany and the book was published there in 2002. Jan-Phillip then tried to get it published in the United States. Every publisher he contacted rejected the manuscript. A friend of his from Boston sent it to a friend who had a small publishing house, Other Press. It was accepted, but there was a problem because a German translator was not available. The publisher recommended a student, Kevin Wiliarty, and Jan-Phillip was pleased with Kevin’s translation efforts. Other Press printed the book in English in 2006 for the U.S. market. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats became a word of mouth best seller and a book club favorite. So far it has sold over 300,000 copies. As he spoke, Jan-Phillip gave insight into his three novels, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, A Well Tempered Heart (a sequel to The Art of Hearing Heartbeats) and his new book, Whispering Shadows, just released on April 14th. Jan-Phillip, a charming and true 8 gentleman, provided a wonderful evening filled with his storytelling and gratitude. It was a special occasion.

Kids Read, Too! Carol Davis The Kids Read Too committee planned activities around the theme of disabilities. Are we more alike than different? We also explored how people who are blind and/or have disabling conditions explore their world. Our book titles were The Black Book of Colors, a story that uses Braille, embossed pictures, and short descriptive sentences to see colors without using sight. For older students, we recommended Miss Spitfire, a fictionalized version of Annie Sullivan and how she finally was able to teach Helen Keller. Parents received a bibliography of other titles and a brochure on how to use the recommended titles. In events at Shensational, Winterfest and at Everyone Can! held at Skano, we gave children Braille alphabet cards and showed them how to write their names and ages. We had touch bags with different textures and had children guess the object. We met service dogs and therapy dogs and explored the differences in their jobs and their relationship to the public. We had adaptive sports and games available for families to experience. We also had an art project using textures and smells to help communicate ideas of shape and color.

2015 FOL Community Scholarships Awarded Lori Bennett At our Volunteer Recognition Event on May 13th, the Friends of the Library awarded two $1,000 scholarships to local graduating seniors. This year’s recipients are Shenendehowa High School students Florencia Feleder and Kirstin O’Sullivan. Florencia is the daughter of Carlos and Maria Feleder of Clifton Park. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Vice President of the Modern Music Masters Honor Society (Tri-M), and a student representative on Shenendehowa’s Diversity Committee. In addition, she is a participant in the Clifton Park Youth Court and the high school’s World of Difference and musical theater programs. Her musical talents led to her being a soloist when Shenendehowa’s Mostly a Capella choir performed at Carnegie Hall in March. As a high school student, she has received the White Award for notable contributions to a club/organization and the Green Award for maintaining a grade point average of 95% or higher each year. In the fall, Florencia will begin studying international relations at New York University. Kirstin, the daughter of Daniel and Laura O’Sullivan of Clifton Park, serves as editor of the Shenendehowa Literary Magazine and plays viola in the string orchestra. Her volunteer work includes working with CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services in a variety of their community outreach programs and helping to kick-start their “Random Acts of Kindness” campaign. She has been a student tutor to assist others with both math and English. Basketball is an important aspect of her life; she has participated in a variety of recreational and travel teams and even coached an elementary level team for the Clifton Park Recreational Basketball Organization. She has received the Neil Hesson Award for excellence in both academics and citizenship, the English and Music Effort and Achievement Awards. Kirstin will study accountancy at the University at Albany this fall. Both recipients wrote outstanding essays in response to our writing prompts. In her essay, Florencia explained why she adores the library, “. . . it’s an active, dynamic location, which motivates me to inquire, denounce and influence.” She acknowledges that, “(the library) represents much more than literature and knowledge, but a sanctuary for progression and questioning. (It) nurtures the very question, debate and conversation I yearn. I crave to engage with curious individuals with thirsts for information. Fortunately, the library acts as my sustenance.” Kirstin highlighted the importance of seeing an actual object as opposed to viewing it online, she stated, “there is something magical about experiencing a real, physical copy of a work. The smell, the texture, the wonder that is created through the design of the book sleeve – wondering what world lies within those pages. Just like sculptures, literature is an art that can only be appreciated fully in its physical form.” To illustrate the importance of the library in her life, Kirsten shared that, “(f)or myself and many other individuals, the library is akin to a holy place. Every time I enter the library, it is an enlightening experience. It allows for an area where I can be surrounded by a collective population of intellectuals.” One of the highlights of this year’s Community Celebration was meeting Florencia and Kirstin and their families. We are thrilled to award these scholarships to such worthy students to assist them in pursuing their educational goals. Almost 300 students have applied for the scholarships since they were established in 2008. Selection of the winners was based primarily on a personal essay about the library, although the committee reviewed a variety of criteria, including academic achievement, activities, awards, work experience, and letters of recommendation. Two scholarships are available annually for students who are either graduating from Shenendehowa High School or who reside within our Library tax district who may or may not be Shenendehowa students. The Friends look forward to continue awarding these scholarships in the future. 9

