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Suffolk County public libraries set record-breaking downloads for 2021

by Julianne Mosher - January 28, 2022

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The Public Libraries of Suffolk County recently announced that it reached 2.9 million digital book checkouts on the download platform, Livebrary.com, in 2021.

The site, consisting of 56 libraries in Suffolk County, is one of 121 public library systems worldwide that surpassed 1 million checkouts.

According to a press release sent out by PLSC, this record-breaking milestone illustrates the continued growth and importance of library digital lending of e-books and audiobooks, especially after a prolonged period of building closures due to the global pandemic.

“The Public Libraries of Suffolk County continue to meet the needs of their communities by providing patrons with much-needed access to entertainment and learning opportunities through e-books and audiobooks,” Kevin Verbesey, director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, said in a statement.

PLSC has been providing readers 24/7 access to e-books and audiobooks for several years through the Libby app, the library reading app created by OverDrive allowing for readership to grow each year.

Readers in Suffolk County just need a valid library card from a member library to access digital books from Livebrary’s OverDrive-powered digital collection, and can use any device including Apple, Android, Chromebook or Kindle to read or listen.

Comsewogue Public Library in Port Jefferson Station had 125,284 digital book downloads, combined. Of that total, 94,478 were e-books and 30,806 were e-audiobooks. The Port Jefferson Free Library had 51,117 downloads overall, and Emma S. Clark Memorial Library patrons in Setauket downloaded 156,576 e-books, e-audiobooks and e-magazines.

“Our library’s patrons are among the heaviest users of e-books in the county, and we know that they value the ease, convenience and accessibility that e-books provide,” said Ted Gutmann, director at Emma S. Clark. “Although we love seeing our patrons in the library, not everyone is comfortable or indeed able to get to the library. E-books are a perfect alternative for those who can’t make it out to the library. Also, the convenience of instant access can’t be overlooked. I’ll often find myself at home reading a review or hearing a reference to a particular book that sounds interesting. It’s so nice to be able to just log on and download the book and start reading right away.”

Middle Country Public Library had 98,285 downloads in 2021.

“Over the past seven years, we have seen a steady increase in our downloadable materials,” said Sophia Serlis-McPhillips, director of MCPL. “We weren’t surprised that the numbers spiked during the pandemic, we were however, pleased that our patrons were able to access library materials such as e-books and e-audios either for recreational or educational purposes during that time. We also saw an influx of new library card applications, presumably new users seeking to access Livebrary.com.”

The highest-circulating title Livebrary readers borrowed in 2021 for both e-books and e-audiobooks was “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah. The top-circulating genre — romance — represents the most popular in a vast catalog that also includes mystery, biography and autobiography, children/young adult and more.

In Smithtown, 9% of the total downloads for the entire county came from The Smithtown Library with 266,304 digital downloads in 2021.

“The Smithtown Library is happy to know that our patrons continue to see the value of their library in the Smithtown community,” said Robert Lusak, director. “Our aim is to not just be about providing materials from the physical collections inside our buildings, but to also provide access to digital materials. We believe that e-books and audiobooks are equally as vital to our service program.”

Long Island Health Collaborative library study

These numbers also come just as the Long Island Health Collaborative released the results of a two-year study which examined health and social support issues encountered by public library staff and the patrons they serve. The survey proved that public libraries are essential to Long Islander’s health and wellness.

The LIHC, a coalition of 300-plus organizations all involved in improving the health of Long Islanders, helped coordinate and partially fund the research.

Public health researchers from Stony Brook University and Adelphi University interviewed library staff at randomly selected libraries throughout Long Island during December 2017 and February 2020.

They found that there was a difference between the needs and program offerings based on the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood in which a library is located. Libraries in lower-resourced communities generally ran more basic social assistance programs and those in higher-resourced communities offered more enrichment/leisure-type programming.

Researchers said they were not surprised at the results, as social determinants of health — those factors outside of medicine that influence an individual’s health — account for nearly 80% of health outcomes. These factors include education, poverty, access to transportation, safe and affordable housing, health insurance coverage, and access to nutritious and affordable foods, among others.

Starting with a list of 113 public libraries, 18 libraries in Suffolk County (from 26 randomly selected) and 14 libraries in Nassau County (from 27 randomly selected) consented to participate in the Long Island Libraries Qualitative Research Project.

