Smithtown Library Teens:The Blog

Friends of the Smithtown Library Scholarship

2009-03-23T15:30:00.003-04:00

Attention high school seniors: looking for ways to pay for school?! Don't forget to apply for the Friends of the Library Scholarship! Ask for information at your branch, or go to this link: http://www.smithlib.org/Friends/page_friends_of_the_library.html

Hello from Nesconset

2009-03-23T15:28:00.001-04:00

Hello! I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and post an update about what’s happening at Nesconset! My name is Lauren and I am the “new” young adult librarian for the Nesconset branch. I started a few months ago, so I’m not necessarily all that “new” anymore!

Some of the programs we’ll be offering at Nesconset include a Twilight Series Book Discussion and a Vampire Book Discussion, open time to play Wii, a Manga Club and Teen Writers Club. In April, check out a Poetry Workshop in honor of National Poetry Month. Feel free to call for more details, #265-3994.

http://www.smithlib.org/ipCalendarII-Lite.asp

Keep up to date with your branch: This is the link to the library’s calendar of events. You can even register for programs online!

Winter Book Buddies

2008-12-09T10:26:00.004-05:00

Do you want to earn community service hours? Sign-up for Book Buddies, which in case you didn't know, is a program that pairs a child (4 years old – 3rd grade) with an older child (5th-10th grade) for a rewarding reading experience! Book Buddies will meet in the Library Meeting Room for a half an hour each week for five weeks. Older children will read to and share stories with their little book buddies and will receive community service credit for participation.

To participate, sign-up at the Reference Desk starting December 10 either at Smiththown Main or Smithtown Commack branch. A one-hour Training Workshop is required for participation.

Teens Top Ten Winners 2008

2008-10-27T09:49:00.001-04:00

YALSA's Teens' Top Ten
Where Teens Choose the Winners!
The vote is in! More than 8,000 teens voted on this year's winners. The 2008 Teens' Top Ten is:
1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10.Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

“What does freedom of RELIGION Mean to Me?” Essay Contest

2008-10-17T14:04:00.003-04:00

Co-sponsored by
Suffolk County Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee (http://www.scla.net/IF)
The Suffolk Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union (http://www.suffolknyclu.org/)

In this essay contest, participants will discuss why they think freedom of religion is important in the United States and how freedom of religion impacts their lives. Participants can include photos, sound, video clips and other media along with their essays, but it is not required.

CRITERIA
· Originality/Creativity
· Clarity/Grammar
· Persuasiveness

ELIGIBILITY
The contest is open to all Suffolk residents. Entries will be divided into five grade groups:
· Kindergarten -3rd Grade: At least 50, no more than 150 words
· 4th – 6th Grade: At least 150, no more than 500 words
· 7th – 9th Grade: At least 250, no more than 1,000 words
· 10th -12th Grade: At least 250, no more than 1,000 words
· Adult - At least 250 words, no more than 1,000 words

PRIZES
There will be three prizes awarded in each of the five grade groups. The first-place winner in each age group will be invited to read their essay at the SCLA’s 5th Annual Intellectual Freedom and will be invited to the NYCLU Awards luncheon.
· 1st Place Prize - Apple IPod MP3 player, two tickets to the NYCLU awards luncheon
· 2nd Place Prize - $50 Gift Certificate to Border’s Books and Music
· 3rd Place Prize - $25 Gift Certificate to Blockbuster Video

JUDGES
Judges will include members of the Suffolk Chapter of the NYCLU; Suffolk County Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee; Long Island Educators for Academic Freedom; Suffolk BOCES School Library System and Brookhaven League of Women Voters. It will include librarians, elementary and secondary school teachers, college professors and lay people. If you are interested in serving as a judge for this contest, please contact Kevin McCoy at mccoykj@sunysuffolk.edu

TO ENTER:
Essays can be mailed to:
Rita Brasen
Ammerman Campus Library
Suffolk Community College
533 College Road
Selden, NY 11784

Essays also can be e-mailed in Word, Rich-text or PDF format to: Essay @moriches-bay.com All essays must be submitted by January 15, 2009 to be eligible for the contest. Essays should include the name, address, age group and phone number of the person submitting the essay. Essays or other media will not be returned. Winners will be announced on April 1, 2009.

What's New?

2008-10-03T11:23:00.007-04:00

So, it’s been a while since we’ve posted but here’s what’s new and upcoming:

What’s New? Me. My name is Karen and I’m the new Teen Librarian at the Smithtown Main Branch. Feel free to come by and say hello, I look forward to meeting all of you.