Scholarship winners from p. 9

FOL Volunteer of the Year! Ann Christoffel I have now had the honor of serving as chairperson of the Volunteer of the Year Award committee for two years. It is such a rewarding experience! The Volunteer of the Year Award, previously the Bunny Burns Award, was developed to recognize Friends members who have given greatly of themselves as supporters of the Friends of the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library. These members have dedicated themselves to the Friends, and therefore, have enhanced the Library's impact on the community. Each year, through nominations from board members and committee chairs, we select a very special volunteer to receive this award. As you can imagine, it is not an easy process because each volunteer is deserving in his or her own way. This year, it was a pleasure to present the award to Lori Bennett at our Volunteer Appreciation Event held on May 13th. Here is what our board members and committee chairs had to say about Lori: “Lori has held just about every position of leadership available within the Friends, but more than that, she is one of the most supportive of colleagues. She is quick to offer her support to anyone and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Friends' history.”

Scholarships awarded to Kirstin O’Sullivan and Florencia Feleder by Lori Bennett, the FOL Volunteer of the Year!

Book Sale a Success Thanks to Loyal Customers Wilma Jozwiak The first day or our sale dawned bright and beautiful, and customers came in droves to get terrific bargains at the Friends Used Book Sale. Saturday was a bit more of a weather toss up – after the short but intense summer downpours, a few families squished a bit walking into the sale, but our customers don’t let a little something like a downpour slow them down!

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All in all, the sale was once again successful in raising funds to support the Library, and we have our volunteers and our community to thank for that. We will be accepting

“Lori has been a Board member for a very long time, almost going back to the time the Friends was formed. She has served as President and for the last 8 years as Secretary, always doing a fantastic job. Besides being Secretary, she has initiated and been Chair of the Scholarships Committee (see photos (left) of Lori awarding this year’s scholarships) and Chair for Proctors’ Show tickets, both complicated and time consuming positions. She always helps when asked to and is always there when we have questions regarding procedures and problems.” “She quietly performs all of these duties without looking for recognition.” On a personal note, she has been an extreme support to me during my time as President. I appreciate knowing that she is always there to offer support in her calm way. Thank you, Lori! donations of books, audio books, CDs and DVDs again on June 8. We will sort them and have them ready for another great sale on Friday, September 25 from 1 to 5 pm (Members Only sale from 11:45 am to 1 pm), Saturday, September 26 from 10 am to 4 pm, and our “Fill a Bag for $3” sale on Sunday, September 27 from noon to 3 pm. We hope to see you there!

Browsing for some great summer reads….

Friends of Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2014 The Friends account opened January 2014 with a balance of $88,530.12. Following is a list of several fundraisers held during the year to support operations: 

Book Sales

$21,672.09



Membership

$ 7,694.34



Travel/Tours

$ 8,071.29

Book sale net revenue totaled $21,672.09, a slight decrease from 2013. The book sale volunteer staff continues to do a remarkable job. The net income for Membership totaled $7,694.34 and net income for Travel totaled $8,071.29. Other fund raising includes the increasingly popular plant swap, sale of note cards, cookbooks, pavers, tote bags, and Entertainment books. Sale of Proctor’s tickets generated $663.06 in net income, and our Interest Income totaled $221.68. ****************************** Special events funded an author visit in September, namely Piper Kerman, New York Times bestselling author of the memoir Orange is the New Black. Two-Towns-One-Book is an ongoing special event, which has also become a much anticipated community attraction. The TTOB committee has organized fund raisers and applied for grants to meet expenses, and their efforts supported all activities held during the year, including “The Fabulous Beekman Boys” speaking engagement, and financial assistance to The Heifer International Project. The net Public Relations expenditure was just over $4,900.00, and included payments to the Community News for the very popular monthly calendar of events, as well as newsletter and email expense. We made an annual donation to the Library of $5,000* to enhance the Library’s AV collection. In addition, Library Support funded mobile training computers, Multicultural Family Day and Farm Fest, among others. A total of $1,000 in scholarship payments was paid, and the Museum Pass program was expanded and funded at a cost of $1,605.00. *Accounting note: A correction was made to the Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2013: $2,000 payment was incorrectly posted to “Donations” and should have posted to “Special Events” Saratoga Arts Foundation. Correction was approved at the May 28, 2014 Board Meeting ********************************* Assets at year-end, in addition to cash in the bank, include two active CDs. We end the year with a balance of $96,217.04. All figures used in the preparation of this review are based on a fiscal year of January 1 through December 31. Any variations would be due to a change in the reporting period. Thank you to our Treasurer, Andres Harnecker, and our Financial Secretary, John Jozwiak, for their hard work and efficiency in providing the financial documents required for this report. Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Treffiletti March 23, 2015

