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Friends of the Chappaqua Library

A Visit Inside the Chappaqua Library’s Spacious New Teen & Children’s Rooms

August 17, 2021 by Grace Bennett

Cathy Paulsen, head of Young Adult Services, Chappaqua Library, and Katherine Whymark, president, Friends of the Chappaqua Library  Photo by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

“Kids come to the library to see other kids; they want to hang out, so we decided teens were going to have their own space,” related Cathy Paulsen on a recent tour of the new Teen Room, and the new Children’s Room, too. Paulson heads young adult services at the Chappaqua Library. A new Teen Room followed a strategic planning decision to meet the challenge of creating an optimal space for the pre-teens and teens who descend into library spaces after school. “There are groups of kids who come; many are middle schoolers from Bell who make heavy use of the library. I can have 200 kids here at times.”

Instrumental has been the support from Friends of the Chappaqua Library. According to Katherine Whymark, Friends’ President, “While the library was still not open to the public during the pandemic shutdown, the Teen Room approached the Friends in the fall of 2020 to complete the project with new technology… and, we said yes.” The now new and inviting space with comfortable seating comes “complete with smart boards hooked up so the kids can work on assignments,” said Paulsen.  

“The smart boards we funded have already been put to great use; one is wall mounted and permanent to the Teen space,” added Whymark. “The other is mobile and can be moved and used throughout the library, by all departments.

The new space continues to evolve and may include a café’ and even one novel item: sewing machines! “Kids are really into repurposing things,” said Paulsen. We can work with WLS (the Westchester Library System), and teach them how to sew.” 

The Friends funding covered $15,000 of technology for the new Teen Room, including eight new chromebooks, three drawing pads and two Google Jamboards (identical to the tools used at the middle and high school).  

A new garden–located outside the room’s slider doors–drew teens planting seeds with help from staff and community garden volunteers. The kids help maintain the garden which produces potatoes, squash, flowers, cilantro, basil, parsley and more.

The Teen Room and its initiatives are just one aspect of funding from the Friends, a non-profit 501c3 group and fundraising arm of the library which generously approved over $60,000 for new furniture and technology tools for the renovated Chappaqua Library.

Wall-mounted Jamboard in new Teen Room and 4 of 8 Chromebooks for teens to use.

The Friends fundraise year-round to support initiatives for the library that are above and beyond the operating budget. The current construction has been going on since 2018, as part of the bond for all the Chappaqua School buildings. The Chappaqua Library building is a school district building, but it is run independently.

Chappaqua Library Children’s Room

Children’s Room Highlights

The Friends’ funding has included over $35,000 for the new Children’s Room, including the custom service desk, two built-in benches, and reupholstering two couches and a chair. According to Robbin Friedman, head of children’s services: “The children’s room staff are so delighted to sit at our beautiful new service desk in our light-filled room, thanks to the Friends. With refurbished couches and a brand-new window-seat bench, we look forward to seeing the community enjoy our new space as much as we do.”

A remaining $10,000 was allocated to new study room furniture, including a conference table, eight chairs, and a glass white board. The new study room is adjacent to the new Teen Room, and the furniture is in the process of being ordered. With more and more patrons wanting to sit outdoors, the Friends also funded four new outdoor tables and 16 new chairs, along with a rented tent for the courtyard during the summer. The gated courtyard is open to all library patrons, and access is available from the library gallery. 

The Daniel Silva Interview

The Friends were back to active fundraising with a first virtual author interview fundraiser. The event held July 20 featured The Cellist, Daniel Silva’s new spy novel. Ronni Diamondstein, Chappaqua Library Board President, interviewed Silva. “This opens the possibility of more virtual author fundraisers in the future, as well as hybrid events (blended virtual and in-person attendance),” said Whymark.

Looking Ahead

At press time, a pop-up book market was planned for the train parking lot in August.

The Friends Annual Book Sale is returning April 25, 2022, promising over 30 miles of used books to purchase!

The library is now open to the public Monday –Thursday, 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Come see all the new furniture and new spaces!

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Cathy Paulsen, Chappaqua library, Children's Room, Friends of the Chappaqua Library, Katherine Whymark, Ronni Diamondstein, Teen Room

DANIEL SILVA in Chappaqua on July 20! Register and Save the Date

June 29, 2021 by Grace Bennett

Excitement Builds for Friends of Chappaqua Library First Time Virtual Fundraiser Featuring Internationally Renowned Author Daniel Silva on July 20

Chappaqua Library Board President Ronni Diamondstein to Moderate

Daniel Silva   Photo By Marco Grob

Chappaqua, NY–Whether you are a long-time avid reader of Daniel Silva’s wildly popular Gabriel Allon series, or new to this internationally renowned author’s New York Times best-selling titles, everyone is invited to register for and enjoy a Friends of the Chappaqua Library first time virtual fundraiser featuring an interview with Silva on July 20.

