Author: Jess Serrenti

There’s Still Time to Sign Up

Books have been chosen and schedules posted at Lackawanna County Libraries for Teen Reading Lounge, a program that gives teens the opportunity to read and talk about the literature that matters to them. Popular young adult books including fantasy and dystopian novels, graphic novels and comics are being featured.

The program will run during the months of March and April. There is still time to sign up. Teens can stop by any Lackawanna County library for details.

A Man Who Likes Libraries

Lackawanna County libraries have a friend in Pennsylvania and his name is Tom Wolf. The state’s new governor signaled his support for libraries as a resident of York County where he was involved with public libraries long before he ran for office.

State funding for public libraries was cut 35 percent in 2008 and has never recovered, and though a governor has more on his plate than libraries, the Pennsylvania Library Association thinks it would be a good idea to let Gov. Wolf know that we library users see our libraries as important parts of the educational environment of our state.

Please take a few minutes to let the Governor know that libraries need his support. Pasted below is a sample message. You can copy and paste it into the link provided, or write your own message. Join thousands of library users throughout the Commonwealth in helping put our agenda on the Governor’s desk. Be sure to sign your name.

Open email link to the Governor’s Office and paste your message. Put “PA Libraries” in the subject box. Remember to sign your name.

Dear Governor Wolf:

I want to congratulate you on your election and inauguration as Governor of Pennsylvania. As a patron of the Lackawanna County Library System, I am excited to have a leader with a first-hand understanding and appreciation for the vital role of libraries in our economy, our communities, and most especially, in a thriving educational system.

As a library user, I am encouraged by your experience working closely with libraries in York County. That will serve you well as you begin to shape your education plans for success in the years ahead.  I believe—-and I trust that you do as well—-that re-emphasizing library services is a wise and integral part of any new and revitalized educational system for all of our citizens, pre-K through adult learners.  I look forward to the new chapter you will create in the history of Pennsylvania.

Signed

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

Ruby, a novel by Texas-born writer Cynthia Bond, is the latest pick by Oprah Winfrey for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0.

“I found the language and descriptions so vividly compelling,” Winfrey said, adding, “I have never read a book like this before.”

In addition to tapping the book for her club, Harpo Films, Winfrey’s production company, has purchased rights to the novel virtually assuring that it will be made into a motion picture.
The debut novel was published last spring in a modest 20,000 copy edition. Penguin Random House, the book’s publisher, is preparing a 250,000 paperback run to accommodate the expected sales boost from Winfrey announcement.

Oprah’s Book Club was a popular feature of her long running television program. When that ended, the book club did, too. Then in 2012, Ms. Winfrey responded to popular demand by introducing Oprah’s Book Club 2.0, which relies on social media to carry on the discussion formerly associated with her talk show.

Copies of Ruby are available at Lackawanna County libraries.

Sign Ups Underway

“Teen Reading Lounge” begins in March at Lackawanna County libraries, so there is still time to sign up to get involved in the humanities during out-of-school hours.

The program encourages teens to read and talk about the literature that matters to them. Popular young adult books including fantasy and dystopian novels, graphic novels and comics will be featured.

Teen Reading Lounge encourages reading, talking, sharing, creating, and fun! The program will run during the months of March and April.

The Teen Reading Lounge program at each library is being funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council with additional funding from the Library System itself. Books and other materials will be provided to participants at no charge.

Stop by any Lackawanna County library for details.

More Than 200 Animals In Care

During the month of February, Lackawanna County Libraries are collecting things needed at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in Clarks Summit to care for the more than 200 homeless, abandoned and abused animals it houses.

Pet food, towels, leashes, collars, toys, cleaning products and treats are among the things requested by the shelter. A full list can be found in the Library.

Founded in 1938, Griffin Pond is the only animal shelter in Lackawanna County. A registered non-profit 501(c)3, it also serves Wyoming County.

The votes are in!  The readers of Lackawanna County have decided their favorite books of 2014!