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The Friends Travel the World! Rhona Koretzky The Friends of the Library travel the world! A group of 32 friends returned on May 5 from a fantastic Central European journey that included Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. There were too many wonderful experiences to recount but highlights included two Danube river cruises, a tour of the Budapest opera house with our own mini concert, dinner in the oldest restaurant in Europe, a bus tour viewing sites from the movie "The Sound of Music," viewing the Matterhorn, and sampling Swiss chocolate. It was a most memorable journey. The 2016 voyage will be to Sunny Portugal. We will depart on February 12 for eleven days of mild temperatures, the perfect mid-winter break. We will divide our time between Lisbon, the vibrant capital and the Portuguese Riviera, the Algarve region. Be sure to contact Rhona, the FOL traveler coordinator, at [email protected] or 595-1303 if you're interested. This trip is sure to fill quickly! If a shorter trip interests you plan to join the FOL for a day with Vincent Van Gogh. On August 31 FOL member, storyteller and art enthusiast Kate Dudding will present a talk in program room CD at 9 am. The talk "Van Gogh and Nature" will be immediately followed by a trip to the Clark in Williamstown to view the collection and the special exhibit. We will form carpools for the ride to Williamstown and museum admission will be paid at arrival. For more details contact Rhona.

Basilika St. Michael, Salzburg, Austria, where they filmed one of the most famous Hollywood wedding scenes from the Sound of Music

“The hills are alive with the sound of music. With songs we have sung for a thousand years. The hills fill my heart, with the sound of music. My heart wants to sing every song it hears.” 12

FOL Alpine Countries 2015 Photo Essay Jo Anne Robbins The following photos tell in bright detail, the story of our FOL Alpine Adventure 2015 . . . a trip of a lifetime!

Good humor abounded while we all gloried in the beauty of the Alps

View from dinner cruise on the Danube, Budapest, Hungary

Beautiful blossoms greeted us!

Schonbrunn Palace fountain, Vienna, Austria

Valley, Austria

Hot chocolate, the Swiss way . . . “YUM!”

We needed our sunglasses!

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Photo Essay continued from page 13

On the road to Switzerland from the Black Forest of Germany

A View from Mt. Pilatus

Lake Lucerne and the Alps . . . beautiful!

The Matterhorn, Switzerland . . . Spectacular!

Valley, Austria

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Cathedral window, Lucerne Switzerland

Cynthia kept some of us out of harm’s way

Memorial to New York City Matterhorn Climber, Lucerne

Key Private Bank Broadway Series at Proctors – 2015-2016 – Lori Bennett Ticket prices reflect Proctor’s 10% group discount PLUS a handling fee of $1.00 per ticket to cover our expenses. Quantities are limited and orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis. The actual tickets are not available until the order is finalized, after the due date shown on this order form. You can expect to receive your tickets in the mail a few weeks prior to the performance. Please make checks payable to: Friends of the Clifton ParkHalfmoon Library. Contact Lori Bennett at: mailto:[email protected] with questions. Orders for first two shows due 9/1. Get Order Form!

The Book of Mormon Sunday, October 25, 2015 2:00 PM Orchestra seats - $91.00 No discount available!

Motown the Musical Sunday, November 22, 2015 2:00 PM Orchestra seats - $64 Matilda the Musical Sunday, December 13, 2015 2:00 PM Orchestra seats - $71 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s

Cinderella Sunday, January 24, 2016 2:00 PM Orchestra seats - $60 The Lion King March 27 1:00 PM Sunday, March 27, 2016 Orchestra seats - $81

Author Andrea Pinkney continued from page 4

about, and we go home and share books that we've checked out. One of the wonderful things about the library is that I get out of my house and I'm with a bunch of other people who love books and love reading. So I do a lot of my writing in the library, of course I do a lot of reading and research, and while we're all very Web savvy and Googling things... What I love about the library is also just the vibe in there. Everybody is there enjoying being at the library and having the feeling of being around books. In my local branch, on a Sunday afternoon, the joint is jumping, because first of all, it's filled with me and my family, my kids are doing book reports, I'm doing research. And it's to the point now where, if I need a little fact, it's like a swarm, you know a team of librarians come and they will go to the end of the earth to find out some little minute detail that I need. And I get it instantly. And what I love is, not only do they get me the book with the minute detail, usually one member of that team knows something about that topic or period in history and imparts their own personal experience as well.