Chappaqua Library board president Ronni Diamondstein, a long-time journalist as well, will be moderating the event and interviewing Silva about his writing career and his latest title, The Cellist, a thriller with plot twists galore surrounding Russian money laundering and a secret plot to undermine Western democracy. 

“Silva’s books are amazingly popular; women all over the world have fallen in love with Gabriel Allon!” said Diamondstein, in a pre-event interview with the Inside Press. “It will be fascinating to speak with him about the writing process. He is prescient with a real knack for tying things to current events.”

The event also represents a wonderful opportunity for the Friends’ group to catch up on a shortfall of about $60,000 following the cancellation of three years of the Chappaqua Friends Annual Used Book Sales–the first year due to construction, and for two years, due to Covid, related Katherine Whymark, a Greeley grad who has headed the Friends since 2015. The bond had been approved for the school district, Whymark explained, and construction started for the new Children’s Room in the fall of 2018. The Children’s Room was moved to the theatre during construction. Meanwhile, The Friends Annual Used Book Sale will be resuming in April 2022 (exact dates still to be determined).

“Things got really quiet from a fundraising standpoint,” lamented Whymark. “While in pandemic mode and still in lockdown, Joan Kuhn, director of programming for the Chappaqua Library, suggested a virtual fundraiser.” While in person author events are ultimately preferred, added Whymark, and expected to return this fall, if successful, the virtual option could prove useful in the future too, as needed, in the event of inclement weather, for example.

The Friends operates as a not-for-profit fundraising arm of the Chappaqua Library, providing funding for purchases outside the scope of what the budget might allow. Friends raise funds year-round for the library, and the funds are used for programs and furniture (most often). “We recently funded $58,000 of requested furniture and technology for the Children’s Room, Teen Room and outdoor courtyard,” said Whymark. “The money raised in this fundraiser will be used for 2022 book clubs run by the library.”

The Friends collaborated with Scattered Bookstore in Chappaqua to produce the event. For $32, you can pick up a signed book and attend the event. For $30, you can receive a signed book only–that’s for anyone who can’t make the event on 7/20, but would still like to purchase Silva’s signed book. A $5 option is available for anyone to watch and listen only without a book purchase. To register for the July 20 event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. (the event will not be recorded), please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/daniel-silva-book-event-fundraiser-tickets-159917334051

Diamondstein, Whymark said, was given an advance copy of The Cellist so she could prepare her questions ahead of time. “Daniel Silva’s publicist wanted someone with journalism experience who was also very involved in the community,” she said, and Diamondstein as the head of the library board and a healthy list of publishing credits, easily fit the bill. Chappaqua Library Director Andrew Farber will welcome Silva to the Chappaqua Library as will Whymark who will also introduce Diamondstein as the moderator.

Diamondstein said those registering for the event and purchasing Silva’s new title are in for a treat. “His books are page turners in which the unexpected will happen,” she said. “And one is never disappointed with the outcome.”

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Andrew Farber, Chappaqua library, Daniel Silva, Friends of the Chappaqua Library, Katherine Whymark, Ronni Diamondstein, Scattered Bookstore, The Cellist, Virtual Fundraiser

41st Young Writers Contest Award Winners PLUS a First Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement to Erica Dunne

June 4, 2021 by Leslie Fass

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang with Erica Dunne, the first recipient of the annual Linda Zhang Foundation Award for Writing Achievement. Photo by Leslie Fass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           The Young Writers Contest is sponsored annually by Friends of the Chappaqua Library.

Chappaqua, NY— A 41st Young Writers Contest Awards ceremony was held on June 2 at the Chappaqua Library. The annual writers’ contest held for middle and high school students was created to recognize and encourage emerging young writers in New Castle. Friends of the Chappaqua Library, the fundraising committee for the library, sponsors this contest. Membership donations and the annual Book Sale support the awards. The awards are divided into categories of non-fiction, fiction and poetry. 

Following the ceremony, the Friends also presented its first inaugural “Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement” to Greeley senior Erica Dunne who has won multiple awards in the Young Writers Contest in all three categories. The Linda J. Zhang Foundation, https://lindazhang.org/home/, was established by Linda Zhang’s parents Mingbao Zhang and Li Tang after Linda passed away last year. This first time writing award is made possible by the foundation, in its inaugural year, in remembrance of Linda. The foundation was also established in commemoration of Linda’s passion for the environment. Her parents have raised $32,000.00 thus far in her honor.