A total of 96 interviews were completed, recorded and transcribed. Approximately three staff members at each library were interviewed, and the transcribed interviews were coded based on themes that emerged from the interviews across sites.

This resulted in a coding schema with 11 categories and many subthemes within each category.

“Public libraries are hidden gems in our communities,” said Janine Logan, director of the LIHC. “They are a trusted resource. Increasingly, public libraries play a key role in delivering some of the health and social support services an individual requires to live his/her best life.”

After intense wave, omicron infections decline in Suffolk County

by Daniel Dunaief - January 26, 2022

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covidhospitalizations (1) — Chart shows COVID-19 hospitalizations during the three waves. Image from the New York State Department of Health website

Phew!

The dramatic and steep rise in positive infections caused by the ubiquitous omicron mutant of the original COVID-19 strain is declining almost as rapidly as it climbed.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 25, the seven-day average for the percentage of people who tested positive for COVID in Suffolk County stood at 12%, which is well below the 25.9% for the same seven-day average who tested positive just two weeks earlier, according to figures from the New York State Department of Health.

Those numbers, which have been declining on a daily basis, are likely to fall even further, experts said.

“The omicron wave appears to have crested in Suffolk County and New York State, but not in other parts of the country,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, wrote in an email.

Public health officials attribute the welcome decline to several factors, including the increasing use of boosters, the adherence to mask guidelines and the reduction in travel and group gatherings.

“The numbers will decline slowly and steadily from the teens to single digits,” said Dr. Sunil Dhuper, chief medical officer at Port Jefferson’s St. Charles Hospital.

Sean Clouston, associate professor in the Program in Public Health and the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, added in an email that the “decline appears real and the timing suggest that the holiday period was, again, the main driving factor in the higher rates. We are likely on the other side of this wave.”

The omicron variant, which has involved milder symptoms for many of those infected, has also resulted in fewer hospitalizations.

The increase in hospitalizations is “not proportionate to the rise in cases” Pigott explained. “Our hospitals were overwhelmed when SARS-CoV-2 first hit our area [in 2020]. That has not been the case for the delta wave or the omicron wave.”

Indeed, the increase in the percentage of people who are vaccinated and boosted has helped reduce the need for emergency medical services at hospitals.

Among fully vaccinated people in the state of New York, 0.23% of the population 12 and over has been hospitalized, according to the New York State Department of Health.

That trend also holds true in Suffolk County area hospitals, public health officials said.

“We are seeing significantly reduced number of adults admitted with COVID who have had vaccines and especially those who had vaccines plus boosters,” Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, explained in an email. “We suspect that the booster augments your initial immune response, lasting at least six months.”

While vaccines and boosters help prevent hospitalizations, they do not ward off all potential upper respiratory infections, Nachman added. Getting a primary series and a booster is “critical” to reducing the risk of more significant health effects from any potential infection.

The age range of people who are hospitalized has decreased, particularly during the third wave. In the first exposure to the Wuhan strain, a majority of those who needed critical medical care were over 65, particularly before the vaccine was available.

During the omicron wave, however, there is a “noticeable shift between the ages of 18 to 49,” Dhuper said. While the proportion of people as a whole in this group may be lower, in part because people in this age range may not have as many underlying medical conditions, the total number hospitalized is still higher because of the broader spread of the virus.

People in that younger age bracket are “the major shift,” Dhuper said.

The infectiousness of omicron also created a strain on hospitals, as health care workers, even those who were asymptomatic or had minor symptoms, were testing positive.

“We had never seen the number of staff members that were out during the first or second wave,” Dhuper said. Even though the number of people hospitalized wasn’t as high, the overall health care workers available to help care for the population “really stressed our system.”

In the prior waves of the pandemic, the Catholic hospitals were able to do load balancing, in which they shifted patients to hospitals that had the bed space and health care workers.

Toward the latter half of the omicron wave, such maneuvers weren’t as easy to manage in part because of the staff shortages caused by positive tests.

Discharging people earlier and using effective but limited supply monoclonal antibody treatments for eligible patients that reduce the severity of symptoms helped reduce the strain on the system, Dhuper added.

In terms of protecting the population, Dhuper urged residents to consider the benefit of vaccines and boosters.

“The majority of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit are unvaccinated,” Dhuper said.

The rate of people who were unvaccinated and hospitalized with COVID-19 in the week ending on Dec. 11, which was the highest figure for 2021, was 91.1 per 100,000 people in the population, compared with 4.1 per 100,000 among the vaccinated, according to the New York State Department of Health.