One of the reasons it is so important to preserve the funding of libraries is because a library provides a community. There are a lot of children and adults who don't go to bookstores, who cannot afford to, or who just don't have a community of fellow readers and book lovers around them. And the library affords that. 15

FOL Board of Directors Ann Christoffel, President, Used Book Sale, Technology Wilma Jozwiak, Past President, Used Book Sale, Technology, Co-Secretary Rhona Koretzky, Vice President, Travel Bernie Grossman, Co-Secretary and Liaison to Board of Trustees Andres Harnecker, Treasurer and Technology John Jozwiak, Financial Secretary, Membership Corinne Acker, Hospitality Lori Bennett, Scholarship and Proctors Events Linda Conklin, Two Towns - One Book Toby Elman, Publicity Linda Fennelly, Membership Cathy Lawrence, Outreach Sheila Morroni, Website, Technology, and Newsletter Jo Anne Robbins, Get Out the Vote and Technology Patty Ruff, Social Media and Technology Kathy Adam, Library Liaison

Committee Chairs Emily Acker, Junior FOL President Kathy Burns, Volunteer Coordinator Penny Salemme, Plant Swap and Sale Kara Parnett, Historian Janice Jaskolka Golden, Paver Project Coordinator 16 Jo Anne Robbins, Newsletter Editor

Fei Xie, Graphic Design Support Wilma Jozwiak, Kathy Adam, Ann Christoffel, Marie Miller, Peggy Cushman, Betty Doran, and Sandy Roth - Used Book Sale Team Sheila Morroni, Ann Christoffel, Andres Harnecker, Wilma Jozwiak, and Jo Anne Robbins, Patty Ruff Technology Team Linda Fennelly, Judith Farrell, John Jozwiak, Linda Maher, Lisa-Marie Oddo, Matthew Montalbano, and Wilma Jozwiak - Membership Team Ann Cocca, Ivan Edelson, Alex Gutelius, Jo Anne Robbins, Russ Wise, Get Out the Vote Team.

Explore an Interesting Digital Library –

New

York Public Library, Point Part magazine, part digital exhibition, Point gives readers a taste of NYPL’s unparalleled collections by showcasing photos, prints, maps, multimedia and more within a gorgeously designed iBook. Each free edition also contains a guide that invites you to learn more using related Library resources. Point is currently available as an iBook, viewable in iBooks 2 on an iPad running iOS5. It will soon be released in PDF and ePub formats.

The Residence Palace in Munich, Germany Jo Anne Robbins It was a cold, rainy afternoon when we arrived in Munich. My friend, Nancy and I decided that we needed to spend some time indoors in comfort rather than walk around the old city of Munich in the pouring rain. We had seen the glockenspiel at noon and we were cold and hungry. We headed to a nearby department store so I could purchase an umbrella (I had left mine in my suitcase). Success! I purchased a sturdy black umbrella. Next priority, lunch. We followed our noses and soon located a very nice cafeteria on the top floor of the store. We managed to figure out what to select, purchased our food and drink and sat down to enjoy (while drying out).

About Book Friendly • Book Friendly is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December. • Authors' writings do not reflect the views of the Friends of the Clifton Park - Halfmoon Public Library. • Authors retain rights to all their own work. • Works and photos are printed with permission of authors. Book Friendly is online! Writers - Book Friendly is always seeking original writing. We accept: book reviews, poetry, articles, memoirs, and short stories. Email submissions to editor, Jo Anne Robbins: [email protected]. We prefer Microsoft Word format. Please include a statement granting Book Friendly permission to print your work. The deadline for submissions for the next issue is August 15 for September publication.

After lunch, we decided to check out the nearby Residenz Palace. The Residenz Palace was once the city castle of the Bavarian dukes, princes, and emperors. It is one of Europe's most significant interior decoration museums. For five hundred years, the facility, located in the middle of the old city, was the residence and center of power of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings. The apartments, ceremonial rooms and chapels that once belonged to the rulers of Bavaria provide an exceptional opportunity to see a large number of rooms in a wide variety of styles. The Residenz gave us a good idea of how Bavarian rulers lived in past times and how they used art and architecture as an expression of wealth and power. The castle structure includes ten spacious courtyards, making the Munich Residenz Palace the largest city center castle in Germany. The larger inner courtyards of the Residenz buildings are used for cultural events like open-air concerts in the summer and a medieval Christmas village during the holidays. I am including here some photographs of our lovely self-guided tour. We walked from room to room, enjoying beautiful furnishings, musical instruments and works of art including amazing frescoed ceilings.

We were so happy that we made the decision to explore and expand our knowledge and appreciation of the history of this important center of art and culture.

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