Here are the top five favorite books:

 Life after Russian Roulette: Game Over. Based on a True Story by Michael B. Kaminski

Description: “This is a true story based on actual events. My story begins during a long and lonely night in a dingy dorm room in seminary as I contemplated my past and the dark figures ? lives that still tormented me from years of undercover assignments as a police officer and detective. Suicide, numbed cold by the warmth of brandy, appeared to be the only solution to finally end the nightmares which drove me toward a desire for ordination and ministry. The series of events that follow that long night will take the reader on a winding course of exploration and confrontation through the early days of the police academy, the streets of Western District in Baltimore City, a history making police strike, undercover in drug groups and organized crime, the Pagans motorcycle gang, the docks of the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore and eventually a shooting that affected my mind, body and soul. After resigning from the police department and working as a private investigator for defense attorneys who had defended most of the people I arrested as a police detective, I find myself detained in the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C.”

 Gone girl : a novel by Gillian Flynn

Description: “On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick’s wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy’s friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn’t true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren’t his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick’s beautiful wife?”

 The quiet don : the untold story of Mafia kingpin Russell Bufalino by Matt Birkbeck

Description: “”To what extent was Rosario ‘Russell’ Bufalino involved in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa in 1975? In the CIA’s recruitment of gangsters to assassinate Fidel Castro? In organizing the historic meeting of crime chieftains in 1957? Even in the production of The Godfather movie? Secretive–even reclusive–Russell Bufalino quietly built his organized crime empire in the decades between Prohibition and the Carter presidency. His reach extended far beyond the coal country of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and quaint Amish farms near Lancaster. Bufalino had a hand in global, national, and local politics of the largest American cities, many of its major industries, and controlled the powerful Teamsters Union. His influence also reached the highest levels of Pennsylvania government and halls of Congress, and his legacy left a culture of corruption that continues to this day. A uniquely American saga that spans six decades, The Quiet Don follows Russell Bufalino’s remarkably quiet ascent from Sicilian immigrant to mob soldier to a man described by a United States Senate subcommittee in 1964 as ‘one of the most ruthless and powerful leaders of the Mafia in the United States.”

 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Description: “Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy at cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life.”

 The Rosie Project by Graeme C. Simsion

Description: “Don Tillman, a professor of genetics, sets up a project designed to find him the perfect wife, starting with a questionnaire that has to be adjusted a little as he goes along. Then he meets Rosie, who is everything he’s not looking for in a wife, but she ends up his friend as he helps her try and find her biological father.”

Lackawanna Digital Archives Is Worth A Visit

If you have an interest in the history and people of Lackawanna County, check out the Lackawanna Digital Archives. It’s a treasure trove for the lover of local lore, providing easy access for serious research or casual browsing.

The archive is divided into collections based on time periods or themes and contains high quality images of books, photographs, printings, letters, maps, videos, and other artifacts. A number of local organizations and individuals contributed to the development of the archive and funding was provided by the Willary Foundation.

Highlights of the collection include cookbooks published over the years by local churches and other organizations; centennial books and community histories; photo collections featuring Nay Aug Park and the Globe Store; and items relating to the development of our area from the archives of Scranton Public Library, the Lackawanna Historical Society, the Steamtown National Historic Site, and the Anthracite Heritage Museum.

Lackawanna County Library System

Request for Proposal

For Marketing and Management Consulting Services

Pursuant to a fair and open process, sealed submissions will be received by the Lackawanna County Library Board at its offices at 520 Vine St., Scranton, PA, 18509, on or before February 13, 2015 at 2:00 PM, prevailing time, for proposals for Marketing and Management Consulting Services.

Proposals will not be accepted after that date and time.

Proposal requirements are available via email as of January 21, 2015 by emailing your request to Mary Garm at garm@albright.org or on the Library System website at www.lclshome.org.

To access a copy of the RFP, go to www.lclshome.org/rfp<http://www.lclshome.org/rfp.

Signup Begins February 1

Libraries will the cool places for teenagers to hang out this spring as the Lackawanna County Library System rolls out “Teen Reading Lounge,” a program that gets teens involved in the humanities.

TRL aims to engage young people through reading, activities and experiences. The reading element of the program focuses on popular young adult literature.

Teen Reading Lounge is scheduled to run for eight weeks during March and April. Each library will develop its own program with participants reading books, engaging in discussions about what they have read, and taking part in activities and experiences designed to enhance the reading.

In addition to having fun, participants will sharpen their interpersonal and communications skills, improve their media literacy and hone critical thinking ability.