“Those are amazing numbers in terms of the role of vaccines and how it’s protecting people from getting hospitalized and dying,” Dhuper said.

Comsewogue recognized as a sustainable public library

Port Times Record

by Press Release - January 26, 2022

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Comsewogue-Libraryw-700x357 — File photo by Kyle Barr

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative recently recognized the Comsewogue Public Library as a leader in sustainability through its award-winning Sustainable Libraries Certification Program.

This initiative guides libraries through a step-by-step process to infuse triple bottom line sustainable decision-making into their library’s policies and actions.

Through Comsewogue’s participation in the program, they have strengthened their existing community partnerships and expanded into new collaborations. The library staff are keenly aware of the needs of their community, although not always able to directly meet them.

Forging partnerships with other agencies allows Comsewogue Public Library to leverage this insight and align their services to involve partnering community organizations to ensure that their community’s current and emerging needs are met. The ability to bring agencies and resources together highlights Comsewogue Public Library’s prominent role in establishing and maintaining a thriving and resilient community.

The Sustainable Libraries Certification designation demonstrates to their community that decision making based on the triple bottom line principles can have lasting and tangible benefits.

“Everything we do now is looked at differently,” said Comsewogue Director Debbie Engelhardt. “Purchases, procedures, policies are put through the Triple Bottom Line lens. We want to be Environmentally Sound, Socially Equitable and Economically Feasible in our decision making.”

As the library administration and staff worked through the rigorous benchmarking process, they reduced their greenhouse gas consumption through the installation of LED lighting fixtures, new HVAC units, a white roof and an EnergyStar-rated water heater.

Shredding and recycling events open to the community diverted 3720 gallons of paper and 1349 pounds of eWaste from the landfill. Energy and water savings information was broadcasted to the staff and community, with a representative from PSEG, the community’s energy provider, offering information and energy savings tips to library users.

Additionally, they collaborated with the Town of Brookhaven to provide a receptacle for the community to continue to recycle glass after household pickup was discontinued.

To promote empathy and respect for all members of their diverse community, cultural competency training was offered to the staff and the library’s program offerings included several engaging programs that celebrate the variety of multi-cultural heritages of those they serve.

The library set clear objectives in a new Collection Development Policy that sets out to promote literacy and inclusivity, encourage freedom of expression, and support their community’s interests. They have worked to expand their residents’ access to government services by hosting senior advocates, job fairs, and “Claim Your Unclaimed Funds” program.

Reflecting on the certification program, Children’s & Teen Librarian Debbie Bush said, “I believe our community better understands how we operate and sees our library as a sustainable leader in the community.”

International impact

Comsewogue Public Library is among the first libraries to participate in the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program, the first of its kind in the world. This benchmarking program was developed to assist libraries of all kinds – public, academic, and individual school librarians — to create opportunities to make better choices on behalf of the local and global community.

The program has been recognized by the International Federation of Library Associations at their 2019 World Congress in Athens, Greece, becoming the first program in the United States to be honored through their “Green Libraries” Award.

Comprehensive approach

With categories of actions focusing on each of the three pillars of triple bottom line sustainability such as Energy, Indoor Spaces, Social Cohesion and Resilience Planning, this comprehensive process leads a library toward institutional change that shifts the rationale for every decision to consider the local and global impacts.

Through this program, libraries work with their communities to listen and learn, allowing local needs to be identified and addressed. Strengthening the relationship between the library and the community they serve builds resilience through stronger connections with many organizations and increased access to information.

The path to certification through the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program is designed to be flexible for libraries of different types, sizes, and budgets and guided by the communities they serve. Each library that completes the program will select the benchmarks that best fit the needs of their library and community, resulting in a uniquely sustainable organization.

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative is expanding to enroll libraries throughout the United States, with nearly 50 libraries currently enrolled in the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program. Comsewogue Public Library is the ninth library to be certified through this program.

Bellone, McCaffrey strike a deal regarding Suffolk’s controversial redistricting plan

by Rita J. Egan - January 26, 2022

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Ir 1964 — Residents rally in front of the H. Lee Dennison Building in support of IR 1964 on Jan. 24. Photo by Rita J. Egan

On Jan. 24, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) and county Legislator Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), who serves as the Legislature’s new presiding officer, reached an agreement regarding a county redistricting debate that has been ongoing for months.