Chappaqua Library director Andrew Farber thanked everyone involved in the event. The President of the Friends of the Chappaqua Library Katherine Whymark quoted from Star Wars giving the young writers hope to continue their writing endeavors.  “Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you can see it you’ll never make it through the night.”

The recipients of the Young Writers Contest Awards were as follows:

High School

Non Fiction:

  • Alexa Troob, 1st place
  • Tuan Anh Dang, 1st place
  • Reshmita Nayudu, 1st place
  • Fiona Nelson, Ashlee Rothenberg, Honorable Mentions

Fiction:

  • Hudson Warm, 1st placew
  • Sumer Moudgill, 2nd place
  • Rene Hollister and Summer Moudgill, 3rd place
  • Angelique Wheeler and Luke Montano, Honorable Mentions

Poetry:

  • Claire Nam, 1st place
  • Angelique Wheeler, 2nd place
  • Marko Arbolda 3rd place
  • Devisi Goel and Mia Vieira , Honorable Mentions

 

Middle School:

Non Fiction:

  • Deven Amrute, 1st place
  • Idan Yedid 2nd place
  • Naveen Talla 3rd place
  • Jenna Rosenberg, Meadow Zhang and Noah Rock received Honorable Mention

  Fiction:

  • Logan Kreisberg, 1st Place
  • Meadow Zhang, 2nd Place
  • Nikhil Singhal, 3rd Place
  • Warren Fu and Austin Brennan, Honorable Mention

Poetry:

  • Aadhya Vihil, 1st Place
  • Eliza Fink, 2nd Place
  • Sophia Levenson, 3rd Place
  • Megan Slomsky, Honorable Mention

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Chappaqua library, Friends of the Chappaqua Library, Young Writers Contest

A Full Circle Beginning for New Chappaqua Library Director Andrew Farber

November 13, 2020 by Grace Bennett

PHOTOS BY GRACE BENNETT

In an interview this fall, Andrew Farber’s excitement was palpable. Outside the doors of the Library where we met, Farber expressed that his life has come ‘full circle’ from being a child visiting at the Chappaqua Library where his mother Susan Riley used to work part time as a librarian, to present times as the new director of the Chappaqua Library!

Farber’s position became official on October 19 after being appointed by the Library’s Board of Trustees.

“We are delighted to have him join our staff,” said Ronni Diamondstein, the library board Acting President. “He will be a great asset to our community.”

Farber succeeds Pamela Thornton in the role she served for the last 13 years. Thornton retired this past August.

Farber was the Director of the Somers Library position since 2015. “Andrew is knowledgeable, personable and creative. He brings to us an extensive IT background along with experience in management, budgeting, long range planning, grant writing, staff development programs and community outreach,” said Diamondstein.

Farber has worked successfully with the Somers Library Board and the Friends of the Library to create and implement policies and programming for both the patrons and the staff, according to a release provided by the board. “He created a partnership with Somers’ largest hamlet, Heritage Hills, and also expanded the library’s community outreach by creating new partnerships with local businesses and schools.”

Farber currently chairs the Westchester Library System Public Library Directors Association Technology Committee. He began his career at the Greenburgh Library working there for 16 years ultimately becoming the Young Adult Services Librarian, a period that he looks back on fondly.

“I was incredibly rewarded by my work with teenagers,” said Farber, who grew up in Ossining. “I felt I could really influence young lives. It was hard to leave, but Somers presented a new and bigger challenge.”

Commenting on his new role in Chappaqua, Farber said he first planned to “immerse myself with policies and procedures, get to know staff and any concerns, and introduce myself to local groups, before making any changes.”

“The Chappaqua Library is well used by its constituents, so there are high expectations for the library that come with that,” he said.  “I hope to continue the great programming the library offers. Pam has done a great job in her tenure and I hope to continue that.”

He noted that libraries today were historically already adding more online services, pre-Covid. He said we can “expect even more visual digital streaming such as online movies and concerts on top of all our usual audio/electronic books.”

Given that the library is an invaluable asset to the community during ‘Home for the Holidays,’ I asked Farber what might be in the works for the early winter. He offered: “We will be doing holiday type programming; perhaps virtual tours of different locations which we can share with the public at no cost.”

As for the future of library going, he added that we may see “more and more ‘normalization’ too as the pandemic tapers down. “I plan to work closely with the staff and board to see what their plans are for movement in that direction, and to see how we can proceed safely.”