Upcoming:
October 12-18 is Teen Read Week. This year’s theme is Books with Bite. The purpose of Teen Read Week is to remind you spend time reading for pleasure: it's free, fun, and can be done anywhere! Books with bite may be about vampires and other monsters, technology (byte), animals, cooking, or edgy books. Come by the library and pick up a bookmark and see how to vote for Teens Top Ten.

On October 30 join your friends and get into the Halloween mood at the Smithtown Main branch. We will be serving pizza and watching the film, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. Show starts at 7 pm and will be in the Old Meeting Room, downstairs in the basement.

The Nesconset Branch will hold After School Wii for Teens every Thursday in October from 3:00-4:00 pm. Snacks will be served. Also a Teen Movie Series on Thursdays, from 7:00-9:00 pm October 2, 9, 23 and 30.

On November 3 the Commack branch will have Create a Tee Made by Me program. Bring your own t-shirt and create a wearable piece of art. Design an election themed t-shirt and enter it in our Democracy T-shirt Contest. Fee is $3.00 and due at registration.

Do you need community service hours? Teen Advisory Group participation will fulfill that need. Suggest materials you would like to see in the library, help plan programs, volunteer to work with children and much more. New members are always welcome! Each participant will receive community service hours for participation. Give us a call to let us know that you’re coming. Join us at the Main Branch on Thursday, November 13 for the first meeting.

Coming Soon:
January

Earn community service by volunteering to read to children in the library.We will once again be bringing our Book Buddy program to you this winter. This program matches Big Buddies (teens) and Little Buddies (kids) together for a half hour of reading.

Metamorphosis @ the Smithtown Library

2008-06-11T16:47:00.003-04:00

Click here for all the details about this summer's reading club for teens!

Book Buddies Program

2008-05-01T16:17:00.000-04:00

At the Smithtown Main Library
Mondays, July 7 – August 4 • 3:30 – 4:00 PM
Big kids helping little kids to read
Book Buddies is a program in which a child (4 years old – 2nd grade) is paired with an older child (5th-9th grade) for a rewarding reading experience! Book Buddies will meet in the Library Quiet Room for a half an hour each week for five weeks during the summer. Older children will read to and share stories with their little book buddies and will receive community service credit for participation. Sign up in the Children’s Room before June 21, 2007. Questions? Contact Jenn Chivvis at 631-265-2072 ext.228.

Battle of the Books

2008-05-01T16:12:00.006-04:00

Smithtown residents who love to read and are entering grades 6-9 in September ‘08 are qualified to try out for this year’s teams. The Battle of the Books is a countywide competition of young adults from all participating Suffolk County public libraries. Teams answer trivia questions based on eight different books and score points for their team with each correct answer. The Regional Play-offs will take place on Saturday August 16th. Stop by the Adult Reference Desk of the library to pick up copies of this year’s Battle books. Read as many titles as you can. Decide which Smithtown team you would like to play for and join us at our meetings:

Main Library Team:
Fridays, June 27-August 15, 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Commack Branch Team:
Wednesdays, June 25 - August 13, 4:30 – 6:00 PM
Kings Park Branch Team:
Saturdays, June 28 - August 9, 3:00 – 4:30 PM
Nesconset Branch Team:
Tuesdays, July 1 - August 12, 3:00 – 4:30 PM

Click here for further details...

2008-03-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

TEEN POETRY SHOWCASE

2008-03-19T17:28:00.002-04:00

Do you love to write poetry and want to share it with the world? Entries can be emailed to yasmith@suffolk.lib.ny.us (Subject: Poetry) for a chance to have your work published on our website. This program is only open to young adults in grades 6-12. Selection of poetry for publication is solely under the discretion of library staff.

Author Interview with Anna Godbersen

2008-01-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

Putting a 19th-century twist on popular series like Gossip Girl and The Clique, Anna Godbersen's novel THE LUXE follows the secrets and scandals, the drama and the debauchery of a group of upper-crust socialite teenagers in 1899 Manhattan. In this interview with Teenreads.com's Sarah Wood, Godbersen explains why she chose to set her book in New York during the turn of the century and describes the kind of research required for her to portray the intricate details of the time period so accurately. She also reveals which characters she identifies with the most, discusses what's in store for them in future installments of the series and shares her favorite "modern convenience" of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Click here to read the interview.