The agreement, according to a press release from Bellone’s office, “paves the way for an open and fair process for adopting new legislative district maps and ensures an increase in the number of majority minority legislative districts in Suffolk County.”

At press time, a special meeting of the Legislature was being held to vote on an amendment in the County Charter. If approved, it will extend the period of time needed for the reapportionment commission to file new redistricting maps until Aug. 1. The legislators will also vote on new legislation “establishing a requirement that any maps drawn and adopted ahead of the 2023 legislative elections shall include no less than four majority minority legislative districts,” according to the press release.

The statement further explained that the bipartisan reapportionment commission will hold at least 10 public hearings to enable each town in Suffolk County to take part before maps are developed. After maps, which would include 18 new legislative districts, are agreed upon, at least two more meetings will be held.

“I am pleased to announce an agreement with the presiding officer that guarantees an unprecedented four majority-minority legislative districts in Suffolk County through a transparent redistricting process that is legally sustainable,” Bellone said. “Given the importance of ensuring fair representation for communities of color and looming legal challenges to the proposed map in IR 1964, we cannot leave to chance anything short of ensuring equitable representation, reflective of the county’s diversity, in our legislative district map.”

Republicans had begun legislation to rescind the Democrats IR 1964 redistricting reapportionment map bill that was passed Dec. 31 by the Legislature, when Democrats still held the majority in the county legislature. The Republicans are currently in the majority, 11-7. A lawsuit was also filed against the plan by Republicans, while the bill awaited Bellone’s signature or veto.

The county executive said he will work with the Legislature on the new agreement, which he feels will “commence a fair redistricting process that provides for significant public input in preparation for the next county election cycle in November 2023.”

The decision was made on the same day that local community advocacy groups joined forces at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge in search of fair representation for all Suffolk County residents.

The representatives, with a letter in hand signed by the members of the advocacy groups as well as elected officials and representatives of local Democratic committees, were urging Bellone to sign IR 1964. After a brief press conference, the representatives hand delivered the letter to the county executive’s office.

Among the speakers at the rally was Beverly Dean of the Brookhaven Rosa Parks Democratic Association.

“We must do this,” Dean said. “We must have this bill signed. The Suffolk County Legislature came together on Dec. 31, and put into action what we needed and they passed it. We need our county legislators that we elected to sign this into law today.”

Shoshana Hershkowitz, founder of Suffolk Progressives, and others at the rally felt a Republican redistricting plan would be gerrymandering. After the agreement between Bellone and McCaffrey, Hershkowitz released a statement.

“We are disappointed that despite the widespread support for IR 1964, including nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women Voters, County Executive Bellone has chosen to make a deal behind closed doors with Presiding Officer McCaffrey,” she wrote. “Quite frankly, given Mr. McCaffrey’s legislative record, trusting him to honor the promise of equitable redistricting is highly questionable.”

Comments from the Jan. 26 Suffolk County Legislature meeting were not available at press time.

Dozens gather to support pro-life rally in Port Jefferson

by Julianne Mosher - January 25, 2022

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A sign outside Infant Jesus Church in Port Jefferson welcoming pro-life activists this week. Photo by Julianne Mosher

Catholic parishioners across Long Island who support the pro-life movement rallied this week to support of the March for Life held in Washington, D.C.

According to Infant Jesus R.C. Church parishioner Kevin Crowley, in the past Catholic parishes in both counties have usually sent busloads of protesters to the nation’s capital every year, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic they had to bring the rally closer to home.

On Friday, Jan. 21 — the day of the D.C. event — Crowley said that nearly 90 people gathered inside the Port Jefferson church to participate in a three-part event: an early Mass, the rally which featured three different speakers and, then to finish, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Crowley said that because the pandemic has made it impossible to send buses to the March for Life in Washington, D.C., this Friday, Jan. 21, the Diocese of Rockville Centre is sponsoring parish activities. These activities are intended to show support for the March for Life which will take place simultaneously in Washington — its 49th year.

Along with St. Louis de Montfort R.C. Church in Sound Beach and the Joan of Arc Council of the Knights of Columbus in Port Jeff, those who would typically be with the thousands down in Washington stayed local. The plan originally was for gatherers to rally on the front lawn of the church, just below the Sacred Heart statue, but Friday’s freezing conditions moved the group indoors.

The March for Life is an annual march to the Supreme Court of the United States that began in 1974 — a year after the landmark abortion decision in Roe v. Wade. This year’s theme in Washington was called “equality begins in the womb.”