To keep up with programs at the Chappaqua Library, visit ChappaquaLibrary.org.

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Andrew Farber, Chappaqua library, Friends of the Chappaqua Library, Full Circle, Library Director

Year Round Programming and Access at the Chappaqua Library

November 13, 2019 by The Inside Press

 

 

The Library’s mission is to provide information, programming, and access to resources and materials for the community’s educational and recreational needs. Our catalog, online resources, and downloadable books, movies and music are available to patrons 24 hours a day either through our website, chappaqualibrary.org. or our mobile app.

The library is open seven days a week during the school year: Monday-Thursday 9-8, Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 1-5. The library is closed on Sundays in the summer.

Your Library–24/7!

  • Free wi-fi, public computers and wireless printing
  • Study and conference rooms
  • A wide assortment of books (including audiobooks and large print), popular and classic DVDs, and music
  • Art gallery with curated exhibits
  • Museum passes
  • Extensive adult, teen, and children’s programming, with book discussions, lectures, concerts, storytimes, movies and more
  • Online research databases
  • Downloadable e-books, audiobooks, movies and music
  • Extensive online archive of filmed library programs

The friendly and knowledgeable library staff will help you with all your research needs. The Chappaqua Library is part of The Westchester Library System, a consortium of 38 libraries in Westchester County with a shared online catalog and daily delivery service. Your library card gives you borrowing privileges at each, plus the ability to reserve an item and have it delivered locally for your convenience.

Board of Trustees

The Library is governed by a five-person board of trustees, elected by the voters of the Chappaqua Central School District. All meetings are open to the public, and generally take place at 7:30p.m.on the third Tuesday of each month.

Friends of the Chappaqua Library

This non-profit organization promotes financial support for the Library through various fundraising events, donations, and membership fees. Meetings to discuss programs and funding are held monthly at the Chappaqua Library. The Friends hold an annual used book sale, which promotes reading throughout the community. They also sponsor the Young Writers Contest every spring for middle school and high school students.

The Chappaqua Library hosts many exciting and engaging programs throughout the year, all free and open to the public. Following are some highlights of recurring and ongoing events:

Big Truck Day

Held annually every spring, Big Truck Day is exactly what it sounds like. Come see an exciting display of “big trucks”–including, but not limited to, Chappaqua and Millwood firetrucks, Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps van, Chappaqua Transportation school buses, motorcycles, and assorted construction vehicles–right outside, in the Chappaqua Library parking lot! The event is free of charge and open to the public, and all ages are welcome!

Computer Help

Confused by your computer or smart phone? Our knowledgeable students can help you figure them out. One-on-one sessions let you focus on what you need.

Foreign Policy Discussion Group

Meeting at the Library once every other week for 16 sessions, this group listens to an expert guest speaker discuss world affairs. Discussion and questions follow. The topics offered vary from session to session and year to year.

Friday Hangout

Held every Friday during the school year (September through June, except for school vacation days), the library hosts a different drop-in program each week for students in grades 7-12. Past offerings have included author visits, book discussions, poetry readings, arts-and-crafts projects, and healthy snack cooking demonstrations.

Great Books

Read thought-provoking essays, poems and excerpts from longer pieces of literature and philosophy by great thinkers throughout the ages, classic to contemporary. Participants use the “shared inquiry” method of discussion to deepen and explore their understanding of the readings.

Jazz at Lincoln Center

Wynton Marsalis is your guide in this film series that explores the many facets of jazz.

Museums at the Library

This open house-style event, held every spring, features booths from local museums where participants can learn about each museum and take part in creative and fun hands-on activities. Science, art, nature, history, music and more; all ages welcome!

Rising Stars Concert

Held annually in April or May, this music festival features young student performers. Classical and contemporary works from West to East are performed, followed by light refreshments. Co-sponsored by the Organization of Chinese Americans of Westchester/Hudson Valley.

Teen Study Hours

The Library extends its hours until 10 p.m. for high school students during exam weeks in January, May & June. Cooperative study groups encouraged!

Yale Alumni Lecture Series

Expert teachers present their most popular lectures. Recent offerings have included The Six Films That Changed America and Psychology and the Good Life.

Other Events

Themed film series, author talks, poetry readings, writing workshops, gardening lectures, book signings, health and wellness programs, and more!

For dates and registration information, go to the Events tab on the library’s website, chappaqualibrary.org.

 

Courtesy of the Chappaqua Library

Filed Under: Discover New Castle Tagged With: Big Truck Day, books, Chappaqua library, Databases, Discussion Groups, Friends of the Chappaqua Library, Lecture Series, New Castle, Online Research, reading, Resource

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