This comes as the Supreme Court looks to reconsider the Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) decisions that had written the right to abortion in the federal constitution.

According to Crowley, who is a retired Suffolk County First District Court judge, the State of New York has already codified a nine-month abortion right into state law and will be considering adding an assisted suicide law during the coming legislative session.

Pro-life activists are hopeful that Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which was argued before the Supreme Court in December, will overturn or weaken Roe v. Wade. The decision on the consequential abortion case is expected by this summer.

Crowley added in the past more than five dozen people would take a bus to participate in the big rally, often having to deny people for lack of seats. The last time the group was able to attend was January 2020 — right before the coronavirus hit us locally.

The 2021 rally was canceled as it was in the heart of the pandemic, and 2022 looked hopeful. But Crowley said that because of the omicron variant, it was better to play it safe, but to also express their support that all human life — especially that of an unborn, the aged, the poor, the differently abled and the terminally ill — starts from conception to natural death, and that services should be available to women in situations that were unplanned or not ideal.

“We’re looking to the future,” Crowley said. “The positive things to help women in crisis pregnancies — not just during, but after.”

ShopRite locations to hold job fair on Jan. 29

by Press Release - January 25, 2022

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Full- and part-time positions available

ShopRite has announced it will host a job fair to fill a variety of positions at its grocery stores on Saturday, Jan. 29 . Candidates looking to jump start their careers and gain valuable experience in retail, management, customer service and business are encouraged to visit any ShopRite store on Saturday, Jan. 29 to speak with a hiring manager on the spot.

The walk-up job fair is taking place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at nearly all ShopRite locations throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. Interested candidates can visit the location of their choice and speak with a hiring manager for an immediate interview. Full-time, part-time and management positions are available, depending on location.

Available part-time positions, including general, perishable, front end and stocking clerks, feature flexible hours and a wide variety of cross training to provide team members with the knowledge, skills, and tools to work as a team throughout the store. Training programs include a game-based training app and are designed to provide a solid foundation so each individual can achieve their best at ShopRite.

ShopRite also offers associates entertainment and tuition discounts, as well as scholarship opportunities, and associates can work for family-owned businesses that are part of the retailer-owned supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Corp.

For more information about ShopRite and career opportunities, please visit: ShopRite’s career website.

Warriors fall in final seconds

by Bill Landon - January 24, 2022

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Comsewogue senior Hayden Morris Gray drives the lane in a league IV home game against West Babylon Jan 22. Bill Landon photo

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It was a battle right to the final buzzer at Comsewogue high school when the Warriors hosted West Babylon in a game separated by less than three points in the final minutes of play.

Comsewogue trailed by one with :05.3 seconds left in regulation, but the clock wouldn’t wait as the Warriors fell 59-57 in the league IV matchup Jan. 22.

Senior Hayden Morris Gray topped the scoring chart for Comsewogue draining 5 treys a field goal and a free throw for 18 points.

Colin Strohm had 3 triples and a pair of field goals for 13 and teammate Matt Walsh banked 11. The loss drops the Warriors to 3-5 in league 7-6 overall.

Photos by Bill Landon

Place your order for at-home COVID-19 test kits

by Press Release - January 23, 2022

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The federal government has begun taking orders for free at-home COVID-19 test kits. Residents can order 4 free at-home tests per household. Orders will usually ship in 7 to 12 days.

1. Visit http://covidtests.gov

2. Enter your contact details and shipping information.

3. Click Check Out Now.

4. Verify your information is correct and select Place My Order. People who can’t access the website or who have trouble ordering online can call a hotline — 1-800-232-0233 — to order their free tests.

The tests available for order:

Are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR

Can be taken anywhere

Give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required)

Work whether or not you have COVID-⁠19 symptoms

Work whether or not you are up to date on your COVID-⁠19 vaccines

Are also referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter (OTC) tests

Take an at-⁠home test:

If you begin having COVID-⁠19 symptoms like fever, sore throat, runny nose, or loss of taste or smell, or

At least 5 days after you come into close contact with someone with COVID-⁠19, or

When you’re going to gather with a group of people, especially those who are at risk of severe disease or may not be up to date on their COVID-⁠19 vaccines.

What if you test Positive?

A positive at-⁠home test result means that the test found the virus, and you very likely have COVID-⁠19.

If you test positive on your at-⁠home test, follow the latest CDC guidance for isolation.

What if you test Negative?

A negative at-⁠home test result means that the test did not find the virus, and you may have a lower risk of spreading COVID-19 to others. Check your test kit’s instructions for specific next steps. If you test negative, you should test again within a few days with at least 24 hours between tests.

If you test negative, follow the latest CDC guidance for self-⁠testing.

Testing is only one step you can take to protect yourself, friends, family, and others. Everyone is encouraged to get up to date with their COVID-⁠19 vaccinations. Visit vaccines.gov to find a vaccine or booster near you. Wear a well-fitted mask when gathering indoors and maintain 6 feet of distance between people.

Comsewogue Teacher Spotlight: Ms. Katy Dornick

by Press Release - January 23, 2022

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Katy Dornick and her student. Photo from Andrew Harris

Comsewogue Special Education teacher Katy Dornick has been working in the district for 12 years, and is a proud graduate of the district, too.

Since her first day working with children with special needs she felt at home.

“Growing up with a sister with special needs I felt that I can relate to the families and be passionate to help their child succeed,” Dornick said. “I take pride in what I do, and I can relate to each family on a personal level.”

After many years of waiting to teach the students most in need within the district, she finally got a chance to move up to the high school and teach that special class.

“This is by far the most difficult class to teach,” said fellow teacher Andrew Harris. “It involves a lot of time, energy, and people management to run the class-and that is before you ever set foot inside the classroom and start teaching.”

He added that in this role, there is a lot of paperwork and medical knowledge required by the teacher.

“It takes someone with a very strong background and work ethic to make it all work,” he said.

“Not only that, but the students are the happiest I’ve ever seen them with Katy at the helm.”

During the summer, Dornick could be seen rearranging the areas the children would be working in.

“Classroom management is perhaps one of the most important things to have in place so that everything runs smoothly and is safe,” she said. “Some of my students have critical medical needs, this is a priority, and I wanted the educational set-up to be perfect.”

When school was back in session, a new “sensory room” was created. A perfect place to bring a child — especially children with autism — it’s a place to help calm an anxious student.

One student said it was his favorite place in the school.

Recently Dornicik, along with her class took over the responsibility of food collection for our high school. They donate all the food to the district pantry.

She has also guided her students to plan and create personal letters to be included when the district sent out care packages to veterans who have graduated from Comsewogue High School. One Marine in California was so excited to receive his gift from her class because he also had her as a teacher several years ago.

She has always been active in the local community including the fire department and a coach for sports teams.

“Katy. Dornick is truly one of a kind,” said Principal Mike Mosca. “What she has done for the students in her class and the Comsewogue Life Skills program is nothing short of exceptional. Visiting her class and her students is certainly one of the highlights of my day.”

Dornick said it’s an honor to teach her classes.

“All I can say is I feel honored to be given this opportunity to teach this class,” she said. “I truly feel like the luckiest person in the room. There is a line in a song by Jordan Davis that stands true for me in this class: ‘Do what you love and call it work.’ There is not a day that goes by when I do not leave this class without a smile on my face. These kids are simply amazing, and they continue to make me proud on a daily basis.”

Port Jefferson Free Library receives five-star rating

Port Times Record

by Julianne Mosher - January 22, 2022

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The Port Jefferson Free Library has been named as one of America’s star libraries for 2021, according to the Library Journal.

Recently announced, the Journal stated, “This is the 14th year in which LJ has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ index of public library service and awarded star library ratings.”

“Because of the unavoidable delay in data collection and analysis, that means this year’s star libraries once again represent not our current pandemic realities, but a sort of pre-pandemic time capsule,” the release noted.

While the ratings come from before the coronavirus, the award is still noteworthy.

“They represent a useful point of comparison,” the release continued. “We’ve interviewed library directors to learn how the pandemic has changed things since these numbers were collected.”

PJFL director Tom Donlon said that last year, in 2020, the library was rated at a four, so the 2021 five-star rating is certainly a win.

“We couldn’t have done it without our staff,” he said. “They were able to pivot quickly from in-person to virtual, along with our great base — our patrons who support us.”

Donlon said he and the rest of the library staff feel “fantastic” about the rating.

“We’re so grateful,” he said.

He added that the library is continuing to offer exciting programs for residents of all ages. Masks are still required inside the library at all times to help keep staff and the community safe.

“We’re here to support our community in any way we can,” he said.

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